The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-12-28
INSPIRATION OF THE NIGHT.
HOW THE BATTLE HYMN OF TIE REPUB
Lie" WAS WRITTEN.
From the Detroit Post, Feb, s.

r &
Mr. John Bigelow proposes, among
9th. sucCes tions for the centennial cele
bratlon of In dependence Day, that all
the posts in the country shall be invited
tc celebrate the event in song. 1t his
advice should be followed he will proba.
bly be responsible for more wasted time
than any man Of his generation, since the
committees Of the New York Union Lea.
GU advertised in the papers that there
was vacant situation for war post, and
invited proposals What came of that
we all know, or rather we don't know
because everybody has forgotten all about
it. We doubt ifany one gan for the life
of him at this moment tell whether any
pri1e was awarded, or, if so, who got it.
In Sc the electricity is in the air, you'll
not hear it thunder It is not to be
pumped for customers at five cents clap.
There is some reason to believe That
this fictitious attempt to stimulate ge
MUS, on the plan Of Offering premiums to
fat cattle and fine wooded sheep at coun-
try fairs, actually depressed, or at least
distorted or distracted, poetic souls that
might in the heat Of inspiration have
struck off truly national hymn, radiant,
and blazing with the noble passions OF
this hour. The birth of the +" Marsel-
liaise' is too we'll known to require re
petition of The story here. It's author
sim ply felt as other people feel, Il do
but sing because I n2u8t."
The nearest approach during our war
to this outbust Of spon aniety, next to the
John Brown hymn, was Mrs Howe's
idealized version Of it called the Battle
Al osp
stances under which this was written, as
rcla ed by herself in q preface to read
ing of the poem, when she was in this
city last week, arc sufficiently interesting
tOjustify publication. We don'C remem
Der ever having seen them IN print. q,
was on o visit to Washington }" she said
"during the first winter of the war, with
Gov Andrew and other Massachusetts
friends. We had been spending tie day
in the soldiers camps on the Poto
mac, and I had heard the John Brown
Hymn" sung and played so often that It's
strains were constantly sounding in my
ears. AS the words in use seemed an in
adequate expression of the music, wish
cd very much FOR an inspiration which
would provide q fitting renditi on of Sc
bea ltiful theme. But it did not come
and retired to bed. Early in the morn
ing, before dayDreak, [ awoke and my
mind ina half-dreaming state began a.
once to run upon2the rythm of the JobI
Brown Hymn" Very soon the word:
commenced fitting themselves to its meas
ure, and the lines spun themselves of
without further effort. I said to myself
g now shall lose all this unless I get il
down in black and white" I arose
grtped about in the dark, collected such
sta Ionory as may be found in the room
ofa Washington hotel, sat down and wrote
as ! frequently do, without lighting {
lamp, the poem called the Battle Hymn
ofthe Rupublic."
The Union League with balfa million
Of dollars could not have evoked tina
poem, even if they bad sent it's author OF
u special mission to the Potomac camps
and paid her expenses, for the purpose o
putting herself into the most favorable
conditions, as tile Spirituallsts say.