Apology Comes 150 Years Later

[L Verge]

Pa. paper: Sorry for panning Gettysburg Address

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — It took 150 years, but a Pennsylvania newspaper said Thursday it should have recognized the greatness of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address at the time it was delivered.

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, about 35 miles northeast of Gettysburg, retracted a dismissive editorial penned by its Civil War-era predecessor, The Harrisburg Patriot & Union.

The president's speech is now considered a triumph of American oratory.

The retraction, which echoes Lincoln's now-familiar language, said the newspaper's November 1863 coverage was wrong when it described the speech as "silly remarks" that deserved a "veil of oblivion."

The paper now says it regrets the error of not seeing its "momentous importance, timeless eloquence and lasting significance."

"By today's words alone, we cannot exalt, we cannot hallow, we cannot venerate this sacred text, for a grateful nation long ago came to view those words with reverence, without guidance from this chagrined member of the mainstream media," the paper wrote, echoing the words of the address.

Separately, the paper also recounted how it covered the dedication of the national cemetery (http://bit.ly/1aVGGLS ), nearly five months after the pivotal battle in which federal forces repelled a Confederate Army advance from Virginia into Pennsylvania. More than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the battle are buried there.

During the Civil War, the Patriot & Union was a Democratic newspaper that was staunchly opposed to Lincoln.

An event to remember the 150th anniversary of the speech is scheduled for Tuesday in Gettysburg.

[RJNorton]

Harrisburg's Patriot-News was not alone. There were others as well. Examples: The New York World accused President Lincoln of "gross ignorance or willful mis-statement." Wilbur F. Storey of the Chicago Times wrote that the address was "a perversion of history so flagrant that the most extended charity cannot regard it as otherwise than willful."

[ELCore]

I was just about to post this: you beat me to it.

[LincolnMan]

It seems odd to me that the paper today would do so. I'm not questioning the motive, but is it some sort of publicity stunt?

[brtmchl]

(11-16-2013 10:45 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  It seems odd to me that the paper today would do so. I'm not questioning the motive, but is it some sort of publicity stunt?

Newspapers weren't the only one's complaining about Lincoln's speech, Lincoln himself leaned to Ward Lamon immediatetly after and said, " that speech...is a flat failure and the people are disappointed." Even Lincoln at the time didn't appreciate the power and beauty of his own words.

In my opinion, It had to be because of the expectations of a grand long speech on hallowed ground to force such criticism. For such a short speech to contain such beauty and power is remarkable. In his 10 sentences Lincoln was able to craft his idea of the future and sum up what the Union was fighting for.

It clearly must have simply taken people by surprise, the shock of such a short speech. The words obviously never registered in peoples' minds at the moment. There were probably some that were disappointed because they missed it. Wasn't there a photo- op that was missed because it took longer to set up the camera than the speech took to recite?

The genius of Lincoln. Even when he bombs.

[Rob Wick]

Quote: Lincoln himself leaned to Ward Lamon immediatetly after and said, "that speech...is a flat failure and the people are disappointed."

I've never believed Lincoln said that.

According to Don and Virginia Fehrenbacher, "There is, in fact, reason to suspect that the whole story is invention. Lamon's chronically weak credibility is not improved in this instance by his accompanying assertion that Edward Everett and William H. Seward exchanged derogatory comments on the speech immediately after its delivery, or by his insistence that the merit of the Gettysburg Address went totally unrecognized in the United States until after Lincoln's death." (Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln, pg. 289)

I've never had much respect for Lamon, and in this instance I think he flat-out lied.

Best
Rob

[brtmchl]

(11-16-2013 05:38 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  

Quote: Lincoln himself leaned to Ward Lamon immediatetly after and said, "that speech...is a flat failure and the people are disappointed."

I've never believed Lincoln said that.

According to Don and Virginia Fehrenbacher, "There is, in fact, reason to suspect that the whole story is invention. Lamon's chronically weak credibility is not improved in this instance by his accompanying assertion that Edward Everett and William H. Seward exchanged derogatory comments on the speech immediately after its delivery, or by his insistence that the merit of the Gettysburg Address went totally unrecognized in the United States until after Lincoln's death." (Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln, pg. 289)

I've never had much respect for Lamon, and in this instance I think he flat-out lied.

Best
Rob

Thanks Rob. Is there any other documentation of any reference that Lincoln made about himself regarding his speech or remarks he made about criticism he received from newspapers?;

[Rob Wick]

Mike,

According to Gabor Boritt's The Gettysburg Gospel, he said that while Lincoln expected harsh reaction from the Democratic press, he must have been disappointed in the weak reaction from Republican papers, but there is no written evidence of his feelings. I've not heard of anything other than Lamon's statement, and I think most of the later accounts were based on that.

Best
Rob

[RJNorton]

(11-16-2013 05:38 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  I've never had much respect for Lamon, and in this instance I think he flat-out lied.
Best
Rob

I also have even wondered about the "Who is dead in the White House?" dream attributed to Lincoln shortly before his assassination. I have never seen a source for this other than Ward Hill Lamon, although others, including Mary Lincoln, were present when Abraham allegedly recounted the details of this dream. I am curious if anyone knows of a corroborating account. Otherwise we are simply left with Lamon's word that it happened.

I hate to seem so "questioning," but Lamon's story sort of fits with the story Crook told and which I also wonder about. Lincoln supposedly had a habit of bidding Crook a "good night" each evening as he left the office and went to his bedroom. However, according to Crook on the night of the assassination, Lincoln paused as he left for the theater and turned to the bodyguard saying "Good-bye, Crook." Makes for a good story. Did that really happen? Who knows. Only Crook, I guess.

[Eva Elisabeth]

...and both stories ("Lamon's" dream and "Coock's" "Good-bye") came up years later, didn't they? That's very strange.
As for Lamon's account of Gettysburg, David Donald writes:"Lamon's detailed acccount of the Gettysburg ceremonies is highly unreliable, but the quoted sentence ["Lamon, that speech won't scour!"] does sound like Lincoln."

Both Lamon's accounts (dream+Gettysburg) are in his "Recollections of A.L.", which was AFAIK published by his daughter in 1911. Or had they ever been published before?

[Gene C]

Lincoln had such melancholy moods, the "Who is dead in the White House" dream seems to fit his personality. I think it's likely President Lincoln had a dream similar to that, considering all the things he went through.