"The Vacant Chair" is a poem that was written following the death of John William Grout (July 25, 1843 – October 21, 1861). Grout was a soldier killed in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

during the

Battle of Ball's Bluff The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat. The operation was ...

. The poem, written by Henry S. Washburn was put to music by

George Frederick Root George Frederick Root (August 30, 1820August 6, 1895) was an American songwriter, who found particular fame during the American Civil War, with songs such as "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" and " The Battle Cry of Freedom". He is regarded as the first A ...

and became a popular song of the post-Civil War era.

John William Grout

John William Grout was born to Jonathan and Mary Jane Grout on July 25, 1843, at

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. He attended the military academy there. He served as a 2nd lieutenant of Company D, 15th Massachusetts Infantry and was killed at the age of eighteen in the Battle of Ball’s Bluff on October 21, 1861. Grout's body was recovered on November 5, 1861, after being washed back to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

His remains were identified by the name written on his clothing.

Poem

Upon hearing of Grout's death,

Henry Stevenson Washburn Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, a family friend, wrote "The Vacant Chair" in late 1861, and it was first published in the ''

Worcester Spy The ''Worcester Spy'', originally known as the ''Massachusetts Spy'' was a newspaper founded in 1770 in Boston, Massachusetts by Isaiah Thomas, dedicated to supporting the Revolutionary cause against the British. In the 19th century, it became a ...

'', attributed to "H. S. W." It is an allegory that describes the pain suffered by the family of those killed in war during the season surrounding

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

. The poem was turned into song by

, who was living in Chicago and wrote other songs of the Civil War era, including " The Battle Cry of Freedom", "

Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! (The Prisoner's Hope)" was one of the most popular songs of the American Civil War. George F. Root wrote both the words and music and published it in 1864 to give hope to the Union prisoners of war. The song is written from ...

", read the poem, and decided to put it to music without consulting Washburnthe poem was not copyrighted. The song was released in 1862 and became very popular in the South and North.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Our Noble Willie

The Recovery of Lt. Grout's Body
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vacant Chair, The 1862 songs 1861 poems

John William Grout

Poem

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links