Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-02-20
JOHN BROWNS BODY.
Story of the Origin of the Most Popular
of All War Songs.

story OF the origin of the Most Popular
of All War Songs.
In the song John Browns Body
we have an example of melody and a
set of words which seem never to have
been written or composed by any body.
1t is genuine ''folk-song," growing
out of q widespread sentiment, as
many old folk-songs have done, which
far more closely respond to the music
al wants of the common people than
any carefully-prepared and cleverly-
composed song could be. In the case
of this song, however, its recent origin
and almost instant growth into COM
mon use give as an opportunity to
trace its beginnings and development
in way which is impossible with
older songs.
The tune of ''John Browns Body
had it's origin before the words that
are now known or remembered in con-
nection with it. It was sung before
the war of the rebellion, as long ago, at
least, as 1856, to words which do not
now remain in use, at certain New En-
gland camp-meetings and revival serv-
ices.
Two members of the Boston militia
company, called the Tigers" hap
pening to be at camp-meeting in a
small town in New Hampshire, heard
the song sung to religious words. and
remembered the air. The name of one
Of ~,
other John Brown.
Notolong after this the war broke
out, and the Tigers" were made a
part Of the Twelfth Massachusetts
Regiment of Volunteers, which rendez-
voused at Fort Warren, in Boston har-
Dor. Here the two men already named,
burlington and Brown, formed, with
two others, named Edgerly and Green
leaf, quartette, and the quartette
sang. among it's other songs, all sorts
of words of their own getting up'' to
this tune.
John Brown was a good-natured
ScOtchman, and the members of the
quartette say they sang John Brown
this and John Brown that" to the tune,
UNTIL by an almost unconscious change,
the hero of them was changed from
John Brown, of the Tigers, to John
Brown, of Harper's Ferry. and the
grand and simple verse came into ex-
istence:
John Browns body lies a-mouldering in the
ground,
But his soul is marching on
Before this time the masses of the
North had not been in exact sympathy
with the purposes of John Brown. but
the excitement of the early days of
the war called out a sentiment which
these words exactly fitted. Whenever
the soldier quartette were in Boston
they were called upon to sing this
song. The Twelfth regiment took it
up. Samuel @. Perkins, of Brockton,
a member OF Maitland's Band, which
was stationed with the regiment at
Fort Warren, wrote down the air while
soldier whistled it. Then the band
played it every day.
When Edward Everett formally pre-
SSuUCo 0IlO SSb VI COIOIS vi JlC W0llUn
regiment on Boston Common, the
speech of acceptance being made by
Colonel Fletcher Webster of the regi-
ment, the tune was played, and the
multitude fairly went wild over it.
The band played the tune going up
State street in June, 1861, and the SOL
diers sang it as they marched along.
The crowd along the sidewalk took up
the air and joined in the chorus:
''Glory. glory, ha1le1ujah,
His soul is marching onl''
Soon after the regiment sang it in
marching through New York on the
way to Baltimore, with the same effect.
1t spread at once through the army
and throughout the country, and be-
came the anthem of the Union.
In December, 1861, Mrs Julia Ward
Howe wrote for the air the words be-
ginning:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of
the Lord,
which was called THE Battle Hymn
of the Republic, which soon became
immensely popular, but never sup
planted in common use the old simple
words.
This is the story of the origin of