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Comparing Two Different Versions Of Battle Cry Of Freedom

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Darnell Joseph

Dr. Paula Carlo

History 255 MA

28 October 2017

Both versions of the song Battle cry of freedom is like a catchy call to arms. The southern

and northern version tell their people to rally around their flag and fight off tyranny. Jefferson

Davis said “ The confidence of the most hopeful among us must have been destroyed by

disregard they have recently exhibited for all the time honored bulwarks of civil and religious

liberty”. The confederates could have used that line of Jefferson’s inaugural speech to show that

they battle cry of freedom talks about the south being denied their basic rights as free men and

the north denying constitutional rights such as a fair and speedy trial. The song could have

shown that southerners would come together and fight back against the north, for they heard the

cry of injustice.

A union member would argue that the song is in support of the northern cause fairly easily.

First and probably most important is that the song was written by a union member in support of

the northern troops, for he wanted to be of aid to the troops and he knew he wasn’t much of a

fighter. In the Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln gave the confederacy time to rejoin the union

with little to no repercussions with align with the lyrics in battle cry to freedom that say “ we

welcome to our numbers the loyal, true, and brave”. Both the line of the song and the

proclamation showed that the union was willing to welcome

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