|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
 |
|
Excerpt
from Lincoln at Gettysburg (1992) For a man so determined to get there (and so ready to invite others to attend), Lincoln seemsÑin familiar accountsÑrather cavalier about preparing what he would say in Gettysburg. The silly but persistent myth is that he jotted his brief remarks on the back of an envelope. Better-attested accounts have him considering it on the way to a photographer's shop in Washington, writing it on a piece of cardboard as the train took him on the eighty-mile trip, penciling it in David Wills's house on the night before the dedication, writing it in that house on the morning of the day he had to deliver it, or even composing it in his head as Everett spoke, before Lincoln rose to follow him. These recollections, recorded at various times after the speech was delivered and won fame, reflect two concerns on the part of those expressing them. They reveal an understandable pride in participation at the historic occasion. It was not enough for those who treasured their day at Gettysburg to have heard Lincoln speakÑa privilege they shared with anywhere from ten to twenty-thousand other people, and an experience that lasted no more than three minutes. They wanted to be intimate with the gestation of that extraordinary speech, watching the pen or pencil move under the inspiration of the moment. That is the other emphasis in these accountsÑthat it was a product of the moment, struck off as Lincoln moved under destiny's guidance. Inspiration was shed on him in the presence of others. The contrast with Everett's long labors of preparation is always implied. Research, learning, the student's lampÑnone of these were needed by Lincoln, whose unsummoned muse was prompting him, a democratic muse unacquainted with the library. Lightning struck, and each of our informants was there when it struck. The trouble with these accounts is that the lightning strikes too often, as if it could not get the work done on its first attempt. It hits Lincoln on the train, in his room, at night, in the morning. If the persistent inspiration was treating him this way, he should have been short-circuited, not inspired, by the time he spoke. These mythical
accounts are badly out of character for Lincoln, who composed his speeches
thoughtfully. Selected
Works Web
Site Links
|
Cultural
Historian