Battle Hymn of the Republic

In 1862, during the Civil War, a new text set to an old tune appeared in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine. Julia Ward Howe expressed the heart of the nation during our darkest hour of internal conflict. It is told that President Lincoln first heard the song at a large rally. After the applause had subsided, with tears in his eyes, he shouted “Sing it again!” We’ve been singing it as a nation ever since. Our hearts overflow as we proclaim: “As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free!”