Gettysburg Address ... easy question? maybe

[Gene C]

There were also personal issues weighing down on President Lincoln at Gettysburg.
Tad was very ill before Lincoln left on the train for Gettysburg and that was a great concern for him.
"Washington, D.C. was in the midst of a widespread smallpox outbreak at the time and no one can be sure when and where Lincoln and Johnson became exposed. In fact, in the week before Lincoln left for Gettysburg, his 10-year-old son, Tad, had been bed-ridden with an illness consisting of a fever and a “scarlet” rash"
(from Abraham Lincoln, Smallpox, and the Gettysburg address @CivilWarProfiles.com)
http://www.civilwarprofiles.com/abraham-...g-address/

It is also been commented from several other sources that Lincoln may have developed a case of small pox at Gettysburg or soon after.
" But the stress of the Presidency took its toll by 1863. President Lincoln was ill when he returned from delivering his Gettysburg Address on November 20. Aide John Hay wrote on November 26, “The President quite unwell.” 49 He was effectively confined to bed with variloid for the next three weeks and treated by Dr. Robert K. Stone, the family physician in Washington. The symptoms of the mild form of smallpox included flu-like symptoms – headache and fever. He found humor in his predicament, however. “I’ve got something now that I can give to everybody.” 50 On November 27, Mr. Lincoln wrote Secretary of State William H. Seward: “I am improving but I can not meet the Cabinet to-day.” 51

Aide William O. Stoddard recalled that “the White House has suddenly been turned into a smallpox hospital, with a certain degree of penetrable quarantine…Day follows day, and all the reports from the sick-room are favorable, but the whole country is nervous about this case, mild as it is, and so are you.” 52 By early December, Stoddard wrote: “The President is steadily recovering his health and strength, and his friends say that he will be rather improved than otherwise by his brief struggle with fever. He received his guests at the Reception the other day with a good deal of his usual hearty cheerfulness, though compelled to avail himself of occasional opportunities for a brief resting-spell.” 53

(From "Abraham Lincoln's Health @Abraham Lincolns Classroom.org) http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/...ns-health/

[David Lockmiller]

(12-14-2017 10:26 PM)ELCore Wrote:  

(12-14-2017 02:19 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  The relative importance of the Battle of Gettysburg to the future of this nation is best answered in a conversation that President Lincoln had with General Daniel Sickles subsequent to the battle.

“Mr. Lincoln,” I said, “we heard at Gettysburg that here at the capital you were all so anxious about the result of the battle that the Government officials packed up and got ready to leave at short notice with the official archives.”

“Yes,” he said, “some precautions were prudently taken, but for my part I was sure of our success at Gettysburg.”

“Why were you so confident?” I asked.

There was a brief pause. The President seemed to be in deep meditation. His pale face was lighted up by an expression I had not noted before. Turning to me, he said:

“When Lee crossed the Potomac and entered Pennsylvania, followed by our army, I felt that the great crisis had come. I knew that defeat of a great battle on Northern soil involved the loss of Washington, to be followed perhaps by the intervention of England and France in favor of the Southern Confederacy. I went to my room and got down on my knees in prayer.

“Never before had I prayed with so much earnestness. I wish I could repeat my prayer. I felt I must put all my trust in Almighty God. He gave our people the best country ever given man. He alone could save it from destruction. I had tried my best to do my duty and had found myself unequal to the task. The burden was more than I could bear.

“I asked Him to help us and give us victory now. I was sure my prayer was answered. I had no misgivings about the result at Gettysburg.” ("Lincoln Talks, A Biography in Anecdote," by Emanuel Hertz, pages 558-59.)

In Recollected Words, the Fehrenbachers note that Gen. Sickle's recall of Lincoln's words (supposedly on July 5, 1863) was published in a newspaper on February 12, 1911 — almost 46 years after the fact. And that one James Rusling of Gen. Sickles staff published a very different account of Lincoln's words, in 1895. That is, there is more than a little doubt about what Lincoln may or may not have said to Sickles about Gettysburg.

I recall that a guest in the White House had actually overheard that prayer of President Lincoln as he was making it. Do you know if that is true?

And, regarding the elements of the words between President Lincoln and General Sickles, I believe these to be true, but I do not know for certain: 1) Government officials packed up and got ready to leave at short notice with the official archives, and 2) "defeat of a great battle on Northern soil involved the loss of Washington, to be followed perhaps by the intervention of England and France in favor of the Southern Confederacy"

I do not think that I will use again the Emanuel Hertz book as a citation source.

---

(12-14-2017 10:26 PM)ELCore Wrote:  In Recollected Words, the Fehrenbachers note that Gen. Sickle's recall of Lincoln's words (supposedly on July 5, 1863) was published in a newspaper on February 12, 1911 — almost 46 years after the fact. And that one James Rusling of Gen. Sickles staff published a very different account of Lincoln's words, in 1895. That is, there is more than a little doubt about what Lincoln may or may not have said to Sickles about Gettysburg.

I found some additional information.

General Sickles arrived on Sunday morning, July 5, 1863, and was taken to the boarding house where he had previously stayed at 248 F Street. Col. James Rusling arrived at Gen. Sickles’ new quarters at 3 p.m. that Sunday, just moments before the guard at the door announced, “His excellency the President.’ Lincoln strode in with his son, Tad. They had ridden in from the Soldiers’ Home. Col. Rusling did his general great service in documenting this meeting. The president pressed Sickles for details of the great Union victory. Though in great pain, and still on his stretcher, the general spoke clearly while puffing on his cigar. Since Sickles was the first to get his story out, he began the process of justifying his decisions on the battlefield that had so confounded his superior, Gen. Meade. This was also the meeting during which Rusling claimed that the president confided his great faith in the “Almighty” as having provided Lincoln with guidance and assurance through the dark days of the War. (Men and Things I Saw in Civil War Days. Gen. James A. Rusling; 1899).

[ELCore]

(12-15-2017 10:04 AM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  I recall that a guest in the White House had actually overheard that prayer of President Lincoln as he was making it. Do you know if that is true?

I don't recall anything about that, one way or the other.

[AussieMick]

At the risk of boring of everyone, I note that Lincoln uses 'can not' in the letter to Fanny Mccollough (on her father's death). The emphatic tone of the 'can not' is similar to that in the Gettysburg Address, even though the two words are split across 2 lines.

http://www.shapell.org/manuscript/lincol...condolence

As an aside, it does seem that with the 'advances' of grammar we have lost something now that 'cannot' is always used. For Lincoln to have used 'cannot' in the letter to Fanny, the effect would have been lessened and he would not have transmitted the same 'message' in my opinion. Perhaps that is one reason why 'can not' is so effective and right in the Address.

[LincolnMan]

So we can answer “roughly 272 words.”

[AussieMick]

(12-17-2017 06:42 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  So we can answer “roughly 272 words.”

I think I'll be saying 10 sentences.

[David Lockmiller]

(12-14-2017 10:26 PM)ELCore Wrote:  In Recollected Words, the Fehrenbachers note that Gen. Sickle's recall of Lincoln's words (supposedly on July 5, 1863) was published in a newspaper on February 12, 1911 — almost 46 years after the fact. And that one James Rusling of Gen. Sickles staff published a very different account of Lincoln's words, in 1895. That is, there is more than a little doubt about what Lincoln may or may not have said to Sickles about Gettysburg.

James Rusling is also cited by Professor Burlingame as the source of a famous Lincoln quote about his appreciation for General Grant ("Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Vol. II, page 628):

"In July 1863, he had told General Sickles that he appreciated Grant's uncomplaining nature: 'He doesn't worry and bother me. He isn't shrieking for reinforcements all the time. He takes what troops we can safely give him . . . and does the best he can with what he has got, and doesn't grumble and scold all while.'" (James F. Rusling, "Men and Things I Saw in Civil War Days" (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1899), 16.)

[ELCore]

(12-18-2017 12:21 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:  James Rusling is also cited by Professor Burlingame as the source of a famous Lincoln quote about his appreciation for General Grant ("Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Vol. II, page 628):

"In July 1863, he had told General Sickles that he appreciated Grant's uncomplaining nature: 'He doesn't worry and bother me. He isn't shrieking for reinforcements all the time. He takes what troops we can safely give him . . . and does the best he can with what he has got, and doesn't grumble and scold all while.'" (James F. Rusling, "Men and Things I Saw in Civil War Days" (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1899), 16.)

I see that. The Fehrenbachers don't list that in Recollected Words.

[kerry]

"Can not" was definitely common, based on the newspapers at the time.

[AussieMick]

I wouldnt dispute that "Can not" was common usage. But there are examples of 'cannot' in newspapers. Such as

Army and Navy Journal November 28 1863

and New York Daily Tribune Nov 21 1863

[STS Lincolnite]

Most of my response here is related to some of the earlier posts in this thread.

I agree with posts above about how Lincoln used or even spelled words in a way that would lend emphasis and clarity or even convey a specific meaning – especially when they were spoken or read aloud to large or small groups.

In 1904/1905 William Gibson Harris (a law student of Lincoln in the 1840s), over the course 4 issues of Woman’s Home Companion, published his recollections of Lincoln. In one of the segments he recalled Lincoln having said, “I write by ear. When I have got my thoughts on paper, I read it aloud, and if it sounds alright I let it pass.” And according to one of Lincoln's secretaries, William Stoddard, Lincoln’s method was “to read his manuscript over aloud, ‘to see how it sounded, as he could hardly judge of a thing by merely reading it.’”

When looking at his writing, I think it’s pretty clear Lincoln punctuated by ear as well. He tended to use lots of commas (to denote speaking pauses or breaths I suppose) among other more strange punctuation and capitalization choices. When considering a written piece being spoken aloud, some of the choices are maybe not quite so strange. Douglas Wilson, in his book Lincoln’s Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words makes mention of these punctuation habits and how John Defrees at the Government printing office had the unenviable task of trying to edit the state papers (and purge those many commas as well as correct spelling errors and random capitalizations) that Lincoln sent to be printed.

When I have spoken on the subject of Lincoln’s remarks at Gettysburg, I have typically referred to the length as roughly 10 sentences and around 270 words. The exact length is not of primary importance to me. The point I try to get across is how the language he used was crafted in such a way that an evocative message was delivered with clarity and brevity. Edward Everett’s remarks in his 20 November 1863 letter to Lincoln (as quoted in a previous post in this thread) articulate this point quite clearly. I have no doubt the brevity of the message is one of the factors that has contributed to Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” being one of the most well-known and enduring speeches in the English language. If not brief, it would be much harder to memorize. The ability of individuals to memorize the address, in all or in part, has certainly been a contributor to its longevity and ongoing presence in our collective consciousness.

I would say the most recognized version would be the Bliss Copy. That one is considered the definitive copy (since as someone mentioned it was the last one written in Lincoln's hand) so most all modern printings and re-printings are based on that one. Even though it is probably not the exact version that the audience heard at Gettysburg on 19 November 1863, it is probably the version that millions and millions would recognize as the Gettysburg Address.

On the topic of can not vs. cannot, I might theorize that “cannot” originated in the print media. It would conserve a type space. I have seen misspellings in old newspapers that I suspect were intentionally made in order to better fit text into the available print space. The misspellings were obvious but not so egregious that the intended meaning was lost. Just a thought.

[RJNorton]

(12-19-2017 08:32 PM)STS Lincolnite Wrote:  He tended to use lots of commas

Scott, IMO, Mary would have given him a run for his money:

"...that, that miserable inebriate Johnson, had cognizance of my husband's death - Why, was that card of Booth's, found in his box, some acquaintance certainly existed - I have been deeply impressed, with the harrowing thought, that he, had an understanding with the conspirators & they knew their man... As sure, as you & I live, Johnson, had some hand, in all this..."

Mary Lincoln to her friend, Sally Orne, in a letter dated March 15, 1866

(Thanks for mentioning William Gibson Harris. He is also known to historians for identifying Nicholas H. Shepherd as the photographer who took the earliest daguerreotypes of Mary and Abraham.)

[ELCore]

For those interested, here is a PDF version of a pamphlet published in 1909: Versions of the Gettysburg address: cited by William H. Lambert in his paper entitled "The Gettysburg address — when written, how received, its true form." Seven versions in all.

[STS Lincolnite]

(12-20-2017 02:07 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 08:32 PM)STS Lincolnite Wrote:  He tended to use lots of commas

Scott, IMO, Mary would have given him a run for his money:

"...that, that miserable inebriate Johnson, had cognizance of my husband's death - Why, was that card of Booth's, found in his box, some acquaintance certainly existed - I have been deeply impressed, with the harrowing thought, that he, had an understanding with the conspirators & they knew their man... As sure, as you & I live, Johnson, had some hand, in all this..."

Mary Lincoln to her friend, Sally Orne, in a letter dated March 15, 1866

(Thanks for mentioning William Gibson Harris. He is also known to historians for identifying Nicholas H. Shepherd as the photographer who took the earliest daguerreotypes of Mary and Abraham.)

Wow! That is a lot of commas! Maybe it is a family thing.

By the way I will e-mail Roger pdf copies of the William Gibson Harris articles to post here in case anyone is interested.

[Gene C]

(12-26-2017 01:39 PM)STS Lincolnite Wrote:  Wow! That is a lot of commas! Maybe it is a family thing.

By the way I will e-mail Roger pdf copies of the William Gibson Harris articles to post here in case anyone is interested.

I hope, you will excuse me, for adding a few extra, and unnecessary commas, to add emphasis, and to get into the spirit, of your comment.

"Wow, that is a lot of commas. Maybe, it is a family thing.
By the way, I will email Roger, pdf copies of the William Gibson Harris articles, to post here, in case anyone is interested. "