“The Battle Cry of Freedom”

by George F. Root
Vega Tu-ba-phone banjo (dADAE)

 

The Battle Cry of Freedom, written and composed by George F. Root, was first performed in Chicago on April 24, 1862.  Soon it became the battle cry of Union soldiers although it was sung by both sides to different words during the war.  “Down with the traitors and up with the star” on the union side became “Down with the tyrants, raise the Southern Star” in Dixie.

 

The glory soon goes out of the song in my banjo, becoming a lament for the lives lost and destroyed by the war.  All photographs were taken by the photographer Mathew Brady and are housed in the U.S. National Archives.  You can easily access the collection at Flickr.com.

 

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