Pa. paper: Sorry for panning Gettysburg Address

[November 15, 2013]  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania newspaper says it's sorry it didn't recognize the greatness of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address 150 years ago.

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg on Thursday retracted a dismissive editorial penned by its Civil War-era predecessor, The Harrisburg Patriot & Union.

The president's speech is now considered a triumph of American oratory. But the retraction notes the newspaper's November 1863 coverage said it amounted to "silly remarks" that deserved a "veil of oblivion."

The paper now says it "regrets the error" of not seeing the speech's "momentous importance, timeless eloquence and lasting significance."

An event to remember the 150th anniversary of the speech is scheduled for Tuesday in Gettysburg.

[Associated Press]

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