The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-10-01
ORIGIN OF John BROWNS BODY"
Also Some History Of the Famous Old Boston

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Among the
organizations sent in 1861 to man forts
that had been despoiled by Secretary of
War that the South might be made strong
and the North weak for war, was the old
I'd battalion of Mass. infantry, known as
1.-THE Tiger Battalion" 1t was sent to
Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, April 20,
1861, under command of Maj. Ralph w.
Newton. 1t then mustered go men. The
fort was under construction; with but one
gun mounted and that unsafe to fire; the
parade was covered with debris left by the
workmen. The Tigers had to occupy the
barracks of the workmen, but soon had the
parade ground cleared enough to allow
Browns Body" was originated. By the
dim light of tallow dip with box for a
desk, Henry Halgreen wrote the words
Of the original verse; James e. Greenleaf
set them to music; and the song of John
Brown was started on its eternal way.
A Boston firm printed it, defeating
it to the Boston Tigers. The words of
no care but to seem fair rhyme.
Why the name of John Brown? Priv
ate John Brown, of Co. G, was a young
man from Scotland, who had not been in
this country long. He was unusually
bright and witty; always full of fun, and
much to the disgust, if not Indignation, of
Private Brown his name was introduced
into the rhyme.
John Brown enlisted in the 18th Mass,
and was drowned while crossing the Shen-
andoah River near Front Royal, in June,
1862, within a few miles of where John
Brown, Of Harper's Ferry fame was exc
cuted.
~ ho
consisted of G. e. B. Edgerley, N. ]. Pur-
nette, Howard Jenkins and John Brown.
This was one night when the officers were
invited to the Barracks to hear the Glee
Club sing. Maj. Newton objected to the
name of John Brown being used, saying
that the people would think it was meant
for John Brown, of the Harper's Ferry
incident, and suggested using the name of
the lamented Col. Ellsworth, who had just
been killed. Ellsworth's name was used
for a while, but it did not chime in so
well; in fact, it did not "fll the bill' with
the boys so the John Brown words were
soon reinstated, and will stay until the
memory of the last survivor of the war of
the rebellion shall have passed into obliv-
Gilmore's Band; on Sunday. May IL, 1861.
the occasion being the raising of the
United States flag on the new flagstaff at
the fort. Rev. George III. Hepworth, of
the Church of Unity, Boston. preached 4
very strong war sermon on that occasion.
This in brief is a true history of the
John Brown song.
And now, if not imposing, would like
to say something of the Boston Tigers.
They We're organized Oct. 10, 1898, and
have held a continuous organization. The
| lineal descendant at the present time is
Battery X. LIST Mass. II. A. During the
stay of this Tiger Battalion in Fort War
rem in 1861. the 18th and 10Th Mass. We're
organized there; they, of course, picking
up the John Brown song; so that when
| tile 18th Mass. marched down Broadway,
| New York, singing the John Brown song
] the newspapers called them the Psalm
| singing regiment from Massachusetts.
1t was known to many that the battalion
was not to see active service. On the
25th of May, 1861, orders came for us to
return to Boston. In little while men,
bers saw that they were not liable to be
called for any further duty and many of
them enlisted in the 18th and 18th Mass.
Some went into other State regiments, 10
Joining the Mozart Regiment" afterward
known as the 10th n. Y. OF these 10
six remained with the Mozart Regiment.
two of whom were killed at Williamsburg.
| Va, and one at second Bull Run. One
was detailed to the Signal Corps, and
was never heard of afterward. Two went
| through the campaigns of the Army of the
Potomac to the final review in Washing
| ton, both having been wounded several
times: one has passed on to his long home:
the other has written this simple hut ram
bling story.-A. T. SYLVESTER, Winthrop,
Mass