• Source: Battle Cry of Freedom

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. A patriotic song advocating the causes of Unionism and abolitionism, it became so popular that composer H. L. Schreiner and lyricist W. H. Barnes adapted it for the Confederacy.
A 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. presidential election. 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. It is estimated that over 700,000 copies of this song were put in circulation. 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. Charles Ives quoted the song in several compositions, including his own patriotic song, "They Are There".




History


"Battle Cry of Freedom" proved popular among Union soldiers during the American Civil War. According to Henry Stone, a Union war veteran recalling in the late 1880s, the song helped the morale of Union soldiers:

A glee club came down from Chicago, bringing with them the new song, "We'll rally 'round the flag, boys", and it ran through the camp like wildfire. The effect was little short of miraculous. It put as much spirit and cheer into the army as a victory. Day and night one could hear it by every camp fire and in every tent. I never shall forget how the men rolled out the line, "And although he may be poor, he shall never be a slave." I do not know whether Mr. Root knows what good work his song did for us there, but I hope so.
According to historian Christian L. McWhirter, the song's success and popularity among the Union was due to its even-handed references to both abolitionism and unionism. Thus, both groups of Unionists, those opposed to slavery and secession, could utilize the song without reservation:

The ability of "The Battle Cry of Freedom" to bridge divisions over emancipation is not surprising. The song's definition of the Northern cause is purposely open-ended. 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 chorus was the key, for it was there that Root described why Northerners rallied around the flag. 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.




Lyrics (Union version)






Extended lyrics (Union version)


As published in Hoge, The Boys in Blue (1867) pp. 477–479.




Lyrics (Confederate version)






Chorus (1864 election campaign)






In popular culture






See also


Battle cry
"The Battle Hymn of the Republic"




References






Notes






Bibliography


Collins, Ace. Songs Sung, Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs. HarperResource, 2003. ISBN 0060513047
Irwin Silber, Songs of the Civil War Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Dover, 1995.
Silverman, Jerry (April 15, 2011). Ballads and Songs of the Civil War. Pacific, Missouri: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. ISBN 9781610650182. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
Hoge, Jane Curry Blaikie (1867). The Boys in Blue. Chicago, Illinois: E. B. Treat & Co.




External links



Battle Cry of Freedom at Allmusic
Battle Cry of Freedom at Civil War Songs
Sheet music for "Battle Cry of Freedom", from Project Gutenberg
Sheet music for the Confederate version of "Battle Cry of Freedom", from the Library of Congress
MIDI for "Battle Cry of Freedom", from Project Gutenberg
"Battle Cry of Freedom" (Union version), Walter Van Brunt (Edison Blue Amberol 2904, 1916)—Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project.
"Battle Cry of Freedom" Confederate/Union (music video), Tom Roush.

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Pertempuran Fort Sumter
• John W. Geary
• Amerika Serikat Selatan
• Pertempuran Chancellorsville
• Abraham Lincoln
• Tentara Konfederasi
• Konfederasi Amerika
• The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
• Sejarah Amerika Serikat
• Lincoln (film 2012)
• Battle Cry of Freedom
• Battle cry
• Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
• Cry Freedom
• Oxford History of the United States
• List of American Civil War games
• There Is Power in a Union
• Free State of Jones (film)
• George Frederick Root
• Glee club