I am looking for the lyrics to this 1850's camp revival hymn. It was later added to the Methodist Hymnal.
In April 1861, soldiers at Ft. Warren near Boston sang the hymn to pass the time while preparing for war. Their seargeant, John Brown, had the same name as the abolitionist who lit the fire to start the war. Due to the coincidence, the men created John Brown lyrics as a parody.
In November of 1861 near Washington DC, Julia Ward Howe was with her husband, other abolitionists, and President Lincoln. She was asked to pen new lyrics. After reading from the book of Isaiah, she woke up early the next morning to pen the Battle Hymn of the Republic lyrics. The new hymn encouraged the Union and helped to shift the purpose of the war toward freeing the slaves.
Many lyrical parodies have been made to the simple and captivating tune. At least by the 1960's or 1970's, Jewish youth camps used the tune for the purpose of chanting
sj