John Brown’s Body (episode 166)

HUB History - Our Favorite Stories from Boston History

The most popular song of the Union Army during the Civil War was inspired by the most hated man in America, it borrowed the tune from an old church hymn, and it was first sung right here in the Boston Harbor Islands. In this week’s episode, learn about the double meaning behind the title of the song, its holy and profane lyrics, and the tragic history of the “Hallelujah Regiment” who made it famous. The 12th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment marched out of Boston in 1861 with 1040 men and a song in their hearts, but when they returned three years later, they numbered just 85, and they had vowed never to sing their famous song again.

Please check out the transcript and full show notes at: http://HUBhistory.com/166/

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John Brown’s Body

• George Kimball’s firsthand account of the Tiger Battalion, the Hallelujah Regiment, and the creation of John Brown’s Body.
• Regimental histories of the Tiger Battalion and the Hallelujah Regiment.
• N. Lincoln’s version of the performance on Boston Common.
• The Battle Hymn of the Republic: A Biography of the Song That Marches On, by John Stauffer, Benjamin Soskis.
• Battle Hymns: The Power and Popularity of Music in the Civil War, by Christian McWhirter.
• Stories of Great National Songs, by Nicholas Smith.
• One of the earliest published versions of the sheet music, by CS Hall.
• The 1903 78rpm record of John Brown’s Body that we sampled in the show.
• The 1917 78 rpm record of Julia Ward Howe’s Battle Hymn of the Republic that we sampled in the show.
• Stephen Griffith’s version of Say Brothers Will You Meet Us.
• Critical stories about John Brown’s Body originally published in the Springfield Republican and the Boston Courier.
• A 1921 songbook that includes at least five lyrical variations on the John Brown song.
• An 1863 soldier’s hymnal that includes Say Brothers Will You Meet Us.
• We previously featured Fort Warren’s role in the Civil War, and composer/bandleader Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore’s Grand Peace Jubilee.

Boston Book Club

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When it was published in 1994, David Hackett Fischer’s epic Paul Revere’s Ride was the first scholarly treatment of the events of April 19, 1775. Too many people were too familiar with the legend of Paul Revere’s ride, and serious historians more or less ignored the reality of the event. That changed with Fischer’s book. It uses primary sources to not only reconstruct the events of that fateful night in exacting detail, but also to reconstruct the world that Paul Revere lived in, both before and after his ride. We used Fischer’s book as a source for episode 76, about Paul Revere’s other rides around Massachusetts and New England.

Here’s how the publisher describes it:

In Paul Revere’s Ride, David Hackett Fischer fashions an exciting narrative that offers deep insight into the outbreak of revolution and the emergence of the American republic. Beginning in the years before the eruption of war, Fischer illuminates the figure of Paul Revere, a man far more complex than the simple artisan and messenger of tradition. Revere ranged widely through the complex world of Boston’s revolutionary movement–from organizing local mechanics to mingling with the likes of John Hancock and Samuel Adams. When the fateful night arrived, more than sixty men and women joined him on his task of alarm–an operation Revere himself helped to organize and set in motion. Fischer recreates Revere’s capture that night, showing how it had an important impact on the events that followed. He had an uncanny gift for being at the center of events, and the author follows him to Lexington Green–setting the stage for a fresh interpretation of the battle that began the war. Drawing on intensive new research, Fischer reveals a clash very different from both patriotic and iconoclastic myths. The local militia were elaborately organized and intelligently led, in a manner that had deep roots in New England. On the morning of April 19, they fought in fixed positions and close formation, twice breaking the British regulars. In the afternoon, the American officers switched tactics, forging a ring of fire around the retreating enemy which they maintained for several hours–an extraordinary feat of combat leadership. In the days that followed, Paul Revere led a new battle– for public opinion–which proved even more decisive than the fighting itself.

Upcoming Event

On January 14, the Lexington Historical Society will be hosting one of their periodic Book Group meetings, and the topic will be “Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement” by future podcast guest Barbara Berenson.

Here’s what the Lexington Historical Society says:

This month’s book will help you get up to speed on the history behind the 2020 centennial of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote! “Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement” removes the story of the suffrage from the singular mythology of Seneca Falls, deepening the movement to Worcester, greater New England, and the far reaches of the West. Her untold histories touch upon the complicated nature of the movement made even messier by aspects of politics, class, and race.

It’s a discussion group, so it would probably be helpful to read the book in advance. The event will be held at the Lexington Historical Society’s depot building at 13 Depot Square in downtown Lexington, and it will begin at 6pm on Tuesday, January 14. Bring your book, your notes, and an appetite. Admission is $35 for non-members, but that includes a catered dinner from Neillio’s in Lexington.