James A Davis

Popular music journalism during the American Civil War faced two primary challenges: how to talk about war songs objectively in the midst of war, and how to overcome an elitist attitude that focused on European concert music and all but ignored commercial sheet music. Theodore Hagen's "Our War-Songs" (1864) overcame both obstacles, deftly avoiding superficial patriotism to provide a bipartisan and respectful examination of war songs. In so doing he endorsed commercial song as a meaningful genre and set the stage for a critically viable journalism of popular music. On April 1, 1863, the Hillsborough Recorder of North Carolina printed a letter from a Confederate officer describing "a pleasant incident in camp life, " which should have been a welcome relief to readers weary of battle summaries, casualty lists, and useless speculation from armchair generals. According to the letter, a Union band stationed at Fredericksburg, Virginia, approached the banks of the Rappahannock and offered up an impromptu concert to Union and Confederate soldiers on opposite sides of the river. First they played "Dixie" ("in a credible manner"), and Southern soldiers cheered for their unofficial anthem; then came "Yankee Doodle, " and the Federals responded with their own cheer. "Finally, the band played 'Home, Sweet Home, '" observed the officer, "and when it was finished, such a shout went up from both armies as I doubt has ever been heard on earth" ("Incident"). This entertaining letter to the editor is noteworthy in its acceptance and recounting of a bipartisan encounter at a time when few were willing to see past the sectional spitefulness that dominated the Northern and Southern press. Take for example the reaction of John B. Jones to the same story. Jones was a former newspaper editor who served as a clerk in the Confederate War Department in Richmond, an experience he faithfully documented in a diary for the entire course of the war (Jones). Jones's acerbic commentary typically dealt with wartime policy and the colorful characters that comprised the fractious Confederate government. His observations mixed an unabashed Southern bias with official reports and accounts found in northern and southern newspapers. On April 12, 1863, he mentioned the band concert along the Rappahannock, undoubtedly drawn from the story printed in the Hillsborough Recorder the previous week. Jones's reaction to the concert's climax is almost

The American Civil War has been described by many as the most musical of all wars. Be it popular songs of the day or marches and other band music, civilians and soldiers alike were surrounded by music. Today this music is enjoyed as much as when it was produced, and no Civil War book, television program, or Hollywood movie is complete without reference to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Dixie," "Home Sweet Home," and so on. It is somewhat surprising, then, that although the music from the Civil War remains such a cornerstone of our historical image, the musicians who produced such music seem to have drifted into relative obscurity. For obvious reasons, the drummer boys of both the North and South have captured a certain portion of the popular imagination, but only at the expense of the remaining majority of men, namely the buglers, fifers, and especially band members. These men played a significant role throughout the war, one that has been trivialized and even overlooked. For example, one impression holds that these musicians had a rather enjoyable time during the war, sitting around the campfire making music with their friends. Such attitudes, especially when combined with the standard image of a doe-eyed twelve-year-old with his drum slung across his shoulder, have lead subsequent generations to romanticize the Civil War musician into an almost bipartisan hero. Underlying such beliefs is a basic lack of understanding of both the efforts required to produce music and the many additional responsibilities expected of enlisted musicians. Civil War musicians were at work day and night fulfilling their multifaceted musical responsibilities, as well as those required of all soldiers. One cannot overstate the passion that Civil War soldiers had for music, making the enlisted musicians an indispensable part of the war effort. An examination of the letters of J. Herbert George, principal musician of the Tenth Vermont Volunteer Infantry, reveals that at least one Civil War musician was kept extremely busy.1 George's musical responsibilities were daunting, to say the least. Though at first an enlisted musician, eventually he was placed in charge of all field musicians for his regiment. George also was called upon to play numerous instruments for a variety of performance settings. As leader of the band, he also was in charge of training and rehearsing the group, acquiring and maintaining instruments, and even copying and arranging music. In addition to these musical duties, George managed to fulfill many of the more traditional undertakings of soldiers at the time, be it picket and guard duty or assorted camp chores. During combat, George and his band were assigned to assist the surgeons, a gruesome task at best. Despite the potentially overwhelming diversity of such duties, George excelled in this environment, gaining promotions in recognition of his accomplishments and eventually turning his skills into a career following the war. James Herbert George was born October 28, 1843, in Newbury, Vermont, and grew up on a small farm with three brothers and two sisters (Keith George 478-79). Music seems to have run in the family. All four of the George sons - Herbert, Charles, Osman, and Jeremiah - performed in the regimental band after enlisting. Herbert George was described as a "musician from the cradle," and by the time of the war, owned his own cornet, band uniform, and an impressive collection of band music (Wells 555). When he came of age, George moved to Greenfield, Massachusetts, and was trained as a telegraph operator. Like so many other young men of the time, the outbreak of war lead George to return home to offer his services to the Union cause. Following President Lincoln's call for volunteers in 1862, George enlisted in Company G, Tenth Vermont Infantry on August 15. The regiment spent the first part of its service in guard duty on the Potomac River around Washington, DC. In June 1863, the regiment joined the Army of the Potomac and participated in most of the principal engagements in the Eastern theater from that time on. …

Music history is often pushed to the margins of the public school curriculum. Faced with limited time and resources, teachers need to find concise, non-traditional ways to reintegrate history with performance and the other liberal arts. At the same time, they need to demonstrate, not just describe, the many ways in which music is intertwined with history and culture.

The sound of Rfes, drums, and bugles are recognized as a commonplace yet signiRcant part of the Civil War soundscape. Those who performed this music, however, have drawn less attention than the pieces they performed. This is unfortunate, as soldier-musicians, just like the pieces they played, served a unique and valuable role in the long and bloody conYict. Certainly the calls performed by Reld musicians were critical to the organization and performance of armies in camp and on the battleReld, but musicians were also assigned additional, often dangerous duties of equal importance. Here enlisted musicians were placed in situations that tested their courage, and many rose to the challenge, performing feats of gallantry that earned them this country's highest military honor–the Medal of Honor. This article identiRes the 28 army musicians who were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions that included assisting the wounded during battle, hazardous courier or reconnaissance duty, seizing or defending a position or Yag, leading an attack, and, in one special case, using music to turn the tide of battle. Musician Medal of Honor winners remind us that these men saw themselves as soldiers Rrst and musicians second, and that they, like their comrades in the ranks, were able to distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action even as they supplied the irreplaceable gift of music to the lonely camps and bloody battleRelds of the American Civil War. Eliza Atwood of Shelbyville, Tennessee, told her diary of the memorable sights and sounds she witnessed one evening in 1862: About nine o'clock hearing a noise on the pike I looked up & saw six horseman Yying along up to town. My Rrst impression was 'It is the Yankees.' Hardly had my surprise manifested before Rfty or more came scouring by went immediately to the court house, hoisted the 'Star & Stripes.' Then came about three hundred cavalry, and after them about six hundred infantry, the Rrst singing a song, the later part playing 'Yankee Doodle.' Union Yags and union cheers greeted them as they passed several houses. For Eliza and other Americans of the time, this mélange of martial sounds–particularly the clamor of Rfes, drums, and brass bands–formed a predictable yet unshakably affective backdrop to the American Civil War. Future chroniclers frequently reference the patriotic music that inspired both sides of the conYict, and historians have acknowledged the emotional and political power of musical icons such as " The Battle Hymn of the Republic " and " Dixie. " Those who performed this music, however, have drawn less attention than the pieces they performed. This is unfortunate, as soldier-musicians, just like the pieces they played, served a unique and valuable role in the bloody strife that engulfed the country in the 1860s. Enlisted musicians provided important service to the armies during the American Civil War. Field musicians, including buglers, Rfers, and drummers, were an integral part of the military machine. When in camp or garrison, Reld musicians partitioned the soldiers' daily routine, playing calls such as reveille to wake the soldiers and tattoo to send the men to their tents at night. There were also calls to summon the men to meals or to gather them for work duties. The drum corps (an ensemble made of a unit's Rfers and drummers) provided a cadence for marching troops and often performed for military rituals. When the troops were drilling or involved in combat, Reld musicians (particularly drummers and buglers) had additional calls that governed the men's movements or conveyed an ohcer's commands across the noisy battleReld. Enlisted bandsmen had fewer ohcial musical duties than Reld musicians. Bands were more a beneRcial amenity than a necessity, though the music they provided was cherished by the men in the ranks. These ensembles performed music for daily ceremonies such as guard mounting and dress parade; they played in celebration of the arrival of dignitaries and ohcers, and they would lead soldiers on parade,