John Hay

27-30 years old

John hay was remarkably close to President Lincoln. His eyewitness account is a diary he kept during the civil war and a little afterwards. He talks about how Lincoln wasn't the featured speaker of the day, it was actually Edward Everett. Lincoln was invited with the intention that he would be too busy with being president that he would not get the chance to come. John recalls that Lincolns son had fallen terribly ill prior to the Gathering. Despite this panic as Lincoln had already lost two of his four children' Lincoln came and gave his most famous speech on such little notice. Below is an excerpt of how John felt about the speech. "In the morning I got a beast and rode out with the President's suite to the Cemetery in the procession. The procession formed itself in an orphanly sort of way and moved out with very little help from anybody, and after a little delay, Mr. Everett took his place on the stand - and Mr. Stockton made a prayer which thought it was an oration; and Mr. Everett spoke as he always does, perfectly - and the President, in a fine, free way, with more grace than is his wont, said his half dozen words of consecration, and the music wailed and we went home through crowded and cheering streets."