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Today and for the next few months I plan to do a series on time honored hymns. Hymns are often sprinkled into more modern-day worship. Some are sung in the secular culture and have stood the test of time. I love to learn the story behind the worship songs we sing, and because this is a history blog, I’ll be sharing some of the original worship songs from yesteryear, the why behind them and a bit about their authors.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julie Ward Howe is still sung today. Original written in response to hearing Union soldiers marching off to war singing John Brown’s Body. A song retelling the death of a radical abolitionist. The first line being “John Brown’s Body lies a moulderin’ in the grave.” The song tells the story of Harper’s ferry where he was killed. Here is a link to the lyrics.
Mrs. Howe and her physician husband Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe were living in Washington DC during the Civil War when a friend asked her if she couldn’t write better lyrics to the catchy tune. As a Christian who desired to see a world without war, she accepted the challenge.
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That night the lyrics came to her in her sleep.
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 writes these verses least I fall asleep and forget them1” So I sprang out of bed and in the dimness found an old stump of a pen, which I remember using the day before, I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper. (quote taken from 101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck)
The verses were first published in February 1862 in The Atlantic Monthly Magazine. She was paid five dollars.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic lyrics coupled with that catchy tune from John Brown’s Body was performed for President Abraham Lincoln. He was so moved he asked that it be sung again. The verses focus on Christ as the coming King. And became the marching song of the Union Army. After the war it continued in popularity in churches and for gatherings. This hymn has stood the test of time being sung by large choirs across the nation and centuries.
Mrs. Howe had a heart for Christ, was an abolitionist and an active in women’s suffrage. She wrote many books, articles, and plays that have long sense been lost to us. But The Battle Hymn of the Republic remains iconic. At every one of her speaking engagements, she insisted it be sung. And at her funeral the four thousand attendees sang it as a sign of respect. She spent her life working for women’s rights. She died of pneumonia in October 1910 at the age of 91.
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory (Battle Hymn of the Republic)
By Julia Ward Howe
1.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;
he hath loosed the fateful lightning
of his terrible swift sword;
his truth is marching on.
Refrain:
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
2. I have seen him in the watchfires
of a hundred circling camps,
they have builded him an altar
in the evening dews and damps;
I can read his righteous sentence
by the dim and flaring lamps;
his day is marching on.
(Refrain)
3. He has sounded forth the trumpet
that shall never call retreat;
he is sifting out the hearts of men
before his judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer him;
be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
(Refrain)
4. In the beauty of the lilies
Christ was born across the sea,
with a glory in his bosom
that transfigures you and me;
as he died to make men holy,
let us die to make men free,
while God is marching on.
(Refrain)
5. He is coming like the glory
of the morning on the wave,
he is wisdom to the mighty,
he is honor to the brave;
so the world shall be his footstool,
and the soul of wrong his slave.
Our God is marching on.
(Refrain)
Take from http://www.HymnSite.com
Over time the melody was given a new arrangement to accommodate a full choir and large orchestra, but Julia Ward Howe’s lyrics remain the same.
Here’s a YouTube link of a live performance
Cindy Ervin Huff, is a multi-published award-winning author. A 2018 Selah Finalist. She has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.
Cherishing Her Heart- releases February 21,2025
Dianna Pilson takes on a new identity as Susan Sullivan after escaping from the asylum her unsavory ex-husband put her in. She heads west with Fredrick Sullivan, her late father’s valet, pretending to be his daughter. They arrive in the small town of Cooperville, Kansas where Fredrick has kin. Becoming a simple woman of a lower class is challenging. She has no domestic skills, but her new Papa and his family are right there to help and keep her safe. Changing herself is much harder than she imagined, but far better than a lifetime in an asylum.
Monty Summerfield, a wealthy businessman, moved to Coopersville to start over after his unscrupulous partner blew up the mine they owned with him in it. Assuming Monty was dead, he stole his identity and even his mail-order bride. After Ernie’s death, Monty has worked hard to regain his good name. Content as a bachelor, he focuses on building his business interests and helping the community. Then Susan Sullivan steps off the stagecoach. He’s captivated by her, but can he risk his heart and scale the walls she’s built around hers.
As danger lurks from Susan’s past, and Monty steps up to help, can she trust him? Will their only solution lead to a happily-ever-after or bring on more trouble?
Available for preorder. https://amzn.to/49n6z89
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