Music of the Civil War

General Lee once remarked, “Without music, there would have been no army” (Kehoe). The New York Herald concurred with Lee in 1862 when a reporter wrote, “All history proves that music is as indispensable to warfare as money; and money has been called the sinews of war. Music is the soul of Mars...” (Bowman). It is evident from these quotes the important role music played in helping soldiers from both armies cope during the war. The Civil War would have been immensely different without the considerable influence that music had on both the Union and Confederate armies. Music played a significant role in motivating soldiers to overcome their hardships in both the Union and the Confederate armies by entertaining and comforting, bringing back memories of home and family, and strengthening the bonds between comrades and helping forge new bonds.

Music is built on a very sophisticated foundation that is expressed through a variety of technicalities and rules. As an art form, music has survived through many era’s that have evolved genre’s and sounds into its culture. The ages of music that were most prominent included the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern era’s. Within these years (1600-1900’s) music was distinguished for separate motives, audiences, and demands. Chamber music for example, was created for small audiences in the nobility, while Concert music was used for larger audiences in concert halls of varying classes. Absolute music was abstracted sound with no particular motive, while Program music was played for specified themes and stories that usually involved heroism

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

Horrid times can bring out the finest in many. These times often include some of the bloodiest wars in history such as the Civil War. A side product of this is music. Accordingly, the Civil War created many amazing music pieces. Examples of these pieces include Bonnie Blue by Harry Macarthy for the south and Shiloh by Darryl Worley. One thing that many Civil War songs that is prevalent is they’re stories.

It was said that the book most commonly owned by a Civil War soldier was a Bible, followed closely by a songbook, also known as a “songster” (Waller and Edgington 147). This was particularly true in the case of the black regiments that fought under the Confederate flag; because of the deep musical heritage carried by the African Americans from their homeland, it was only natural that they in turn transformed well-known spirituals and ballads into music suitable for wartime. Captain George Sutherland noted that “the black soldiers’ life was full of either music or religion,” and although this statement related directly to a Negro regiment it could have also been applied universally, to the entirety of both armies (Wilson 148). Religion and music have long been associated, and this union was not broken by the splitting of the United States. Rather, it was strengthened as the fighters searched desperately for a sold ideal to hold on to amidst the carnage– many found their salvation through music.

Both the Union army and the Confederate army had different songs that their soldiers would sing or that would be played by musicians. Some popular songs in the Union army included “Battle Cry of Freedom,” “May God Save the Union,” and “John Brown’s Body” (later known as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”). Some popular songs of the Confederate army included “Dixie,” “God Save the South,” “God Will Defend the Right,” “The Rebel Soldier,” “Maryland, My Maryland,” and

The American civil war was the second most important war to Americans. The war was about a lot of things but mostly the end slavery. It was also called the War Between the States. It war between the southern and the northern states. Slavery was use for a lot of things it was use in the industrial revolution it was used for farming in the south. In the north were trade and import and export good. African’s were the most of the population of slaves. People thought slavery was a good thing. The masters would whip them if they didn’t do what they were told nor did a bad job at it. The master would tell the slaves they have it better the Jesus did when he was tortured. People would bring religion to everything. The president during the time was the great Abraham Lincoln. He was born in Kentucky. There was to teams the confederation and the union. The confederation was the south. The union was the north. The union had many people because there was draft and the slave were free in the north and would be able to join the army so they did in the north and the south. In New York there was a riot caused by the draft. Many people didn’t like that they could join that wasn’t part of the compromise. Every state in the north seceded and four states didn’t join the union or the confederation. One fact that is every surprising Kentucky never voted for President Lincoln for both terms. The greatest battle of the civil war was the battle of Bull Run. The most famous battle was the battle

There were plenty of people who raised their voices and sang along to songs when the Civil War was occurring. Soldiers, however, were the most favored singers to the people they were surrounding. The main reason was that it rose up the people 's spirits and gave them more optimistic views about the war, especially since it created that "sense of national identity" that brought people together; to the Confederates this was crucial since they were a developing nation. The soldiers from both the North and South also sang for their own benefit. Music helped ease their boredom and it served as a way to pass the time, since it "entertained and comforted." The songs that were sung by soldiers were a way for them to think back to any memories from back home, like family or childhood memories. Another thing music did was strengthen "the bonds between comrades and helped forge new ones." Comrades, or soldiers, could connect

During times of harsh government rulings or unfair taxes and laws, people used their artistic abilities to start uprisings. Examples include, poetry, dramas, paintings/drawings, and especially music to get the attention of the oblivious citizens during the Revolutionary War. Music transitioned from calm, peaceful melodies to thundering tunes that carried battle cries and rallied for the start of a rebellion. As times changed and revolutions turned into wars, the music took a turn as well. It slowed it to a depressing beat that outpoured dreary lyrics, casting a melancholy mood on anyone who merely thought about the gory conflicts. Yet, when the turmoil finally came to an end, the villagers were overjoyed and celebrated with music and dancing.

While the central theme of the war was slavery, men on both sides had different approaches to the war. The North mainly fought to preserve the constitution and to maintain order while the South would fight for honor and the right to not become oppressed. The South felt that the North was becoming like a tyrannical government and decided to fight back much like how the forefathers fought back during the revolutionary war. The Civil War had a much deeper meaning behind it. Slavery was not the only issue that these men were fighting for and McPherson manages to illustrate this perfectly through numerous letters he gathered from soldiers. These men had patriotic reasons to fight. Whether it was about slavery or honor, the American Civil War was a time of hardship and struggling on both sides. The wounds of the nation would take time to heal but we managed to move on and eventually become a single union once

The Civil War was a time in history where heroic and patriotic events were displayed from both the Confederate armies as well as the Union armies , based upon their disagreements. The men who fought in this war fought for a very special reason. To protect their country

The War Between the States was complex. If you wish to understand the events, you should refer to a textbook. Music of the time, however, helps us delve into people’s thoughts and opinions on the war, slavery, and many other important issues in our country’s history. Prior to the civil war, American music followed its European roots. During the civil war, American music began to develop in its own way, largely influenced by the music of the African-Americans. The war produced many well-known songs. These songs were important in their time and they are still known to many people today.

Music has always been an important part of American society and it was no different during the Civil War. Instruments such as bugles, drums, and fifes were used for marching orders, signals,to tell the soldiers to wake up, eat meals, and perform camp chores.Music was also a way to communicate at long distances. A tune called "Cease Fire" that fifers and drummers would play to tell the soldiers to stop firing at the end of a battle while a tune called "Parley" was used to signal to the enemy that a surrender or peace talk was desired. Drummers would play beatings and say turn right or turn left as well as to load and fire their muskets. Unfortunately, it was difficult for a soldier to hold a fife because it required two hands. Instead, cavalry

The music that was present in World War II was extremely versatile and happy, which helped keep spirits high among everybody. Styles such as swing, blues, and jazz were popular music styles at the time. By the end of 1941, 96.2% of Americans owned radios. This granted greater access to music and information on the war. This is in contrast to World War I, where most citizens of the world were not as connected to the war through radio. In a way, the mass distribution of music was unifying for the American citizens and troops. However, many African-American musical artists used music to highlight the hypocrisy of the Americans fighting for freedom at that time because there was still a lot of segregation and discrimination in the United States and in it’s military.

One of the most popular songs in the North and South was during the Civil War whih was “The Battle Cry of Freedom. It was written it 1862 by George Frederick Root, whom was an American composer during the era of the Civil War. The song possessed two versions in which it could be interpreted differently depending on the regions point of view. Both regions in the North and the South had lyrics that were modified when compared together. The Union and the Confederacy both demonstrates their mottos and their objectives.