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Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That  Remade America
Lincoln at Gettysburg The Words That Remade America
Author: Garry Wills
The power of words has rarely been given a more compelling demonstration than in the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was asked to memorialize the gruesome battle. Instead, he gave the whole nation "a new birth of freedom" in the space of a mere 272 words. His entire life and previous training, and his deep political experience went into this, his re...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780671867423
ISBN-10: 0671867423
Publication Date: 6/12/1993
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 11

3.8 stars, based on 11 ratings
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 2
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katknit avatar reviewed Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America on + 355 more book reviews
There are times in every nations history that serve as turning points, and the 1863 dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery is one of Americas, largely due to the influence of Abraham Lincolns 256 word speech. Garry Wills puts paid to the notion that Lincoln dashed something off on the train ride to Gettysburg, painstakingly tracing the cultural, literary, historic, and philosophical underpinnings to one of the worlds oratory masterpieces. Wills also analyzes the surviving five drafts of the speech that were written in the Presidents own hand, concluding that the one given to Alexander Bliss is most likely the one from which Lincoln spoke. He also attempts to pinpoint the location of the dias within the cemetery, which was not, as the Park Service contended, at the site of the Soldiers Monument.

Readers searching for information about Lincolns activities on that fateful day will find little of interest in this slim volume, but for those interested in the best known address in American history, Lincoln at Gettysburg fills the bill.


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