The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-10-04

thousands OF theatre-gOerS VIII re-
member it as sung in ante-bellum
days by Emmett, Bryant and other
noted minstrels. Like "Uncle Toms
Cabin" and "The Octoroon," it did
much to clear the way for the eman-
cipation of the negro by arouslng
the public to full realization of the
horrors of slavery. But few familiar
with the old song have ever head the
name of its author, Bejamin Russel
Handy, who now sleeps in a forgot
ten grave at Westerville, O. Handy
was an enthusiastic abolitionist and
wrote his song for purpose. He
sent it to firm of music publishers
in Philadelphia, ard hearing nothing
from it for months finally concluded
it had been rejected. A chance visit
to a music hall in Cleveland, where
he heard Nellie Gray" sung by
Dan Bryant and saw the minstrel
recalled time after time by cheering
auditors, showed that he was mis-
taken. The publishers to whom he
had sent the song had it copyrighted
without Hanby's knowledge, and
though its wonderful popularity
brought them thousands, they never
paid the composer a dollar. Later
Handy wrote number of other sue
cessful songs, but died before he was
80, after writing his name, as 1t were.
in water.
| "BEN BOLT"
Mention of "Nellie Gray" recalls
another we'll rendered song of forty
years ago, the "Ben Bolt !" OF
Thomas Dunn English.
Don't you remember sweet Alice, Ben Bolt,
Sweet Alice with hair so brown?
She wept with delight when you gave her smile,
| And trembled with fear at your frown.
Sung and whistled, hummed and
played, it made the author famous,
and for nearly twenty years was the
particular favorite of sentimental
youths and maidens. DIR. English
when he wrote it builded better than
he knew. He had been requested
by Morris and Willis to write a sea
song for the New York Mirror, but
his attempts at nautical poetry all
proved unsuccessful, and at the last
moment to meet the demand made
upon him he wrote ben Bolt" at
dash, and sent it to the M1,yor. So
Indifferent was he to its fate that he
did not sign his lame to it. Others,
however, thought better of it. and
set to music it was soon on the lips
OF the multitude.
A great flood of song followed the
outbreak of the war, and in those
stirring times old favoritcs quickly
gave way to host of new ones AS
a rule the handiwork of the ar
Singers can easily be traced home,
yet until very recently the origin OF
the most popular and best remem-
bered of all war songs, John
Browns Body" remained undeter-
mined. Only within the last year
has its history been fully cleared up.
1t is now known that it was the
joint work of the members of the
Massachusetts, Tigers. battalion
of infantry stationed at Fort Warren,
in Boston harbor, at the opening of
the war. Time hung heavily on the
hands of the "Tigers" at Fort War
rem, and, as there we're many fine
singers among them, they wiled
away the long summer evenings with
song. Among the Tigers" was
good ,natured, eccentric Scotchman,
John Brown, whose name coupled
with that of the martyr of Harper's
Ferry and amusing oddities, made
him butt for his joke-loving COM
panions. 1t was not long before he
became the subject of this bit of dog
gerel:
John Browns body lies moulde-ing in the grave
His souls marching on.
He's gone to be soldier in the army of the Lord,
His souls marching on,
which his comrades sung with zest
and JUNCTION to the Mormon tune,
"Say, Brothers, Will You Meet
Us?" whenever Brown appeared
among them. With this beginning
some of the Tigers" worked out
the additional verses of the song as
it now stands, and early in June,
1861, it was printed and sold as a
penny ballad on the streets OF Bos
ton. A month later it was sung by
every regiment marching Southwark,
and by every camp fire at the front.
After John Browns Body" the
most popular marching song of the
war was the Tramp, Tramp, Tramp,
the Boys are Marching" of DR.. Geo.
F. Root, Of Chicago. 1t was first
sung at an entertainment given by
Chicago ladies in aid Of soldiers
fund, and was received with raptur-
Gus applause. During the war DR..
Root-he is still living in Chicago
in the enjoyment of hale. serene
and cheerful old age-wro,e many
other stirring battle lyrics, one of
them at least, "Rally Round the
Flag, Boys" proving almost, ii not
fully as popular as his first success.
Among the printers employed in
DR.. Roots publishing house in 1862
was young man named Henry c.
| Work. 1t was Work. who wrote
slowly and revised his work with
fastidious care, that composed the
music and put the finishing touches
to the spirited and lively marching
Through Georgia" OF Major Alfred
Calhoun. The latter was IN a Wash
ington Hospital, slowly recovering