Honor those who died to make us free

As a child some of my fondest memories are those of attending Church on a weekly basis. At an early age I could not understand the sermons but the music of many of the hymns resonated and stayed with me. I would frequently find myself during the week chanting the verses and stomping the rhythm of one in particular –  “Onward Christian Soldiers.”  Unfortunately for many families Sundays are now spent in organized sports versus together in church. This trend is unfortunate as previously it provided a time when the entire family came together and bonded if only for an hour.

One of my favorite hymns was Julia Ward Howe’s “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Like our national anthem this song brings a chill to my spine every time I hear it. I can only imagine my Great-Great Grandfather Private Willam H. Baldwin who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor marching to it in his quest to free those in bondage. He was just a simple and poor Chesapeake Bay waterman but voluntarily answered the call to serve and paid dearly with his life leaving behind a family.

Howe’s lyrics inspired Americans to action at one of the most critical times in our history when the nation was torn asunder and our fragile experiment in Democracy could have easily ended. My mind can still see the imagery of soldiers marching to their death in the name of Christ to unify the nation and eliminate the scourge of slavery:

“As he died to make men holy
Let us die to make men free
His truth is marching on.”

As author Kerry J. Byrne notes, the chorus of “glory, glory hallelujah” captures the powerful essence of the song; while the imagery of flickering campfires depicts the everlasting light of the Lord; and the encampments are the altars where soldiers pray for their holy cause. The second line “He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored” is a plea for divine justice.

The song was chanted by both soldiers in the field of battle and ordinary Americans as they fought the bloodiest struggle in our history much of it right here in the Shenandoah Valley. Over one million men and women perished to eliminate the evil of slavery that was brought to our shores and to this day remains part of the fabric of our American experience. 

Let us not forget those Americans who marched and died in one of the darkest chapters of our nation’s history. Their proud legacy and sacrifice will forever live on through the words of Howe’s timeless song.   At a crisis in our nation’s history they fought and died to secure our nations’ motto “E Pluribus Unum” – out of many one. As we approach our nation’s 250th birthday, never forget those who paid for the freedom that many take for granted and that we enjoy today. God bless America!