It was sung at Ronald Reagan's funeral, and adopted with new lyrics by labor radicals. John Updike quoted it in the title of one of his novels, and George W. Bush had it performed at the memorial ...

It is my belief that a single melody can carry an undeniable purpose even before being paired with a lyric. I suppose that is why “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” the patriotic standard whose lyrics ...

Julia Ward Howe remembered years later that she had awakened around dawn in her room in Willard’s Hotel with the lyrics floating in her head. It was November 1861, and she was on her first trip to ...

Here’s one thing Presidents Bush and Obama have in common: both had the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” featured at key points in their presidencies. But how did a song with such clear sectional roots ...

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!, voices cry out against a steadily marching beat and victorious trumpet blasts. It is the swelling sound of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a timeless song that inspires ...

Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. During the Civil War, the “Battle Hymn” became a rallying cry of the ...

Julia Ward Howe wrote a rousing anthem for the Union in the Civil War. Since then, it's been caught in a cultural tug-of-war over who it's an anthem for — social conservatives, evangelical Christians, ...

Lewis L. Gould is professor of history emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of "Edith Kermit Roosevelt: Creating the Modern First Lady." On the evening of Sept. 11, 2001, amid ...

"Battle Hymn of the Republic" performed by The U.S. Army Field Band and Angel Blue. Opera superstar Angel Blue sings The Battle Hymn of the Republic with the U.S. Army Field Band as part of Salute to ...

Yolanda Adams performs “Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the 2025 A Capitol Fourth. Four-time Grammy-winner Yolanda Adams performs one of America’s most powerful anthems, “Battle Hymn of the Republic” ...