Bon Iver's lead man sings Civil War-era anthem at a Harris rally

• Bon Iver front man Justin Vernon headlined a Harris campaign rally back in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
• Vernon ended the band's set with a rendition of The Battle Cry of Freedom.
• The pro-Union song was written in 1862.

Bon Iver front man Justin Vernon is so fired up by Vice President Kamala Harris' embrace of a "freedom" focused message that he reached back over 160 years for his last performance at a campaign rally in his hometown.

"We're going to close out here with a nice, old patriotic song that has been rolling around my head these last months," Vernon said before launching into a rendition of The Battle Cry of Freedom. "I love this melody, I love you all, appreciate you — we're here for the right reasons and, we all know what we're here for."

Vernon, who was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and his band headlined the Wednesday afternoon Harris campaign rally. Harris previously teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo in Atlanta to kick off her swing state tour in the run-up to the Democratic National Convention later this month.

First penned in 1862, the Battle Cry of Freedom is one of the lasting songs of the Civil War era. The rousing cry for Union troops and for the abolition of slavery was so popular that the Confederate South made its own version. President Lincoln's campaign used the song during his successful 1864 run. Lincoln's reelection was initially in doubt, but ultimately, the incumbent president held onto the White House and led the nation through the end of the Civil War.

Harris has made freedom her campaign's central message since President Joe Biden's shocking decision to drop out of the 2024 race. The vice president even secured Beyoncé's permission to use "Freedom," a 2016 track that gained renewed attention after George Floyd's murder.

On Tuesday night, attendees at Harris' rally to introduce her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, broke out into chants of "USA" when Harris emphasized her and Walz's rise from their humble roots.

"The promise of America is what makes it possible for two middle-class kids — one a daughter of Oakland, California, who was raised by a working mother. The other a son of the Nebraska plains who grew up working on a farm. It's the promise of America, because only in America — only in America is it possible for them together to make it all the way to the White House," Harris said.