Published version, in the Atlantic Monthly (February 1862)
• He has sounded out the trumpet that shall never call retreat,
He has waked the earth's dull sorrow with a high ecstatic beat...
• First manuscript version (19 November 1861).
• He has sounded out the trumpet that shall never call retreat,
He has waked the earth's dull sorrow with a high ecstatic beat...
• First manuscript version (19 November 1861).
“
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat.
Oh! be swift my soul to answer him, be jubilant my feet!
Our God is marching on.
— Julia Ward Howe
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat.
Oh! be swift my soul to answer him, be jubilant my feet!
Our God is marching on." in the context of "Published version, in the Atlantic Monthly (February 1862)
• He has sounded out the trumpet that shall never call retreat,
He has waked the earth's dull sorrow with a high ecstatic beat...
• First manuscript version (19 November 1861)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Julia Ward Howe" (Quotes, The Battle Hymn of the Republic (1861))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe (27 May 1819 – 17 October 1910) was an American writer, poet, and social activist.
About Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe (27 May 1819 – 17 October 1910) was an American writer, poet, and social activist.
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