Rallying Cry of the Union: "The Battle Cry of Freedom"

If “Battle Hymn of the Republic” was the song the Union took away from the Civil War, something that gave purpose and meaning to the destruction, post-war, “The Battle Cry of Freedom” was its number one inspirational song during the conflict. Prolific Union composer George Root began to write it on May 3, 1861 after hearing of Lincoln’s call to increase the number of Union troops by 175,000. He “thought it out” that afternoon and finished it the following morning at the offices of his Chicago publishing house, Root & Cady.

The ink was not dry on the manuscript, literally, when the Lombard brothers (one source identifies them as Lumford) appeared at the door, looking for a war song to sing at a patriotic rally scheduled for July at the courthouse square just opposite Root’s offices. The brothers liked it and so did their audience, who were moved to join in on the chorus after several repetitions.

When the Hutchinson family, a popular activist northern singing group, sang it at a New York rally a few days later, the song was fixed as the foremost rallying cry of the Union and its effect took on legendary proportions. One Union soldier said that “Battle Cry of Freedom,” sung to a camp of dispirited and defeated northern soldiers in 1863, “put as much spirit and cheer into the camp as a splendid victory. Day and night you could hear it by every campfire in every tent. I shall never forget how the men rolled out the line, ‘And although he may be poor, not a man shall be a slave.”

And on one occasion, at least, “Battle Cry” struck terror into the heart of a Confederate officer, who, after Lee’s surrender, had this to say about his initial encounter with the song:

“I shall never forget the first time I heard ‘Rally ‘Round the Flag’ (the prevalently-used title of “Battle Cry”.) It was a nasty night during the Seven Days fight and if I remember it rightly it was raining. I was on picket when, just before taps, some fellow on the other side struck up the song and others joined in the chorus until it seemed to me the whole Yankee army was singing. A man with me said, ‘Good heavens, Cap, what are those fellows made of anyway? Here we’ve licked them six days running and now on the eve of the seventh they’re singing ‘Rally Round the Flag’! I am not normally superstitious but I tell you that song sounded like the death knell and my heart went down into my boots; and though I’ve tried to do my duty, it has been an uphill fight with me ever since that night.”

Was “Battle Cry of Freedom” responsible for the defeat of the Confederacy? Its composer was deemed a national hero by no less than Abe Lincoln himself and if what Jeff Daniels -- aka Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain -- opined in the film “Gettysburg,” is true, that the American Civil War was one of the only wars in history fought over an idea, then “Battle Cry” paints the northern set of ideals -- freedom and national unity -- with bold and winning strokes, set to a simple, upbeat, and extremely catchy tune.



Yes we'll rally round the flag boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom,
We will rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

Chorus:
The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor, up with the star;
While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

We are springing to the call of our brothers gone before,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
And we'll fill our vacant ranks with a million freemen more,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

We will welcome to our numbers the loyal, true and brave,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
And although he may be poor, he shall never be a slave,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

So we're springing to the call from the East and from the West,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
And we'll hurl the rebel crew from the land we love best,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

The song was so catchy that the Confederacy tried to get in on the action, changing the lyrics to suit their particular set of ideals. Here is one of several versions:

We are marching to the field, boys, we’re going to the fight,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
And we bear the Heavenly cross for our cause and for the right,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.

Chorus:
Our rights forever, Hurrah! Boys! Hurrah!
Down with the tyrants, raise the Southern star,
And we’ll rally ‘round the flag, boys, we’ll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.

We’ll meet the Yankee hosts, boys, with fearless hearts and true,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom,
And we’ll show the dastard minions what Southern pluck can do
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.

We’ll fight them to the last, boys, if we fall in the strife,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom,
Our comrades – noble boys! Will avenge us, life for life,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.

Sources:

“All the Years of American Popular Music” by David Ewen.

“Rousing Songs and True Tales of the Civil War” by Wayne Erbsen.

“Songs of the Civil War” by Irwin Silber.

Union soldier quote: “Folk Songs of North America” by Alan Lomax.

Confederate officer quote: “Stories of Civil War Songs” by Ernest Emurian.

Union and Confederate lyrics: “Songs of the Civil War” by Irwin Silber
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