Emily Weis Mr. Highton US History I Honors 27 February 2015 Did music play a significant role in motivating soldiers to overcome their hardships in both the Union and Confederate armies during 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. At the beginning of the Civil War the armies needed to provide entertainment and comfort to their soldiers. There were many reasons music alleviated the negative experiences the soldiers were facing, but all mainly had the same goal, and that was to keep encouraging the soldiers to continue marching and fighting. Brass bands played inspiring songs designed to lift the spirits of the troops and the civilians who were listening, or
Another thing was the music of the 1940s, the 1940s was the decade of “the crooner” as the other form of entertainment the musical entertainment also played tribute to the war by many popular songs like “God Bless America”. This songs were sometimes were taken to war and it made solders said that the music took them home and they loved it.
The Civil War was known as the most bloodiest war. It resulted in 620,000 deaths and more than millions injured. The Civil War was a conflict with the Union against the Confederate states of America. The civil war mainly started because of conflicts between the free states and the slaves states. People did not want slaves in territories that were not yet states. In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln won the presidency. He wanted slavery out of territories. As a result, the south seceded to form the Confederate states of America. Life during the Civil War was horrific because the conditions were detrimental Life in the military camps was as deleterious as it was on the battlefield.
Music, even up to the Civil War, was a big part of the culture of both the North and the South. Both sides, of course, had different style of music, but music nonetheless. It helped keep there minds in the right place, while also motivating the soldiers to continue to fight for what they believed in.
Around camp there was usually a fiddler or guitarist or banjo player at work, and voices to sing the favorite songs of the era. Music was also played for the soldiers’ daily routines and calls. To explain, it was played to awake the soldiers; they were awoken at five o’clock in the morning during summer and six o’clock in the morning during winter. Thirty minutes later, “Peas on a Trencher” was played to notify that it was time to eat breakfast. It was used for the sick call for ill soldiers and the guard mounting call at eight o’clock in the morning. It was then played again while the sergeant major inspected the soldiers and told them their specific duties for the day. Music was played for the drill call and continued playing until the dinner call; “Roast Beet” was used for the call for dinner. Lastly, music would send the soldiers to bed at night.
Mr. Bethel from childhood to about eighteen years old had always aspired to become a world renowned musician. When he made it to high school, he played the trumpet within the Charleston High School band. Although he played with a band, the passion of music did not begin here. Music became interesting for him as a small child. On about every Friday night, he and his family would go to a near neighbor’s house to watch a fight. At the end of these broadcasts, the United States flag would wave across the screen and in the background there would be an orchestra playing. Mr. Bethel mentioned, “I always wanted to be a background musician, playing in an orchestra”.
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
Music was important to the Union and also to the Confederacy. The troops sang on battlefields, around campfires and while marching. They sang to make
Since the creation of the genre in the late seventeenth century, patriotic music has told the stories behind many of the songs that have now become part of the American national heritage. Since the creation of the genre in the late seventeenth century, patriotic music has told the stories behind many of the songs that have now become part of the American national heritage. Since the creation of the genre in the late seventeenth century, patriotic music has told the stories behind many of the songs that have now become part of the American national heritage.
The North and South soldiers marched off to war, taking with them a love of song that divided them. Music brought back memories of home and family and also entertained and comforted, strengthened the bonds between comrades, helped forge new
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
In conclusion, throughout Beah emotional journey one key component is music for the survival, loneliness, and rehabilitation of Beah. Without music Beah most likely would have returned to the front lines of the war. Music helped Beah survive the early stages of his journey. Without music, Beah would have fallen prey to the dark thoughts of the war sooner. Without his family and music, Beah hit the lowest point, but it became a beacon pulling Beah from a dark place. Music gave Beah connections to new friends and relatives, even though it brought sad memories of his previous life. Beah love for music was a key component for his survival of those horrible experiences and most likely to this date it still is. (Beah, 2007, p. 5-218)
In the civil war army regulations where called for the camp to be laid out in a fixed pattern. The officers’ quarters were at the front end of every street and the men's quarter at the rear of the same streets. Every tent that the military had had there own colors. The different types of tents were the mess tent, the medical cabin, and the baggage where the trains were located.
Music during the Civil War affected the moods of people, showed pride in your certain region, and shows the experiences of the time. Music could make you sad or ready for a battle with singing a song particular to your army. These songs show us how people felt during this time.
In the song “The Battle Hymn of The Republic” by Julia Ward Howe, is a bit longer than expected, it has a great beat, words, and musical instrumentation throughout the whole song. Being drawn to this piece of music by its title and having had family fight for our freedom, I chose to learn more about this song. The introduction is an announcement of the “eyes” of the soldiers seeing enough of war. With the wording of “God’s truth is marching on” and the war coming to an end, shows soldiers singing songs of praise for getting to come home and be with family. This gives a happy tone throughout the song. The beat on the instruments goes high and low as the singers of the song sing of God marching on to fight for freedom.
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.