Working from original Civil War era sheet music, 19th century song books, and from the oral tradition, Bobby Horton performs 18 authentic songs in a wide variety of "period" musical styles.

18 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk, FOLK: String Band

Details:
âA seasoned performer, Bobby Horton is a multi-instrumentalist, a composer, producer, and a music historian. For more than 30 years he has performed with the musical-comedy group Three On A String. He has also produced and performed music scores for ten Ken Burns PBS films, including âThe Civil Warâ, âBaseballâ, and âMark Twainâ, two films for the A & E Network, plus sixteen films for The National Park Service. His series of recordings of authentic âperiodâ music has been acclaimed by historical organizations and publications throughout America and Europe.â

Songwriters of the 1860âs wrote thousands of songs during the four years of The Civil War. They chronicled all aspects of life in the Union Army and on the home front in their compositions. Their work offered hope to the people as they struggled to win the war. Their songs also offered an escape from the horrors of death and destruction, and the heroic efforts of their armies were celebrated in their songs of battle. Volume 3 offers a wide variety of these songs.

Like all the others in this series, I played all the instruments, performed all the vocals, hand sketched the cover and liner notes, and recorded the music in my home production studio â hence the âHomespunâ in the title. Many of the instruments in this recording date back to the 19th century and the arrangements reflect the various musical styles common in the 1860âs.

Patriotic songs were quite common â most were written in the early days of the war. âStand Up For Uncle Samâ, written by George Root, was one of the more popular early war tunes. Theodore Tilton looks to The Creator to bless the Union cause in his patriotic hymn âGod Save the Nationâ. âTo Canaanâ was written by C. A. Brainard and E. A. Kelly as a patriotic response to President Lincolnâs second call for 300,000 additional troops and is presented here in a military band setting.

The reality of war has always inspired songwriters during times of conflict. âWho Will Care for Mother Now?â was written by Charles C. Sawyer when he learned of the dying words of a young soldier. J. H. McNaughton mourns the loss of a young Union soldier in his emotional song âThe Faded Coat of Blueâ. George Rootâs âTramp, Tramp, Trampâ offers hope to the thousands of Union soldiers held in prison camps in the Southland. âGod Bless My Boy Tonightâ captures the hopes and prayers of many Mothers and Fathers during the war.

Soldiers enjoyed âlightâ songs to kill time and to escape the drudge of army life. Several such tunes are in this program: Billy Barlow is a fictional character dating back to 1836. His importance to the Union cause is celebrated in musical spoof called âBilly Barlowâ; The soldiers gleefully sang of the ultimate demise of the Confederacy in âHard Times in Dixieâ; There were many versions of âDixieâ composed during the war. One of the more popular versions sung in the Union armies is presented here and is known as âUnion Dixieâ; Minimizing the valor of the enemy was a common theme of soldier songs - âSkedaddleâ is a light hearted look at the scattering of Southern troops at the approach of the Union Army; The man in the ranks had a low opinion of draftees or conscripts - Ednor Rossiterâs âCome In Out Of The Draftâ was a fun song that was enjoyed by the soldiers around the campfire; Army food was always a source of discontentment for the men â the much despised hard bread known as hardtack is âcelebratedâ in the soldier favorite âHard Crackersâ; âDe Day Ob Libertyâ written by George Root was another soldier favorite.

Union victories were often celebrated in song: The 1863 capture of Vicksburg is the inspiration for this E. W. Hicks composition called âVicksburg Is Takenâ; The people of the state of South Carolina as a whole and especially the city of Charleston were blamed by many Yankee boys for starting this awful war, therefore, this song, âThe Fall of Charlestonâ, was sung with gusto by the men in the ranks.

I close this collection with a post war song that the Union veterans sang at reunions. âThe Songs We Sang Upon the Old Camp Groundâ is the old soldiersâ remembrance of the music that sustained them throughout the four long years of war.

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