Inspired by a visit to the union army camp, the American Unitarian and slavery reformer Julia Ward Howe wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
She scribbled the words at night, in the darkness of her tent, to the melody of "John Brown's Body."
It includes the line “As he (Christ) died to make men holy, let us die to make men free”, which is an explicit reference to the fight to end slavery.
During the American Civil War, song publishers turned out many war songs. Union soldiers sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," while the favorite Confederate song was "Dixie."
Minstrel troupes continued to perform the song long after the Civil War.
Mark Twain authored a revised version of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in response to the US Imperialism and the Philippine-American War in 1900. Lines include "Mine eyes have seen the orgy of the launching of the Sword" and "As Christ died to make men holy, let men die to make us rich."
She scribbled the words at night, in the darkness of her tent, to the melody of "John Brown's Body."
It includes the line “As he (Christ) died to make men holy, let us die to make men free”, which is an explicit reference to the fight to end slavery.
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| Cover of sheet music for "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" 1862 |
During the American Civil War, song publishers turned out many war songs. Union soldiers sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," while the favorite Confederate song was "Dixie."
Minstrel troupes continued to perform the song long after the Civil War.
Mark Twain authored a revised version of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in response to the US Imperialism and the Philippine-American War in 1900. Lines include "Mine eyes have seen the orgy of the launching of the Sword" and "As Christ died to make men holy, let men die to make us rich."
The title of John Steinbeck's 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath came from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic": “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.”
Source Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc
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