THE BIXBY LETTER The Bixby letter is a letter sent from the United States President Abraham Lincoln to a bereaved mother of five sons who were thought to have died while fighting for the Union in the American Civil War. The brief, consoling message was written in November 1864 to Lydia Bixby, a widow living in Boston, following a request from Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrew. The text has been widely praised as one of Lincolns finest works of writing alongside the Gettysburg Address and hissecond inaugural address. Some controversy surrounds the recipient, subject, and authorship of the letter. Although her sons fought for the Union, Mrs. Bixby seems to have personally supported the Confederacy. Not all five sons died in battle, with records showing that three of them were still alive years after the war. Historians have long debated whether the text was penned by Lincoln himself or by his assistant private secretary, John Hay. These factors have scarcely affected the reputation of the letter, which remains in the highest regard of many critics. The letter was widely reprinted and the original is thought to be lost, yet this matter is frequently questioned as new copies are found and examined. Lincolns letter to Mrs. Bixby was printed by the Boston Evening Transcript on November 25, 1864, the same day it was delivered to her by the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, William Schouler. The following is the text of the letter as it appeared in the Transcript: 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 word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering 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, A. Lincoln Background In a report to Governor John A. Andrew, the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, William Schouler, wrote that Lydia Bixby had five sons who had died fighting for the Union. Andrew sent the report to the U.S. War Department with an additional note requesting the president to honor the mother with a letter. The report found its way to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who delivered it along with the records of the five sons to President Lincoln at which point the letter was written. The War Department incorrectly informed Lincoln about the fate of Mrs. Bixbys sons: Two had died in battle, the others eventually survived the war. It is unclear whether the errors in Mrs. Bixbys story were intentional, and why the War Department had failed to correct the report based on their own records. (Wiki)
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:18:03 +0000
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