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ALEX BEAM

Happy birthday, Battle Hymn!

Julia Ward Howe wrote the words that made the Union troops sing - 150 years ago

By Alex Beam

 |  Globe Columnist  

  February 03, 2012

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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