Ho! my comrades, see the signal

Ho! my comrades, see the signal. Philip P. Bliss* (1838-1876). The story of this hymn is famous in the annals of gospel hymnody. In 1870, Bliss heard Daniel Webster Whittle*, who had fought in the Civil War, give an account of a battle near Atlanta, where Sherman was preparing for his ‘march to the sea’ in 1864. The Confederate army under Hood attacked a fort at Altoona Pass which held valuable supplies. The attack was almost successful; the gallant defenders were making a last stand when they saw Sherman’s signal, ‘Hold the fort; I am coming. W.T. Sherman’. They resisted for a further three hours until the Confederate force was forced to withdraw. Bliss immediately saw the possibilities of...