Worship and Arts by Young

Text: Julia Ward Howe

Music: USA camp meeting tune or American folk song

Tune: BATTLE HYMN

Around July fourth, people hear many patriotic songs which evoke strong feelings of patriotism.  One of them,  “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” was born during the American Civil War when the battle lines were being drawn and opposing sides, North and South, prepared for war.  It became one of our finest national hymns and it still stirs our hearts to defend the truth, remembering God’s truth is marching on.

The text was written by Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910), who married Samuel Howe, a prominent humanitarian and abolitionist as well as the first director of America’s first school for the blind.  She shared her husband’s belief and was a pioneer in the Women’s Suffrage Movement.  She also orchestrated an international crusade in 1870, calling for all women of the world to unite for the purpose of ending war for all time. Until Julia wrote the text, many different texts had been sung to the tune.

The original text, “Oh, brothers, will you meet us on Canaan’s happy shore?” came from Methodist Camp Meetings and it gained popularity, particularly in churches.  By the time of the Civil War, the text “John Brown’s body lies a-moldering in the grave” had replaced the camp song.  This text is about John Brown, an American abolitionist, who had been hanged in 1859 for attempting to lead a short insurrection to free the slaves at Harper’s Ferry. The song became the unofficial song of black soldiers and a very popular marching song with Union Army regiments as well.

It is mostly known that while touring Union army camps, Julia Howe heard the troops go into battle singing John Brown’s Body.”  She thought the tune was catchy, but the words were depressing instead of encouraging. knowing Julia’s gift for poetry, Julia’s pastor, who accompanied her, suggested she write decent words to go with the tune.   She got inspiration to write the text.  She returned home with the melody running through her mind.  Julia has left the following account:

I awoke in the grey of the morning, and as I lay waiting for dawn, the long lines of the desired poem began to entwine themselves in my mind, and I said to myself, “I must get up and write these verses, lest I fall asleep and forget them!” So I sprang up out of bed and in the dimness found an old stump of a pen which I remembered using the day before.  I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper.

The poem was published in The Atlantic Monthly in February, 1862.  Julia received a check of five dollars for the poem.  This song became the rallying cry and the marching song of the entire Union army during the Civil War. The hymn swept North America like an epidemic. On one occasion at a large patriotic rally, President Lincoln heard this song and felt this song like ‘a trumpet blast.’  He was moved to tears almost every time the majestic chorus “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!” was sung and it became his best –loved marching song.

Martin Luther King quoted the hymn text in his unforgettable speeches in the America Civil movement .  He quoted a famous line, “Glory! Glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on” and people marched singing the hymn at the Selma-to-Montgomery.  And a night before his assassination, he quoted the hymn again in his last speech, “I’m not worried about anything.  I’m not fearing any man.  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

While the hymn was written in response to the slavery issues of the time, it is sung today not only in USA, but also in churches around world. It was sung for several occasions, such as the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill and the funeral of President Reagan.  After September 11, 2001 during a national service of prayer at Washington’s National Cathedral, people joined their voices to sing “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”  The hymn seemed a signal to battle the forces of terror in the world.  Let’s think of how applicable it to us today, personally and nationally.

Soli Deo Gloria

Young Hee Chung