Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-04-27
Or the light of the watchfrss are glsan-

Keep guard-for the army is sleeping.
The authorship OF this song has been
one OF much discussion, but IL Is now set
tied that IL was written by Mrs. Ethel
Lynn Burns of New York, and was first
published in Harper's Weekly In 1901.
This inspiration was found In the oft
repeated phrase OF that summer and au
tumn, when every one was expecting the
army TO move, and each day the newspa-
pers brought the same headline: "All
quiet along the Potomac.
In August, 1864, the reade was one OF
!, 200 union officers who as prisoners OF
war, were placed In the city OF Charleston,
5. c., under the FIRE OF the batteries on
Morris Island. Our quarters were In the
jail yard, the Jail being full OF civil con-
federate prisoners; also some soldiers OF
the United States army who had been de-
MED the rights of prisoners OF war, but
were held as runaway slaves. | shall
never forget the singing of these stout
hearted, hopeful bronzed patriots, while
In their helpless condition. From their
quarters in the tower of the Jail on many
an evening they made the foul air of that
prison resonant with song. They gave
us plantat on melodies, songs of senti-
ment and patriotic airs. These fellows
were noted for Their parodles. Among
others. | remember one or the song,
when the Cruel War is Over" The
chorus ran thus
Weeping sad and lonely,
Oh how bad feel
Down in Charleston. South Car lima,
Praying for good, square meal.
OF the war songs, Rally Round the
| Flag. Boys" was one OF the most soul
| cheering. | have seen the struggling
column OF an army, footsore and weary,
very many times clio ed up In solid phaanx,
with every man in ranks, marching to the
tune OF this enthusiastic song. WEAKNESS
would disappear. sore feet were forgotten,
while companies, regiments and brigades
| all would Join in one glad chorus OF tn
| song.
A Confederate soldier pays this tribute
to the song and TO those who sang it: II
shall never forget the first time | heard
Rally Round the Flag, Boys. Twas a
disagreeable nigh during the seven days
ght before Richmond in 1852. | was on
picket, when just before tattoo some fellow
on the Yankee side struck up that song,
and others oned i'm the chorus, until 1t
seemed to me the whole Yankee army
was singing | said To my C mpanion who
was with me, What are those fellows
made Of! Here W. have beaten them in
battle every day for SIX days, and now on
the eve of the seventh hear them sing
Rally round tie a. From that n oment
| felt that it would be impossible t. con-
quer such men wi h such songs. This
song was written by Geo. +. Root of Chi
cago
40 song OF the war of 1913 is so Sc
curely enthroned in every part of the
Union as Marching through Georgia. y
The veterans sing it with more of the real
enthuiasm. VIII ch the spirit of the war
song awakens, at the ban net, on the
march. and around the campfire; yea,
wherever men congregate now, both Union
and Confederate. this song is sung. II was
WI item by Henry G. Work.
Steadman was more # p phet than
he SUPP osed, when in 1859, d ring the
time John Brown was awaiting execution,
he wrote "Ossawotamie Brown. Some
OF us remember how 1t runs and how we
sang il in the early part of the war:
"An old Brown
| Ossawotamie Brown
May trouble you more than ever,
| When you've nailed his coffin down.
Truly John Brown was a Nemesis in
song, that 81 oke in tones of thlnde r,
whose echo were hanging In tremulous
accents around the alters of justice, until
Steadman s prophecy was fulfilled.
The Battle Hymn OF the Republic" is
one of the most elevated songs OF the ma
ton. Mrs. Howe, in the August Century,
1857, gives an account OF tie circum-
stan es attending the origin of the song.
1t was dur NJ visit to Washington in
1851, while returning from witnessing
review of some of the troops at the front,
that some friends with Mrs. Howe, in
passing, the so diers sang some of the
war songs 10 please them: among others
was John Brown body lies mou dering
in the ground - She says while singing
this she was inspired to write the Battle
| Hymn" The next morning she arose
before IL was light and completed the
lines. Soon after it was published in the
| Atlantic Monthly. Mrs. Howe says we
were a | too much absorbed in watching
he progress of the war to give much heed
TO the song
al think it may have been yer later
my lines, i'm some shape, found their way
into southern prison in which number
OF our ldiers were confined. An army
chaplain who had been confined with
| these soldiers cam 10 Washington soon
after his release, and in speech q lee
ture described the singing of the song by
| his comrades. "
| lt lHClutIl W WilNu .hlo. iiONt itlNio
as giving notoriety TO the song Is worthy
of motto. here, for the person who led the
singing in that prison was none other than
our own Chaplain. G. {. McCabe, whom
most of you have heard sing in this very
room and church. The place was the old
Libby Prison at Richmond Va; the time.
the 9Th day of July, 1868. During that
day the prisoners were required to cast
| lots for the selection of two captains, who
| were to be executed. Capt Sawyer Of
New Jersey and Finn of Indiana, were
the fated men, who were notified TO pre-
pare for death as they were taken to the
dungeon below Added to the gloom cast
over the brave band of men In that dismal
place, the Richmond newspapers of that
day came to the prison with flaming head
lines ''Gen. Meade defeated at Gettys-
burg with loss Of 40, coo prisoners. His
army fleeing to the mountains.
But few can imagine what this meant.
| Only those who have suffered such torture
can understand II. But more terrible was
tho announcement I'm the same paper: