It
is true that Lincoln was known to enjoy telling some off-colored jokes occasionally,
and he even used curse words when his temper was riled. But as a rule the
president was very opposed to the use of profanity particularly in normal
conversation. He was known to have corrected his generals for using such
language without reason. Officers were subject to courts-martial if they were
found guilty of using foul language. Enlisted men would have their pay docked
for the same offense.
So,
then, did all of this mean that there was virtually no swearing during the
Civil War period (1861-65)? Of course not! It was a problem then as it is now,
only then there was more of a civility and courtesy, particularly in the presence
of women and children that we have lost in today’s society. Letters written
home by soldiers during the Civil War often referred to the vices of their
fellow soldiers, the greatest of these being, gambling, cussing, and whoring.
One soldier commented that army camp life was a real test for the Christian because
of all the bad habits that were so openly flaunted.
One
of the words used a few times in the Lincoln movie was the repugnant F-word. Though
this word was in use at the time in America, its origins are purportedly from
England. The word had not become that familiar to the American form of English,
nor did it carry the full meaning of the word in all of its vulgarity as it
does today. It is highly unlikely that Mr. Lincoln used it, though we cannot be
certain.
It
can be fairly stated that Lincoln’s command of the English language is without
question, and most notably demonstrated when he penned the Gettysburg Address
while traveling by train to that noble, historic site to help commemorate a
cemetery for the Union soldiers who fell in battle there. One of the ironies of
this ceremony at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is that another individual was chosen
as the guest speaker, and not the president! Edward Everett, member of the
House of Representatives from Massachusetts, had a colorful career in public
service. He was a member of the Whig Party, served as U.S. Representative,
U.S. Senator, the 15th Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, and
United States Secretary of State. He also taught at Harvard University and
served as president of Harvard. Mr.
Everett spoke at Gettysburg for two hours prior to Lincoln. He later wrote the
president, expressing his admiration for the Gettysburg Address by stating, "I should be glad, if I could flatter
myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours,
as you did in two minutes."
Another
of Lincoln’s masterful works was his Emancipation Proclamation, a speech which was
crucial in opening the door for slaves to be free. On a web site about the
Emancipation Proclamation I found this bit of insight: On
September 22, 1863, soon after the Union victory at Antietam, President Lincoln
issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that as of January 1,
1863, all slaves in the rebellious states "shall
be then, thenceforward, and forever free." While the Emancipation
Proclamation did not free a single slave, it was an important turning point in
the war, transforming the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human
freedom (http://www.history.com/topics/emancipation-proclamation).
My favorite “Lincoln Language” is
his letters to the families of fallen soldiers. The following letter to a Mrs.
Bates, exemplifies the president’s heart and compassion for those grieving for
their loved ones.
There is no greater challenge for a commander of troops, or
the Commander-in-Chief, than to have to write a letter to a family regarding the
death of their child/loved one.
Executive Mansion, Washington, Nov.
21, 1864
Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of
the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that
you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of
battle.
I feel how weak and fruitless must
be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a
loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the
consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may
assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished
memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have
laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom. Yours, very sincerely and
respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln
Little wonder that Abraham Lincoln
was, and is, still so loved and revered by Americans.
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