Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-05-24
SONGS OF THE SOLDIERS.
RHYMES OF THE LATE REBEL.
LION.
The Music With Which the Boys in
Blue Kept Step and the Songs
the Lads in Gray Sang.

| Inc Music With Which the Boys III
Blue Kept Step and the Songs
the Lads in Gray Sang.
From the Boston Traveller
The war proved very fruitful theme
for the poefaster, and many fiedgling
bard delivered himself of more or less
of patriotic jingle which it would be
quite unbecoming to rate under the
name of poetry. Many war songs-and
some Of them are very good, too-wers
written for special purposes; to chroni-
Gle some particular event, or in praise
of some individual regiment, and on
this account they never became popular.
But such songs as the Battle Cry of
Freedom" Kingdom Coming" March
ing through Georgia" John Browns
Body" ETC., achieved universally that
made them known from one Of the land
TO the other. The song of the soldier
never sounds so well as when sung on
the height of sublimity obtainable no.
where else, and perhaps no finer volume
of sound could be heard Than Crom-
wells round-heads chanting the "0ld
Hundred" after the battle of Marston
Moor, legion of Frenchmen singing
"The Marseillaise." or one of our own
army corps pouring forth in unison John
Browns Body"
1t is safe to say that, Notwithstanding
the great number of songs which the
war of the rebellion was the means of
bringing out, not one first-class lyric, not
one single poem fit to be ranked with
Thomas Campbe1ls immortal "Ye Ma
riners of England" was the result. Per-
haps Mrs. Howe's Battle Hymn of the
Republic is the most sublime of all the
songs that were written during the re-
bellion, but this falls far short of Camp
bells song By the way, who is respon-
siDIe for the air, GLORY, Hallelujah ."
Has it father, or did it grow, like
Topsy? The air is original with the
words, "John Browns body lies molder-
ing in the dust" but where it sprang
from who can tell? 1t followed hard
upon another John Brown ditty, which
we heard crowd of boys and half
grown men singing while parading
through the streets one night, after the
close of meeting which was held at
Faneuil Hall to lament over the execu-
tion of John Brown. That ditty, like
the famous song of The Black Snake"
consisted of hundred verses, and this
was its burden:
"Tell John Andrew,
Tell John Andrew,
Tell John Andrew,
John Browns dead"
Frem this sprang the now famous
song which is perhaps the most popular
of all army songs, and of many versions
that have been made, the best is from
the pen of DR.. W.. J. Wetmore:
''See them come, see them come, from the
mountain and the plain,
A noble band of patriots the Union to main-
tain,
And they never will return till the country
stands again,
United, finn and free.
Glory, Hallelujah," etc.
Henry Clay Work, Western bard,
wrote and composed the music of sever
al of the best songs, among which may
be named Marching Through Georgia"
and that very capital and fayorite so ng
with the soldiers, "Kingdom Coming"
which has an additional charm from be-
ing in the negrs dialect:
"Say, dark'es, hab you seen de massa,
Wild de muffstash on his face,
Go long de road sometime dis mornin'
Like he goin' to leave the place?
He seen de smoke way up de ribber
Where the Lincum gun boats lay,
He took his hat and left berry sudden
And | spose hes ruined away!
De massa run, ha, ha!
De darkey stay, no, no!
1t must Ee now the Kingdom comm,
An de year OF jubilo."
The air which accompanies these
words is very inspiriting one, and it
makes capital quickstep.
George f. Foot, who was some time a
music teacher in this city, is the author
and composer of Tramp, Tramp,
Tramp"
'1n the prison cell sit,
Thinking mother, dear, of you.
And our bright and happy home so far
away,
And the tears they fill my eyes,
Spite of all that can do,
Though try to cheer my comrades and be
Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are march
ing," etc.
Foot is also the author of "The Bat
tie Cry of Freedom:"
yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys
Wen rally once again,
Shouting the battly>cry of freedom.
We will rally from the hillside,
Well gather from the plain,
Shouting the battle-cry of freedomp
There is an adaptability to the air of
this song which makes it available to
many words. The soldiers were fond of
setting the words of MARY had little
lamb" to it, with ludicreus effect. As,
for instance:
MARY had little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
Shouting the battle~cry of freedom.
And every place that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go,
Shouting the battle>cry of freedom
and so on. During the terrible fighting
in the Wilderness on the 9th of May,
1864, brigade of the Ninth Corps, hav-
ing broken the enemy's line by an as
sault, became exposed to a flank attack
and was driven back in disorder with
heavy loss. They retreated but a few
hundred yards, however, reformed, and
again confronted the enemy. just then
some gallant fellows in the ranks of the
Forty-ffth Pennsylvania began ts sing:
We'll rally round the flag, boys,
Rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
The refrain was caught up instantly
by the entire regiment and by the Thir-
ty-sixth Massachusetts, next in line
There the grim ranks stoed at bay in
tho daudlv fhiokat Tho ~, ..,.x Sp