Why Was The Gettysburg Address Written

Civil War letter tells story of move from schoolyard to battlefield: James F ...

What began as a fierce spelling-bee battle ended on a different battlefield -- Gettysburg.

My ancestral relative Clinton Burns captured the story of both battles and of his heroic teacher in a letter written years later to his daughter, Ruth.

The story starts in a one-room schoolhouse in western Pennsylvania but ends with the Medal of Honor, a Fourth of July amputation and a famous speech by Abraham Lincoln.

Winter, 1862. My next teacher was James Jackson Purman, familiarly know as Jack Purman. . . . He was a man of city-bred manners; his linen immaculate, his shoes polished and his clothing tailor made. His features were clean-cut and his cheeks as rosy as a maiden's. Under great provocation he would lose his temper, his cheeks would flush and the mental turmoil going on within was easily apparent.

I was now a lad of 11 or 12 years of age and able to make a respectable showing in the numerous spelling matches which were being held. . . . I remember on one such occasion of being the innocent cause of a quarrel between Mr. Purman and Mr. Langdon, the teacher of the Cummins school. Our school had accepted an invitation to join them in a spelling match, and we were engaged in the struggle. . . . Only I was left to defend the honor of Oak Ridge, while Elizabeth Lytman held the floor for the Cummins people. She was a young woman of 18 or 19 years of age with a beautiful face and a tongue with a pernicious habit of naming the letters of every word in their proper order.

Mr. Langdon pronounced the word "feef" to me, and I spelled it f-e-i-f. He should have called the word "fef," and I should have spelled it f-e-o-f-f, as it is an old English word pertaining to land tenure. At this moment I can see in my imagination Mr. Langdon as he waved the candlestick with its lighted tallow candle about his head shouting, "Hurrah."

Mr. Purman was on his feet in a moment. He was angry, his face was flushed and his words came thick and fast. The word had been mispronounced intentionally, the contest had been won unfairly, the action was high-handed robbery and other accusations of like motive. I thought the men would come to blows, but the sensible men in the audience preserved the peace. Mr. Langdon was not a scholarly man and evidently did not know the true pronunciation of the word. . . .

Not many generations separate us from the years of Rebellion, Secession, War and Emancipation. What are your family’s stories from those times? For the next few years, as Ohio and the nation mark the sesquicentennial of this epic, wrenching conflict, The Plain Dealer’s opinion editors want your personal reflections and reminiscences, to give real-life dimension to the war’s events and draw lines from then to now. To the scores of readers who’ve already submitted stories: Thank you. We are still reviewing those submissions. But the door remains open. Please email submissions to: forum@plaind.com . Keep submissions to 700 words or less, include an address and phone number for verification, and write “Civil War” in the subject line. Help make this epochal struggle come alive again for all of us.

Happy Fourth of July « Senior Moments

Does the Fourth of July mean anything more than picnics, fireworks, and a day off work?  I have to admit that I sometimes wonder.  Now don’t get me wrong — I enjoy a picnic as much as anyone, and I absolutely loved a day off from work before I retired.  But even then there was something special about the Fourth of July.

This day commemorates the day when The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia in 1776.  The Declaration, containing the words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”, is one of the most profound documents in history.

It used to be that most people felt this was a pretty special country.  We learned the history of our country — the people and places.  We said the Pledge of Allegiance in school, and the Star-Spangled Banner was played at school events.  We also learned how the song came to be written.  We learned the text of the Gettysburg Address, and knew the words to “My Country Tis of Thee”, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, and “America the Beautiful”.

I grew up on a farm outside a small town in Indiana.  Almost everyone in the area turned out for the Fourth of July parade, and the program before the fireworks display.  The fireworks themselves almost always included a representation of the Liberty Bell or the American flag.  We all felt we were a part of something very special.

The title of this blog is “Senior Moments”, and I’m getting more senior with each passing day.  I guess I’m rapidly becoming a curmudgeon.  If so, please forgive me.  I only wish my grandchildren realize that they, too, are part of a very special country.

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The Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's Gettysburg address, echoes of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer

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