The tune was written, around 1855, by South Carolinian
William Steffe. The lyrics at that time were alternately
called "Canaan's Happy Shore" or "Brothers,
Will You Meet Me?" and the song was sung as a
campfire spiritual. The tune spread across the United
States, taking on many sets of new lyrics.
A man from Vermont named Thomas Bishop joined the
Massachusetts Infantry before the outbreak of war
and wrote a popular set of lyrics, circa 1860, titled
"John Brown's Body" which became one of
his unit's walking songs. According to writer Irwin
Silber (who has written a book about Civil War folksongs),
the song was not about John Brown, the famed abolitionist,
but a Scotsman of the same name who was a member of
the 12th Massachusetts Regiment. An article by writer
Mark Steyn explains that the men of John Brown's unit
had made up a song poking fun at him, and sang it
widely.
Bishop's battalion was dispatched to Washington,
D.C. early in the Civil War, and Julia Ward Howe heard
this song during a public review of the troops in
Washington. As with many others, she assumed it was
about John Brown the abolitionist. Her companion at
the review, the Reverend James Clarke, suggested to
Howe that she write new words for the fighting men's
song, and the current version of "Battle Hymn
of the Republic" was born.
Howe's "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
was first published on the front page of The Atlantic
Monthly of February 1862. The sixth verse written
by Howe, which is less commonly sung, was not published
at that time. The song was also published as a broadside
in 1863 by the Supervisory Committee for Recruiting
Colored Regiments in Philadelphia.
Julia Ward Howe was the wife of Samuel Gridley Howe,
the famed scholar in education of the blind. Samuel
and Julia were also active leaders in anti-slavery
politics and strong supporters of the Union. Julia
was visiting a Union camp when she heard the soldiers
singing "John Brown's Body" and was inspired
to write the words to "The Battle Hymn of the
Republic". |