History Battle Hymn of the Republic

1 history

1.1 oh! brothers
1.2 john brown s body song
1.3 creation of battle hymn

history
oh! brothers

the glory, hallelujah tune folk hymn developed in oral hymn tradition of camp meetings in southern united states , first documented in 1800s. in first known version, canaan s happy shore , text includes verse oh! brothers meet me (3×)/on canaan s happy shore? , chorus there ll shout , give him glory (3×)/for glory own ; developed familiar glory, glory, hallelujah chorus 1850s. tune , variants of these words spread across both southern , northern united states.

as john brown s body song

at flag-raising ceremony @ fort warren, near boston, massachusetts on sunday may 12, 1861, john brown song, using known oh! brothers tune , glory, hallelujah chorus, publicly played perhaps first time. american civil war had begun previous month.

in 1890, george kimball wrote account of how 2nd infantry battalion of massachusetts militia, known tiger battalion, collectively worked out lyrics john brown s body. kimball wrote:

we had jovial scotchman in battalion, named john brown. ...and happened bear identical name of old hero of harper s ferry, became @ once butt of comrades. if made appearance few minutes late among working squad, or little tardy in falling company line, sure greeted such expressions come, old fellow, ought @ if going free slaves, or, can t john brown—why, john brown dead. , wag add, in solemn, drawling tone, if purpose give particular emphasis fact john brown really, dead: yes, yes, poor old john brown dead; body lies mouldering in grave.

according kimball, these sayings became by-words among soldiers and, in communal effort—similar in many ways spontaneous composition of camp meeting songs described above—were gradually put tune of say, brothers :

as published 1862 in atlantic monthly

finally ditties composed of nonsensical, doggerel rhymes, setting fact john brown dead , body undergoing process of decomposition, began sung music of hymn above given. these ditties underwent various ramifications, until lines reached,—

john brown s body lies a-mouldering in grave,

his soul s marching on.

and,—

s gone soldier in army of lord,

his soul s marching on.

these lines seemed give general satisfaction, idea brown s soul marching on receiving recognition @ once having germ of inspiration in it. sung on , on again great deal of gusto, glory hallelujah chorus being added.

some leaders of battalion, feeling words coarse , irreverent, tried urge adoption of more fitting lyrics, no avail. lyrics prepared publication members of battalion, publisher c. s. hall. selected , polished verses felt appropriate, , may have enlisted services of local poet polish , create verses.

the official histories of old first artillery , of 55th artillery (1918) record tiger battalion s role in creating john brown song, confirming general thrust of kimball s version few additional details.

creation of battle hymn

kimball s battalion dispatched murray, kentucky in civil war, , julia ward howe heard song during public review of troops outside washington d.c. on upton hill, virginia. rufus r. dawes, in command of company k of 6th wisconsin volunteer infantry, stated in memoirs man started singing sergeant john ticknor of company. howe s companion @ review, reverend james freeman clarke, suggested howe write new words fighting men s song. staying @ willard hotel in washington on night of november 18, 1861, howe wrote verses battle hymn of republic . of writing of lyrics, howe remembered:

i went bed night usual, , slept, according wont, quite soundly. awoke in gray of morning twilight; , lay waiting dawn, long lines of desired poem began twine in mind. having thought out stanzas, said myself, must , write these verses down, lest fall asleep again , forget them. so, sudden effort, sprang out of bed, , found in dimness old stump of pen remembered have used day before. scrawled verses without looking @ paper.

howe s “battle hymn of republic” first published on front page of atlantic monthly of february 1862. sixth verse written howe, less commonly sung, not published @ time. song published broadside in 1863 supervisory committee recruiting colored regiments in philadelphia.

both john brown , battle hymn of republic published in father kemp s old folks concert tunes in 1874 , reprinted in 1889. both songs had same chorus additional glory in second line: glory! glory! glory! hallelujah!

julia ward howe wife of samuel gridley howe, famed scholar in education of blind. samuel , julia active leaders in anti-slavery politics , strong supporters of union. samuel howe member of secret six, group funded john brown s work.