John Brown's Ghost Haunts the Internet!!!

John Brown's body may be a moulderin' in the grave, but his soul goes marching on, especially on the World Wide Web. This site offers Civil War historians and other interested parties a chance to get more information on John Brown and the song which brought him back from the dead. It is based on a new book by Civil War musician and author Robert Willis Allen. With the help of his Civil War performance group, Hardtack & Homespun, he has also recorded a CD which includes many songs mentioned in his book. The website also includes Allen's notes on slavery and racism in America, and a selection of the author's favorite out-takes, stories he found interesting but that were cut from the book.  

About the Book

  Marching On! : John Brown's Ghost from the Civil War to Civil Rights by Robert Willis Allen is the latest in a long series of publications about America's most famous terrorist who led the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, to free the slaves. But where most books are content to end with Brown's execution and burial , for Allen this is only the beginning. This book tells the story of how a murderer and felon became a hero and the conscience of a nation during the course of America's bloody Civil War. Keep your eye on this page for notices concerning its impending publication.

* * *   NEWS FLASH!!!   * * *

The book is now available from the publisher. Just click on the words Order Form, print out the form, and send it by regular mail to The Northfield Printery. If you happen to have a credit card, and I know what it's like not to have one, and want an easier way to order the book on line, click here for a link that goes directly to Amazon.com.

About the CD

Marching On!: Civil War Songs and Music from the North and South includes a selection of 17 songs including the premiere recording of "The Vermont Volunteers," a song by Reverend William Ford of Brandon, Vermont, written circa 1862. Unfortunately this CD is no longer available as the MP3.com website has gone out of business. It is my hope that we will be able to offer some of these songs for download here on the website very soon. 

About the Author / Musician

     Robert Willis Allen holds degrees in music, radio broadcasting, and education of the gifted and talented. He currently works as a technical services librarian in charge of managing and creating computerized  MARC bibliographical records. For the past fourteen years, he has undertaken a study of the songs and music of the Civil War.  In his spare time, he plays the piano, studying and performing American and Christian liturgical music.  He and his friend, Claire ManFREDonia Chomentowski, who plays recorder and trombone, have formed a music group called Hot Rococo, specializing in music of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods as well as songs from the American Big Band jazz era. His work on John Brown and his song has won critical acclaim from more than a few Civil War scholars across the country, as the endorsements section shows.

Links to Pages

                    John Brown's Raid

• FAQ about John Brown

• John Brown's Raiders, the Secret Six, and His Opponents

• Timeline of the Harper's Ferry Raid

• Joshua Young Goes to Brown's Funeral

• Ten Poems about John Brown

• John Brown and Modern Terrorism  

             Songs

• Julia Ward Howe Writes the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

• Draft and Final Versions of "Battle Hymn" with analysis

• Chaplain McCabe Makes Howe's "Battle Hymn" Famous

• Various Versions of "John Brown's Body"

• "Say, Brother, Who Wrote This Tune?"

            Slavery and Racism in America

• Chronology of Slavery and Racism

• Glossary of Terms

• Laws of Slavery and Freedom given by date

• Selected Bibliography

               Book Out-Takes

• A Hell of a Train Ride: Politicians Travel to Gettysburg

• The Memorial Day Out-take

• The U.S. Christian Commission

• A Visit to Fort Warren

• John Brown and Harriet Tubman

• Henry Wise, The Final Years

            More About the Book

• Book Extract: John Brown Is Hanged!

• Endorsements

• Author's Favorite Civil War Links

Some Civil War Clipart at this site comes from

To contact the author, use rwillisa@trans-video.net

Copyright © 2000 by Robert Willis Allen