"Just before the Battle, Mother" was a popular song during the American Civil War, particularly among troops in the Union Army. It was written and published by Chicago-based George F. Root. It was also a popular song with adherents of the Primrose League in England, and was a central part of Victoria Day celebrations in Canada during the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries.
<blockquote></blockquote> Lyrics are in the public domain.
During the American Civil War, Union troops parodied the song due to its unrealistic depiction of the horrors of war. The first verse of the Song of the Coward, as it was known, can be dated to 1864 after several calamitous defeats at the hands of the Confederate army. Years after the Civil War, other verses were added by historical re-enactors. <blockquote></blockquote>