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History

Old Abe Lincoln Make a Tall, Tall Tale

Jesse Walker | 3.11.2009 2:30 PM

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What's really interesting to me about this story is the way the watchmaker revised his memory of the message after the event. Slavery ended, Lincoln became a folk hero, and a story accordingly evolved.

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Jesse Walker is books editor at Reason and the author of Rebels on the Air and The United States of Paranoia.

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  1. TofuSushi   16 years ago

    I'll bet president Obama has a watch just like that with a better inscription.

  2. Episiarch   16 years ago

    What's really interesting to me about this story is the way the watchmaker revised his memory of the message after the event.

    As I was reading the true message, my brain jumped ahead of my eyes and I was sure it was going to be a pro-Confederacy or pro-slavery message. Alas, it wasn't. That would have been serious revision. And hilarious to boot.

  3. Kolohe   16 years ago

    I was sure it was going to be a pro-Confederacy

    The article does say:

    "The name "Jeff. Davis," the president of the Confederacy, is also etched on a different part of the brass plate, in different handwriting. It remains unexplained

    I was sure the story would include something about how a soldier had to hide the watch when he was captured and sent to Andersonville.

  4. Jesse Walker   16 years ago

    As I was reading the true message, my brain jumped ahead of my eyes and I was sure it was going to be a pro-Confederacy or pro-slavery message. Alas, it wasn't.

    That would have been hilarious, wouldn't it? They open the watch and discover the inscription, "Fire away, boys! Fort Sumter belongs to the South!"

  5. Actual Watch Inscription   16 years ago

    The gold is buried in Sad Hill Cemetery in a grave marked "Unknown" next to Arch Stanton.

  6. Warty   16 years ago

    Good...bad...I'm the one with the gun.

  7. Episiarch   16 years ago

    "Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date thank God we have a government willing to keep the darkies down."

  8. James J.B.   16 years ago

    It's funny b/c this story reminded me of all of the "spooky" comparisons between Lincoln and Kennedy. You know - for example - Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy and JFK had one named lincoln. The funny thing is that People forget the one rarely known comparison - that Johnson (Kennedy's VP) had a big lincoln, and Lincoln had a Big Johnson!!!!!
    LOL 😉

  9. Warren   16 years ago

    Blockquote>The gold is buried in Sad Hill Cemetery in a grave marked "Unknown" next to Arch Stanton.

    shew-whewoo-woo-woo Wah-wah-waaah

    What would have been really prescient, would be if it read; Suck it Geraldo

  10. Andersonville Soldier\'s best   16 years ago

    "I was sure the story would include something about how a soldier had to hide the watch when he was captured and sent to Andersonville."

    So your father gave me the watch and made me promis that it would get to you. So for three years I kept that watch in my ass, just as he had done. And now I'm giving it to you.

  11. FrBunny   16 years ago

    "BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE"

  12. Bronwyn   16 years ago

    Thank you, Mr. Walken at 2:56. I was waiting for it, and you did not disappoint!

  13. Andersonville Soldier\'s best   16 years ago

    Had to. Huge Walkin fan. Love that scene.

  14. miche   16 years ago

    Love Mr. Walken too.

  15. Andersonville Soldier\'s best   16 years ago

    I'm just two degrees separated from Walkin via Michael Jordan and Kevin Bacon.

  16. Andersonville Soldier\'s best   16 years ago

    And yet for some reason I keep misspelling his name.

  17. scott clark   16 years ago

    I don't know, I kinda read it that the watchmaker was pro Confederacy, the thank god we have a govt was sarcastic, as in look what the government has gotten us into.

  18. FrBunny   16 years ago

    thank god we have a govt was sarcastic

    Antebellum snark!

  19. Kunal   16 years ago

    Antebellum snark!

    If it happened on 4-13-1861, its not antebellum any more.

  20. FrBunny   16 years ago

    its not antebellum any more

    Damn H&R and its book-learned posters.

    I knew somebody would bust me on that. I'm going back to posting on the CW message boards; I'm like totally the smartest one there.

  21. bigbigslacker   16 years ago

    I just heard this story on NPR yesterday. Either I missed it, or they didn't mention the other inscriptions.

    (I only tuned in to NPR by accident. Honest. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye)

  22. TrickyVic   16 years ago

    """"I kinda read it that the watchmaker was pro Confederacy, the thank god we have a govt was sarcastic, as in look what the government has gotten us into."""

    He referred to the confederacy as rebels. I think it stands at face value. Someone who is thankful that government will protect him from an armed rebellion. The citizenry runs to government for protection in times of crisis.

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