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The
CIVIL
WAR
in
SONG
Music has
always been
an
important
part of
American
society and
it was no
different
during the
Civil War.
The causes of the Civil War, as well as the
day-to-day experiences of the soldiers were
captured in the music of the times….
Military bands were called upon to
play at recruitment rallies and their
patriotic marching tunes were
sometimes a great incentive to inspire
young men to enlist.
Regimental bands of the Confederate
and Union armies served their units in
many ways. They were highly effective
in attracting new recruits, and morale
boosters of the first magnitude -playing lively marches and quicksteps
to lift the spirits of war-weary soldiers
on the march, and to inspire them just
before and sometimes during battle.
During the winter of 1862-1863, the two great
armies were camped near each other at
Fredericksburg, Virginia, separated only by the
expanse of the Rappahannock River. One cold
afternoon, a band in the Union camp struck up
some patriotic tunes. They were answered from
across the river by a Confederate band.
As the war dragged on, families yearned
to see their young men come home. Many
songs were written expressing the desire
for an end to the conflict…
Both armies listened to
the musical battle and
would cheer for their
own bands. The duel
finally ended when both
bands struck up the
tune of "Home, Sweet
Home" and the men of
both sides who were so
far from their homes,
cheered as one.
Soldiers in both armies had their own
favorite songs to sing and listen to.
Sometimes they sang while marching to
keep up their spirits. Union soldiers liked
patriotic and sentimental songs.
The Battle Cry of Freedom was a Union
favorite. Some other popular tunes were
The Battle Hymn of the Republic, John
Brown's Body, and Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
One of the most appealing among the
hundreds of songs concerning the life of the
soldier in the army was
All Quiet Along The Potomac.
During the long
periods between
major battles and
campaigns, a soldier's
main assignment
was the lonely one
of picket
and sentry duty.
The song was based on an actual incident
claimed as having taken place during the
time of inactivity following the first Battle of
Bull Run [ July, 1861], while the forces of
both sides were gathering strength. For many
days the newspapers could merely report in
their headlines "All Quiet Along the
Potomac," for there were no major battles to
describe, and the people were in a tense
period of expectation of great events in the
future.
To listen to this song, click on
the website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tin
pan/parton/2/allquiet.html
George Frederick Root (1825-1895)
was an important composer, teacher, and
publisher who studied in Europe. Root
wrote some of the best-known songs of the
Civil War period -- songs remembered
today. They include "Tramp! Tramp!
Tramp!" "Just Before the Battle, Mother"
and "The Battle Cry of Freedom."
The latter song was a campaign song for
Lincoln in the 1864 election.
To listen to the “Battle Cry of Freedom,”
click on the website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinp
an/parton/2/bcry.html
About 1856 William Steffe of South Carolina
wrote a camp-meeting song with the
traditional "Glory Hallelujah" refrain.
The tune had such an infectious swing that it
became widely known.
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the
grave used the tune and soon became
popular among the Union troops.
In December 1861, Julia Ward Howe heard
this version being sung, and at the suggestion
of a friend, she wrote the new words for
Steffe's tune, now known as
"Battle Hymn of the Republic."
To hear this song, click on the website
below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpa
n/parton/2/battle.html
Daniel Decatur
Emmett, was
born in Ohio.
When he was
sixteen he ran
away to join a
traveling circus,
his act being to
present songs of
his own
composition, with
banjo
accompaniment.
Later, he traveled widely, singing and
playing the banjo and violin. Emmett was
so successful that in 1842 he and three
companions formed the Virginia Minstrels,
the first black-face minstrel company in the
United States.
His song “Dixie’s Land” became a favorite
of Confederate soldiers.
To listen to Dixie’s Land, click on the
website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpa
n/parton/2/dixie.html
The soldier was not
forgotten in songs
expressing a depth of
personal feeling.
"Tenting on the Old
Camp Ground"
appealed
particularly to them,
not as an exciting
battle song, but as a
description of what
they were thinking.
Its author was Walter C. Kittredge
of New Hampshire.
He had been drafted in the Union army
in the early months of 1863, and expected
soon to leave for the front.
He had been a professional singer,
so it was natural that, thinking of the
coming separation from his wife
and daughter, he composed a song
expressing his emotion....
To hear this music, click on the
website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tin
pan/parton/2/tenting.html
The
CIVIL
WAR
in
SONG
Sources:
Library of
Congress,
Fortune City
Music
Created by :
P. Merrill
for Edmond
Public Schools