Civil War Music

Friends,

I have to thank my little redhead for the inspiration for this post.  We were discussing what the best wartime song of all time was.  That got me thinking about the best Civil War music.  (Yes, when two history addicts get married, these are the kind of conversations they have.)  The Civil War gave us some wonderful tunes from the comical Goober Peas to the sentimental Just Before the Battle Mother.  And then there are the wartime parodies or adaptations of older songs.  (See: Listen to the Mockingbird vs. Twas At the Siege of Vicksburg)  Some, like The Battle Hymn of the Republic are still in use today.  Others are no longer "politically correct", like Dixie.  Then there are modern songs that reference the war, such as Sawyer Brown's classic Another Side.

Americans have always been fond of their music.  And it only makes sense that we would have plenty of musical memories from, arguably, the most traumatic time period in our history.  My great-grandmother knew plenty of wartime tunes that were still popular in her childhood in the first decade of the 20th Century.  She got to hear some of these songs sung by the old veterans themselves.  She really liked one in particular.

If I had to pick what my favorite Civil War era song was, I would have to say Lorena.  It was my great-grandmother's favorite, so maybe I am biased.  Yes, I can be hopelessly sentimental at times.  There are times when I get misty eyed and choked up when describing certain aspects of the war, so it is only right that I would prefer what is perhaps the best known "love song" from the war.

So that is my favorite Civil War era song.  What is yours?

My name is Lee Hutch and even though I am a Civil War Addict, I sometimes have to rely on my beautiful redheaded wife to come up with post ideas for me.