Civil War Ballads

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 17 Apr 03 - 07:50 PM

Getting back to the Civil War, in addition to the posting on "Jine the Cavalry," above, Uncle Jacque posted it in thread 46392. The outside posting may disappear. For some reason, it is not yet in the DT.
Jine the Cavalry: Jine the Cavalry

Why do so many southerners say "Jine the Calvary?

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Ely
Date: 18 Apr 03 - 07:31 PM

Wayne Erbsen has a whole series of tapes of 19th-century music--I know you can get them at a lot of battlefields and souvenir shops but I'm sure he's got a website. If you want to learn tunes & lyrics, they're great.

Cathy Barton and Dave Para from Missouri also recorded a lot of Civil War (and pre-Civil War) music from both sides of the issue.

My personal favorite Civil War songs (which aren't ballads, but oh, well) are "Vacant Chair", "Just Before the Battle, Mother", "Prairie Grove", and, although it's a bit later, "Faded Coat of Blue".

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: masato sakurai
Date: 30 Apr 03 - 10:51 PM

American Memory announces future collections HERE, which include:

Music for the Nation: Sheet Music from the Civil War Era
As part of the ongoing American Memory sheet music collections, the Music Division has chosen approximately 3,000 pieces of sheet music from the 1860s to represent the Civil War period.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Kaleea
Date: 01 May 03 - 02:58 AM

Jeepers, when I saw some of the Ken Burns Civil War Special I thought--oh, that's the waltz so many people are so nuts about, but why does he keep playing it over, & over, & over, & over, & over, & over. . .
    Anyway, I was wondering at the time (of the over & over stuff), where are the many other beautiful songs of the time? With all the research into the times, couldn't they have uncevered a few more tunes so they wouldn't have to wear that new fangled waltz out? But perhaps it's about selling a tune by Jay Unger?

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: JedMarum
Date: 01 May 03 - 08:20 AM

They chos e alovely tune for a recurring theme, Ashoken Farewll. It is the only new song they used. They also repeated frequently Lorena, Battle Hymn and several other period tunes. I think they did a great job with the music selection.

Subject: ADD: The Casto Hole
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Jan 04 - 01:00 AM

Here's a ballad from a West Virginia Confederate sympathizer. I found it here (click).

During the war Nicholas Casto wrote a poem deriding the Confederate sympathizers in the country, of which there are no known copies, which moved his good friend Elijah Powers a Confederate sympathizer to pen the poem known as "The Casto Hole". in retaliation. This cave is supposedly at Limber Ridge at Statts Mill.


The Casto Hole
(Elijah Powers)

Far in the woods of Upper Tug
We wrap old Union in a rug.
Where nicholas reads his Union Roll
And Rallies round the Casto Hole.


The Casto Hole is a cavern deep
Where Union men can quiet sleep,
There all their war-like plans unfold
While forted in the Casto Hole.


There you can hail the Union flag,
For such they call a striped rag.
Some two feet square stuck on a pole
In the region of the Casto Hole.


Union, Union is their song,
It's two feet broad and four feet long.
Hold up your heads and sing it "bold"
A hundred feet in the Casto Hole.


A lame-leg miller took afright
For Upper Tug he cut one night.
His fears were far beyond control
So he bolted for the Casto Hole.


Since Wise is gone, they now know fear
Except at night, lest they might hear
Some demon howl, or ghost of old
Prowling around the Casto Hole.


A southern scout - horrors profound,
That name, it shakes the very ground;
That name's a thunderbolt to Joel -
The general of the Casto Hole.


But, oh, the terrors of a scout
To those poor devils crowded out.
In their retreat, headlong they roll
Chock full they fill the Casto Hole.


Go to their houses, give a call,
There reigns a solemn silence, all.
But take their tracks, however cold,
They'll lead you to the Casto Hole.


No danger near - see how they prance?
Like Indians in an Indian dance -
Ignorant as Indians, 'pon my soul,
These warriors of the Casto Hole.


Lord, calm their fears, thy grace is good;
Call these scared devils from the wood,
Call them, like sheep, unto thy fold -
Those heroes of the Casto Hole.


Poor old Joel, he died of late,
And took his flight to Heaven's Gate.
St. Peter knew the poor old soul,
And kicked them back to the Casto Hole.


Down from the pearly gates he flies,
A howling demon of the skies.
A ghastly ghost, black, grim, and cold -
Came sliding back to the Casto Hole.


On terra-firma, safe again,
Young, yelping devils, in this train
To the Old Rogues' March they beat a roll
And escorted him back to the Casto Hole.


Old wizard Nicholas was on hand
In the witches department, holds command
He sped his signs from pole to pole,
For all witches to meet him in the Casto Hole.


That great magician of the North
Nods, earthquakes shock all round the earth;
Conjures the light from his northern pole
To illuminate the Casto Hole.


Witches and wizards and goblins grim,
Assembled there and were sworn in.
Presiding, sat the ghost of Joel -
At a Union meeting in the Casto Hole.


And wooly heads, they came long
With chalky eyes and odors strong
In that deep den, high place did hold -
All abolition in the Casto Hole.

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: JedMarum
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 04:55 PM

For those with an interest in Civil War Ballads and songs; Click Here for a pertinent, new Mudcat Thread.

I had to give it one more try!

;-)

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Dad Perkins
Date: 14 Mar 11 - 01:43 PM

Hi there everyone. I'm new to the Cafe and am very glad to find so much music and information here. I currently working on a research paper about Civil War ballads and wondered, A.) if anyone is aware of any tunes releating to Col. Mosby and Mosby's Rangers, and B.) if anyone could turn me on to some recordings of unacompanied ballads about the war and/or field recordings of interviews with vets or their immediate kin.

Thanks!

Dad.

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: GUEST,Songbob
Date: 14 Mar 11 - 02:08 PM

Hi, Dad.

There's a fine, unaccompanied ballad on the Battle of Stone River on "Fine Times at Our House," Indiana folk songs and fiddle tunes.

See here!

You can even sample the music.

Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Lighter
Date: 14 Mar 11 - 03:01 PM

In years and years and years of interest in such things, I've never met with a Mosby ballad.

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Dad Perkins
Date: 14 Mar 11 - 05:40 PM

that version of 'Ballad of Stone River' is actually what I'm using as my measuring stick. I'd love to hear other civil war ballads interspersed with interviews. That may be asking too much though. Thanks folks! keep'm comin!

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Lighter
Date: 14 Mar 11 - 07:20 PM

This guy wasn't a Civil War veteran, but it sounds like he was pretty old:

http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?ID=536

And this is probably the final recording ever of a "rebel yell" uttered by a former Confederate soldier (in 1935):

http://www.26nc.org/History/Rebel-Yell/rebel-yell.html

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: saulgoldie
Date: 14 Mar 11 - 07:30 PM

I don't know if it counts as a "balad." But, "Let the Band Play Dixie" by Bob Gibson is one of my most favorite of all times. I count it among my "A" songs.

I will help anyone wishing to hear it. PM me, if interested.

Saul


        LET THE BAND PLAY DIXIE

C                        Am                   F                G
The news was run from Richmond in that fading April Sun;
C                    Am                               F                       G
That Lee had handed Grant his sword, the war was finally won.
Am
Into the streets the people spilled,
D7
Feeling the excitement build,
    F
And the crowd around the Whitehouse milled,
G
Asking is it true, it's finally done?

*Inside the Whitehouse Lincoln heard them calling out his name.
He sat there wondering what to say to ease their years of pain.
Someone yelled, "Come out the door, tell us what you have in store
For the rebels who've lost the war, so out upon the porch Abe Lincoln came.

*He said, "We are gathered not in anger, but in celebration.
Let's be grateful we are once again a single nation.
Let's stand together reassured, now that peace has been secured,
Our nation's illness can be cured, and I suggest the overture for this ocassion...
(cho.)
C                
Let the band Play Dixie,
Am                                                  G
Play that song that holds its head up high and proud,
F                G                C                 Am
And let our nation once divided, bloodied but unbowed,
F                        G                        C              Am
Take the swords of war and beat them back into a plow."
F                        G                C                 Am        F/G
On the day that Lee surrendered, Mr. Lincoln told the crowd,
C        
"Let the band play Dixie!"

*A tired Union soldier hobbled on his only limb,
Filled with bitter memories the war had left with him.
Dragged his wooden leg and cane, his face was set and creased with pain, he stumbled, fell, and         rose again,
And he wondered what the future held for him.

*He spied a Black child kneeling there in humble gratitude.
He knelt down right beside her to share her thankful mood.
Grateful words were raised in prayer, God in your sweet loving care,
Our broken lives now please repair, let our wounded nation be renewed. And...

cho

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Dad Perkins
Date: 15 Mar 11 - 12:39 AM

Hey gang. these are great leads. Here's a heart breaker of an unacompanied ballad I found on the Missou site that Lighter turned me on to. "Just as the Sun Went Down"

http://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?id=67

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: Dad Perkins
Date: 15 Mar 11 - 12:42 AM

@ Saulgoldie- wow. that's incredible. I just read a memoir by Mary Todd Lincoln's seamstress which recounted The President's fondness for 'Dixie'. Do you know of any recordings of that song? 'Let the Band Play Dixie' I mean. great stuff. thanks.

Subject: RE: Civil War Ballads
From: saulgoldie
Date: 15 Mar 11 - 04:57 PM

Sure, Dad. I heard it first, last, and only from the late, great Bob Gibson. The album--I think it was an album--was from the 80s. I can put my hands on a recording that I put on a personal compilation, um cassette. PM me for details and discussion. Thanks for your interest!

Saul