Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America (Simon & Schuster Lincoln Library) Paperback – Illustrated, November 14, 2006

The Gettysburg Address is one of the best-known and least-understood speeches in world history, and that is a sad reflection, because this 272-word, 10-sentence oration is one of the most important definitions of the purpose of government and the philosophy of what the United States thinks it should be, ranking alongside the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. Simultaneously, it pays tribute to the incredible sacrifices of men who gave their lives to save that country and make its philosophy of government permanent.Professor Wills's book attempts to plumb the well of how this speech came to be, its immediate, rhetorical, and historical roots. No, President Lincoln did not write it on the back of an envelope on the way up to Gettysburg. He dedicated considerable time to the speech in advance. He even gave a preview of it right after the Gettysburg victory, making a brief, off-the-cuff speech to people at the White House, celebrating that triumph and Vicksburg, referring to some of the themes he would expand upon. Yes, reaction to the speech was mixed -- the media of the day was as partisan as it is today -- and some newspapers publicly called it "dishwater utterances," with one paper in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, openly hoping that the "veil of oblivion" would pass over the remarks. The keynote speaker, on the other hand, Edward Everett, who spent two hours narrating the course of the encounter, sent Lincoln a note wishing he had come to the point as well in two hours as Lincoln did in two minutes.All of these subjects, and more, are taken up by Professor Wills, and his literary, historical, and scholarly analysis shows why this speech rapidly became an almost sacred text in the United States, all 272 words being reprinted on plaques across America, ranging from one side of the interior of the Lincoln Memorial to an obscure marker in a side alcove in the City Hall of Newark, New Jersey. One cannot go anywhere in America without being confronted with this speech and its vitally important message.There is, of course, an irony. My father's generation was required in its public school to learn and memorize the speech. I was merely required to learn it -- we didn't have the time to memorize it. I tried anyway, and didn't do very well.A few months ago, I got a call from a communications person at a public relations firm who wanted my boss, Cory A. Booker, at that time Mayor of Newark, to appear at her PR company with the "Grumpy Cat." I said, "Aren't all cats grumpy?" having had a number of them as pets.She giggled and explained that this "Grumpy Cat" had just appeared on the NBC Today Show that morning, and they wanted to get a photo of him with the Mayor. I had just turned down requests from NBC and CNN to interview the Mayor, and knew that if he was seen posing with the "Grumpy Cat," those two networks would demand my head, and I shot the request down. I then asked why on Earth a "Grumpy Cat" was newsworthy, and she told me the cat had an agent."An agent? How do they communicate? One 'meow' is 'Yes?' Two 'meows' is 'No?'"She giggled, and our conversation moved on to the importance of importance, and it wandered over to Gettysburg, as we were close to the 150th anniversary of the Address.She didn't know what it was."You know who the 'Grumpy Cat' is, but you don't know what the Gettysburg Address is," I said, exasperated. "And you're in the communications business."She giggled. "Is that the speech that starts off 'Four score and seven years ago?'" she asked.I told her it was.She wasn't familiar with it.I told her to order this book, gave her the Amazon link, and the conversation wrapped up. Then I wondered how many other people in positions of importance in this land there are who cannot tell me the importance of Abraham Lincoln's words. They should all read this book. Then they can get back to me. There will be a test in the morning.This is the book that explains the background for the single most important speech in American history, and maybe the world's history.

When looking at truly important, relavent historical writings especially American contributions to history one's mind almost immediately defers to the Declaration Of Independence or the Constitution.That's a given.Then comes presidential writings,inaugural addresses, etc.But one continually stands out in the minds of young and old alike. That being Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Quite the little ditty of its day, a mere 272 words,but what words they were.Composed in an eloquent, direct, Greek style, worked and reworked until Abe got it just right.Just a little 2 minute speech to open a cemetery on the battleground of Gettysburg,one of the most notable,remembered and written about battles of the Civil War. Historians have been analysing both the battle and the speech ever since.Garry Wills has written quite possibly the one book to clarify it for you.The whys, wheres, the climate political and otherwise, the preoccupation with death and the overall pervasive melancholy that entranced a nation are explored.He has even quite possibly managed to pin down the exact spot of its delivery so a visit to the site will hold an extra special meaning if that kind of stuff excites you as it does me.Ample research has produced a winner here.I was very pleased to learn the inside track of the history and evolution of this most memorable document. How Greek writings shaped the body of the document, its contents and the overall effect it had on the country then as it still has today.This is what one expects of a Pulitzer Prize winning author.Sure, there are many other books you could consult but this one seems to be very authoritative in both its writing and its research.I can't claim to be an authority on history but am working toward a more thorough understanding of our American beginnings. Primarily, I have been reviewing our revolutionary beginnings and then our own traumatic Civil War.Our leaders being Washington and Lincoln respectively.Lincoln's contribution,a mere 146 years ago are as relavent as Washington's were 233 years ago.I feel one needs to know the psychology behind both to be able to impart to future generations this body of supreme knowledge, for I fear it will be minimized and trivialized in the coming decades.With the current troubles and with our own rediculous current administration my fears and doubts grow daily with respect to the continual survival of our country as a respected,successful power.I hope my fears are wrong.In any event, this book will give you lots of insight into the clearer leadership and thought process of Lincoln that will only make you wiser and stronger as an American. Written 17 years ago(I'm a bit late).All the juiciest reviewers got to it first but that's OK.I'm always a day late and a dollar short, but if a regular guy like me can still sing the praises of a book nearly 1 score old,find it exciting,believable and well written then that shows it to be important, perhaps a final look and may be eternal in its relavence as we strive to impart our country's key elements of success and mindset of great people to those that follow and will someday,hopefully lead our country more prudently.Read it, especially if you have children.All that was said that day even the wonderful speech by Everett and his encapsulated battle speech are included.If after reading this book you don't get to feel an intimate relationship to that historic day,an almost as if you were there watching it kind of feeling then there is something wrong somewhere.

This is an excellent but rather academic work that covers many aspects of Gettysburg and Lincoln's most famous speech.Of course it deals with the address itself which, incidentally, was not intended to be the featured speech of the day. Contrary to popular myth, Lincoln did not just scribble it up on the train ride to Gettysburg. In true Lincoln fashion, it was the result of years of deep thinking, and it was carefully edited right up to (and even after) the moment it was delivered. The main oration of the day was actually a fine speech by one of the most celebrated orators of the time. The text of that oration is printed in one of the appendices.The author does a superb job of describing the context of both Everett's oration and Lincoln's brief address. The cemetery and its dedication were part of Gettysburg's healing process following the devastating physical and psychological impact of having "hosted" such a battle. Wills describes the preparation of the cemetery and then launches into treatises on Greek burial ceremonies and the cemetery culture of mid-century America. He also describes at length Lincoln's writing and speaking styles as well as his views on slavery, the war and preservation of the Union. Finally, he opines on the importance of Lincoln's address on oratory in general and on how the country viewed itself.I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only reason I gave it a four instead of a five is that it did bog down in a few places...most notably in its excessive discussions of the Greek art of funeral oratory.I recommend this book to anyone interested in Lincoln, the Battle or the period of the Civil War in general.