Song Name: Battle Cry of Freedom
Year of Release: 1862
Written By: George Frederick Root
Released by: Never formally recorded, though renditions exist
Key Lyrics: "The Union forever, hurrah! Boys, hurrah!/Down with the traitor, and up with the star!"
"And we'll fill the vacant ranks with a million freemen more/Shouting the battle cry of freedom."
"And although he may be poor, he shall never be a slave/Shouting the battle cry of freedom."
Description: The song was released in 1862 and was so popular at one point that its publisher had to keep 14 printing presses in production to accommodate the printing. The song was so popular and so representative of Union spirit that composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk suggested making it the national anthem in his diary. The lyrics placed equal emphasis on unionism and abolitionism, meaning that a politically diverse group of people in the Union could enjoy the song. In addition, its lyrics openly mock the Confederacy, calling them traitors and rebels
Why It Was Important: Despite the song's lyrics openly insulting the Confederacy, songwriters in the South took the tune and changed the lyrics to support their cause. Despite the lyrical changes, the use of the original melody showed that the song was used by both sides as a propaganda tool. Years after the war, in the 1880s, Union veteran Henry Stone recalled that the song helped boost the morale of Union troops, describing the song spreading through the camp "like wildfire," and that it boosted their morale as much as winning a battle would have. The song's importance did not stop outside the battlefield, as it was used in Abraham Lincoln's 1864 reelection campaign as well as future presidential campaigns such as James A. Garfield's 1880 campaign (which was also the only election to feature two Civil War veterans in Garfield and Winfield Scott Hancock)
Recordings:
American Civil War Song - "Battle Cry of Freedom" (YouTube rendition)