The Civil War Music Box: The Battle Hymn of the Republic

A few days ago I posted a hint about my next blog topic that read, "He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat."

Did you guess that the posted lyric is from the song "The Battle Hymn of the Republic?" If you did, you guessed correct. Since there are no music posts thus far, I figured this would be a good starting point. 

But before you start reading, please click on the link and listen to the song in the background. Thank you :)

 

There were many songs written during the four years of the American Civil War. However, no song is more connected to the Union or their cause than Julia Ward Howe's patriotic anthem "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

However, the history of this famous song goes back much further. The actual tune was taken from a Methodist hymn written by William Steffe and titled, "Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us?" The original text was as follows.

Say, brothers, will you meet us

On Canaan's happy shore

 

Glory, glory, hallelujah

For ever, evermore!

By the grace of God we'll meet you
Where parting is no more.

Glory, glory, hallelujah
For ever, evermore!

 

Jesus lives and reigns forever
On Canaan's happy shore.

 

Glory, glory, hallelujah
For ever, evermore!

The lyrics were rewritten at the start of the Civil War and the song was renamed as "John Brown's Body." According to an account written around 1890, the original song referred to both John Brown the abolitionist and to Sergeant John Brown of a certain battalion. Additional verses were published by various authors that changed the meaning of the song. Below is one of the texts from "John Brown's Body" and you can see that it has more to do with Union ideals than with Harper's Ferry.

John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave
His soul's marching on!

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

He's gone to be a soldier in the army of the Lord!
His soul's marching on!

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

John Brown's knapsack is strapped upon his back!
His soul's marching on!

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

His pet lambs will meet him on the way
They go marching on!

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

They will hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree!
As they march along!

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

Now, three rousing cheers for the Union
As we are marching on!

 

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

The next set of lyrics were written by William Patton and tell the story of John Brown and his famous raid.

 

Old John Brown’s body lies moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave,
His soul is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

John Brown was a hero, undaunted, true and brave,
And Kansas knows his valor when he fought her rights to save;
Now, tho the grass grows green above his grave,
His soul is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

He captured Harper’s Ferry, with his nineteen men so few,
And frightened "Old Virginny" till she trembled thru and thru;
They hung him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew,
But his soul is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see,
Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be,
And soon thruout the Sunny South the slaves shall all be free,
For his soul is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

The conflict that he heralded he looks from heaven to view,
On the army of the Union with its flag red, white and blue.
And heaven shall ring with anthems o’er the deed they mean to do,
For his soul is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,
The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,
For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,
And his soul is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His soul's marching on!

In November of 1861, Julia Ward Howe was touring Union army camps and heard the song "John Brown's Body." Inspired, she decided to pen new lyrics. She "awoke...in the gray of the early dawn, and to my astonishment found that the wished-for lines were arranging themselves in my brain. I lay quite still until the last verse had completed itself in my thoughts, then hastily arose, saying to myself, 'I shall lose this if I don't write it down immediately.'"

The new lyrics made their first public appearance on the front of the Atlantic Monthly in February of 1862. Editor James T. Fields, who paid her five dollars for the piece, got credit for giving the song its name.

"The Battle Cry of Freedom" has gone down in history as one of the finest patriotic songs. It was sung at a rally that was attended by President Lincoln and the story goes that Lincoln said, with tears in his eyes, "Sing it again." It was sung again and has continued to be sung more than 100 years later.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,
His day is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His Judgement Seat.
Oh! Be swift, my soul, to answer Him, be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

 

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me;
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

 

Do you have a favorite song from the Civil War? Let me know in the comments. It may get its own entry.

 

Until next time.

 

XOXO, Kate