This thread quickly caught my eye because (at the risk of sounding commercial) our band ShoreGrass put out a recording of "Songs of the Civil War Era" which you can hear 2-minute samples of at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/shoregrass

In preparation for a program at our local library, I spent several months researching these wonderful old songs and became immersed in the music for awhile. The resulting live concert was recorded, and that's what is on our CD. Almost all the songs mentioned above are included. One of the best resources I found for background on the songs was a book called "Songs of the Civil War" compiled and edited by Irwin Silber. Fantastic stories, amazing songs.