WHAT LINCOLN SAID.

It was Abraham Lincoln who said at the dedication of the National Cemetery
at Gettysburg:

"But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we
cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled
here, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract. The world
will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here."

And yet the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, Commandery of
Massachusetts, and the Wisconsin History Commission, in so far as they
authorized, or are responsible for the publication of the Haskell
"Narrative" of the Battle of Gettysburg, are surely, surely doing what
they can to detract from what the living and the dead did there.

NOTE NO. 3.

FOR CAREFUL CONSIDERATION.

A typewritten copy of this reply of the Philadelphia Brigade Association,
before being placed in the hands of the printer, was sent to the Military
Order of the Loyal Legion, Commandery of Massachusetts; to the Wisconsin
History Commission, and to the Governor of Wisconsin, asking if they had
any explanation to make as to the statements contained in Haskell's
"Narrative," advising them that we would gladly give it in our printed
book.

As yet no reply has been received from the Loyal Legion of Massachusetts,
and for this grave discourtesy we are at a loss to account, unless it be
that after consideration the facts submitted did not warrant them in
defending the position in which they were placed, and to acknowledge
themselves in error would, to some extent, at least, stultify themselves.

The Governor of Wisconsin, who is an ex-officio member of the Wisconsin
History Commission, writes under date of February 24, 1910, scarcely
referring at all to the matter under consideration, i. e., the conduct of
the Philadelphia Brigade in the Battle of Gettysburg. He does, however,
say that the purpose of the Commission is to publish such material as from
considerations of rarity or general excellence it is deemed desirable to
disseminate. Haskell's book certainly comes under one of these classes. We
do not believe that among any writings of either Union men or Confederates
in all the United States, such a rare book as Haskell's can be found. The
Governor of Wisconsin says that Haskell in his story to his brother puts
down in his letter "what he saw, or thought he saw."

It would seem that comment on this is useless. That history s