John Brown's Body

noun
1.
a long narrative poem (1928) by Stephen Vincent Benét, about the U.S. Civil War.
John Brown's Body in Culture

“John Brown's Body” definition


A song of the Civil War that pays tribute to the abolitionist John Brown (see abolitionism). It begins, “John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave.”

Note: “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” was written to the tune of “John Brown's Body.”