Cover of SAY BROTHERS WILL YOU MEET US in 1863 - Methodist pastor from Ohio who saw the poem on the Atlantic cover and learned it by heart before leaving his chair; as a chaplain with the 122th Volunteer Infantry Corps he was captured at the Battle of Winchester by Confederate troops; with his rich baritone singing voice he was well regarded among his fellow prisoners, who preferred his rendition of The Battle Hymn more than anything else; when rumour about the Union victory at Gettysburg reached their cell, some 500 war prisoners joined their version to sing the Glory Hallelujah chorus; following his release, McCabe gave frequent lectures at political rallies, in hospitals, schools and churches, always concluding with a massive Battle Hymn, one out of many significant factors in the succesful spreading of its popularity
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