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Today's post, was inspired by one of my fifty cent books. It had a nice tidbit about music and war (below), which then had me looking up some information, which then had me perusing various Civil War paintings. This one of McClellan, for Day #214 of the 365 Days of Art, caught my eye because of the bright color of our General and the earth beneath him, the contrast of the horse in motion while the General has stillness, and then the background images, with faded hues, that depict details of the war.
I gave the book away already, but grabbed this snippet to share.
It was interesting reading about the music connection with the Civil War.
And here is a little more info from Civil War Trust:
"Thus, when soldiers North and South marched off to war, they took with them a love of song that transcended the political and philosophical divide between them. Music passed the time; it entertained and comforted; it brought back memories of home and family; it strengthened the bonds between comrades and helped to forge new ones. And, in the case of the Confederacy, it helped create the sense of national identity and unity so necessary to a fledgling nation.
Bernard writes, "In camp and hospital they sang -- sentimental songs and ballads, comic songs and patriotic numbers....The songs were better than rations or medicine." By Bernard's count, "...during the first year [of the war] alone, an estimated two thousand compositions were produced, and by the end of the war more music had been created, played, and sung than during all our other wars combined. More of the music of the era has endured than from any other period in our history."
"After Robert E. Lee surrendered, Abraham Lincoln, on one of the last days of his life, asked a Northern band to play “Dixie” saying it had always been one of his favorite tunes."
Sources:
Civil War Trust (here)
Davis, D. (1960) The Civil War, Strange and Fascinating Facts (here)
Bernard, K. A., (1966). Lincoln and the Music of the Civil War. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers