Bernard, author of Lincoln and the Music of the Civil War, the tune appeared at just the right time, "expressing just the sentiments that were needed, with music that was singable and words that were appropriate" and played "an immeasurably important part in restoring and sustaining morale at home and at the front throughout the entire war."Ī measure of the song's success can be seen in the flurry of imitations that appeared soon after its publication. What made Root's song so compelling? According to Kenneth A. Between 500,000 and 700,000 copies were produced.
When the sheet music was published that fall, fourteen printing presses working round the clock were unable to keep up with the demand for copies. Public response to "The Battle Cry of Freedom" was overwhelming. Other works such as "Just Before the Battle, Mother" and "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" quickly established him as perhaps the most popular and certainly the most prolific of wartime composer/songwriters. Although his earlier attempts at popular pieces had so embarrassed him that he signed them with the name "Wurzel" (German for "root") so as not to compromise his reputation as a serious composer, he now showed no hesitation in turning out song after song. When the War Between the States broke out, Root began to write inspirational songs for the Union war effort. He was a founding partner in the Chicago-based music publishing firm of Root and Cady. Primarily a vocal instructor, Root eventually began composing, writing in the classical genre. Root recalled years later, "From there the song went into the army, and the testimony in regard to its use in the camp and on the march, and even on the field of battle, from soldiers and officers, up to the good President himself, made me thankful that if I could not shoulder a musket in defense of my country I could serve her in this way."Ī Massachusetts native, Root had shown remarkable musical abilities from an early age, mastering no fewer than thirteen instruments by the age of 12. Heaps, writing in The Singing Sixties, call "The Battle Cry of Freedom" `the type of rousing tune which appears seldom during a period of war and but once in a generation."Ĭomposed in haste in a single day in response to President Abraham Lincoln's July 1862 call for 300,000 volunteers to fill the shrinking ranks of the Union Army, the song was first performed on July 24 and again on July 26 at a massive war rally. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaignsĪlthough "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is today considered the preeminent Northern war song, Union soldiers were more likely to bestow that honor upon "The Battle Cry of Freedom." Willard A.Protect Virginia Battlefields from Massive Data Centers.New Battlefield State Park Coming to Virginia.Help Preserve 64 Acres Across Three Revolutionary War Sites.
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