Presumably because of independence Day being this week, the exit hymn at church was "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." (They called it "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" - whatever. ) Since reading Strauss & Howe, though, I can't handle it in church. The righteous martial attitude is too much. Not that I dislike it, but that it's like "The War Prayer": far too truthful.
The American Civil War is called an anomaly by Strauss & Howe because it's the one place in American history where their theory skips a beat. There is not a proper Hero/Civic generation from that war. The explanation is that the war happened too soon, as the "debate" between pro- and anti-slavery Prophets (Transcendentalist generation) quickly moved out of the political sphere and into warfare. The Gilded (Reactive) instead ended up in the trenches, with leadership roles filled by the Prophets. The combination of our-cause-is-just leaders and get-it-done followers is one reason for an exceptionally deadly conflict - as indicated by what the Union was marching to. For comparison, let's consider songs associated with other conflicts.
American Revolution: Yankee Doodle, a cute little nothing about getting above your station and trying to make it work for you.
War of 1812: The Star Spangled Banner, a poem about a symbol of home and freedom and what has to be done to keep them.
World War I : Over There. Do you know the words besides the title? In any case, it's a song of pride, in doing the right thing because that's what you do.
World War II: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, maybe, and swing music in general. "O How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning," too: songs about the ubiquity of military life and the impact of the war. Still an enjoyable tune that is escapist in tone.
Note here that none of the above get sung in church, except rarely the national anthem.
And then there's John Browns Body... So we're starting here from a song celebrating an attempt to foment insurrection by a Prophet who was willing to use Any Means Necessary. Translated to a more general, well, hymn of violence, it hasn't lost any of it's fervor. The Lord is "trampling out," wielding a "terrible swift sword," and "His truth is marching on." No quarter asked nor given here, no question of choices to be made, no ditties about downtime, just zeal and righteous destruction.
