One hundred and fifty years ago this month, a Beacon Hill blueblood who dabbled in poetry gave the country a precious gift: the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Martial anthem, funeral dirge, Elvis selection, Grammy award winner and controversial sectarian hymn, Julia Ward Howe’s famous creation is “the most tremendous war song I can recall,’’ according to Arthur Conan Doyle.
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The lyrics to "John Brown's Body" were composed by the soldiers stationed at Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. It was sung to a tune from an old Methodist revivalist hymn. The song, however, may not have been composed to honor the radical abolitionist but to poke fun at a soldier at Fort Warren who shared the same name.
Thanks for this article!
I have to admit I still prefer 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' written by Francis Scott Key from my home turf of Maryland.