The melody was written by a South Carolinian named William  Steffe, and its original lyrics went, "Say, brothers will you meet  us-- on Canaan's happy shore?" Later, soldiers changed the words  to "We
The melody was written by a South Carolinian named William  Steffe, and its original lyrics went, "Say, brothers will you meet  us-- on Canaan's happy shore?" Later, soldiers changed the words  to "We'll hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree," and still later,  to "John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave." FTP, name  this military anthem, for which a more famous set of lyrics was  written by Julia Ward Howe.
The melody was written by a South Carolinian named William  Steffe, and its original lyrics went, "Say, brothers will you meet  us-- on Canaan's happy shore?"