The first line boldly endorsed a perpetual Union – "The Union forever" – followed by a strong dismissal of secession: "Down with the traitor, up with the star." However, the battle cry Root shouted was one of "freedom." Freedom had many meanings in the Civil War – for instance, freedom from Confederate political tyranny or the oft-perceived "slaveholders' conspiracy" – but, in the context of Root’s political beliefs and other activities, he clearly meant to suggest some degree of abolitionism. The chorus was the key, for it was there that Root described why Northerners rallied around the flag. Those looking for anti-slavery sentiments could find them, but these elements were not so pronounced as to offend those who were solely unionists. The song's definition of the Northern cause is purposely open-ended. The ability of "The Battle Cry of Freedom" to bridge divisions over emancipation is not surprising. Thus, both groups of Unionists, those opposed to slavery and secession, could utilize the song without reservation: McWhirter, the song's success and popularity among the Union was due to its even-handed references to both abolitionism and unionism. Henry Stone, The Century Illustrated, "Memoranda on the Civil War: A Song in Camp" (1887), emphasis added Īccording to historian Christian L. Charles Ives quoted the song in several compositions, including his own patriotic song, "They Are There". Louis Moreau Gottschalk thought so highly of the song that in his diary he confided that he thought "it should be our national anthem" and used it as the basis for his 1863 concert paraphrase for solo piano "Le Cri de délivrance," opus 55, and dedicated it to Root, who was a personal friend. It is estimated that over 700,000 copies of this song were put in circulation. The song was so popular that the music publisher had 14 printing presses going at one time and still could not keep up with demand. Ī modified Union version was used as the campaign song for the Lincoln- Johnson ticket in the 1864 presidential election, as well as in elections after the war, such as for Garfield in the 1880 U.S. A patriotic song advocating the causes of Unionism and abolitionism, it became so popular that composer H. The " Battle Cry of Freedom", also known as " Rally 'Round the Flag", is a song written in 1862 by American composer George Frederick Root (1820–1895) during the American Civil War. This authoritative volume makes sense of that vast and confusing "second American Revolution" we call the Civil War, a war that transformed a nation and expanded our heritage of liberty.Cover of the 1862 sheet music for "Battle Cry of Freedom" This "new birth of freedom," as Lincoln called it, constitutes the proudest legacy of America's bloodiest conflict. Eventually, the North had to grapple with the underlying cause of the war, slavery, and adopt a policy of emancipation as a second war aim. The South seceded in the name of that freedom of self-determination and self-government for which their fathers had fought in 1776, while the North stood fast in defense of the Union founded by those fathers as the bulwark of American liberty. The book's title refers to the sentiments that informed both the Northern and Southern views of the conflict. Particularly notable are McPherson's new views on such matters as the slavery expansion issue in the 1850s, the origins of the Republican Party, the causes of secession, internal dissent and anti-war opposition in the North and the South, and the reasons for the Union's victory. From there it moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itself-the battles, the strategic maneuvering by each side, the politics, and the personalities. Packed with drama and analytical insight, the book vividly recounts the momentous episodes that preceded the Civil War including the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. James McPherson's fast-paced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox. Now featuring a new Afterword by the author, this handy paperback edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom is without question the definitive one-volume history of the Civil War.
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