Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. Julia Ward Howe* (1819-1910). This hymn is known as ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’. It was written during the early hours of the morning of 21 November 1861, after Howe and others had watched a review of the Army of the Potomac under General George McLellan on the previous day. She was accompanied by her husband and by the minister of the Unitarian Chapel that she attended in Boston, James Freeman Clarke*. The review ended in some disarray, owing to a raid by Confederate forces which had to be driven off: the regiments were marched back to their lines, and the spectators sent back to Washington. The ensuing traffic jam led to the...