1864 – 2014 AMERICAN CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL CIVIL WAR MUSICAL HERITAGE EVENT An Uncivil War

1. 1864 – 2014 AMERICAN CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL CIVIL WAR MUSICAL HERITAGE EVENT An Uncivil War by Jacquelyn Procter Reeves READ AND SING ALONG!

2. [Reader: Arley McCormick] I am Captain Jones. IshBein Welsh by birth, me “boy O”. Confederate by Choice, and my occupation is Blockade Runner. I bring in what you want, not what you need, and by 1863 I will be rich beyond my wildest dreams. In the next few minutes our august ensemble will entertain you with music that was popular to both the union and southern soldiers. The selections reflect the sentiment both joyous and melancholy of the era. That era was preceded by a decade political wrangling and as 1860 approached, talk of secession simmered in homes and businesses all across America. National politics dominated even casual conversation. Long into the cold dark nights, men gathered to discuss the when’s, how’s, and where’s of war as they warmed themselves by the fire and their favorite refreshment.

3. The United States were becoming increasingly disunited and disgruntled. Women knew what war meant, many remembered the War of 1812 and some of – their sons and husbands joined the Texans against the Mexicans, then the Mexican war and more young men and husbands answered the call. The ladies feared their men folk would come home in pine boxes, or worse, lie forever in unmarked graves without the benefit of clergy or family to pray over their remains. In January, 1861, Huntsville native, Clement Clay, delivered Alabama’s farewell address to the U.S. Senate. The people of Alabama were forever bonded to the Confederacy. Just three months later, on April 10, Huntsville native Leroy Pope Walker ordered the bombing of Ft. Sumter. The following day, the order was carried out and the world in Huntsville would soon change and never be the same. It came as no surprise. The fiery furnace of secession had finally been lit. Many leaders on both sides of the Mason/Dixon believed they would whip the other side in a few months. 

4. And so the call came to fight the enemy, men who looked just like us, spoke the same language, and hailed from the same ancestors who fought in the American Revolution. As the men eagerly signed up to fight, and they would, in places they’d never heard of, the people at home, men too old or too young to fight, mothers, sweethearts, and sisters, sent them away with the promise of prayers and letters to come and frequently their men folk, full of bravado, commented they would be home before Christmas. Members of the First Presbyterian Church gave Bibles to Huntsville soldiers and services were held at the First Methodist Episcopalian Church in their honor. Huntsville ladies met every Friday to roll bandages and sew uniforms.

5. As soldiers boarded trains to leave Huntsville, they left with the sound of “Dixie’s Land” in the air and enthusiastic good-byes from their worried families. The original score for “Dixie” was written by Professor Herman Frank Arnold and it was a mainstay for the Black face mistral shows that performed throughout the North and the South. But, since it was played for the inauguration of Jefferson Davis, as the only president of the Confederacy, it is remembered most as the Confederate National Anthem. For our first presentation this evening; we play Dixie. *** [Dixie – instrumental, sing-along optional]

6. Dixie Daniel Decatur Emmett (1859) 3 of 6 verses I wish I was in the land of cotton, Old times there are not forgotten; Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. In Dixie’s Land where I was born in, Early on one frosty mornin, Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Chorus: I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray!  Hooray! In Dixie’s Land I’ll take my stand to live and die in Dixie. Away, away, away down south in Dixie. Away, away, away down south in Dixie. Old Missus marry “Will the weaver,” Willium was a gay deceiver; Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. And when he put his arm around ‘er, He smiled as fierce as a forty-pounder, Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Chorus Dar’s buckwheat cakes an Injun batter, Makes your fat a little fatter; Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Then hoe it down and scratch your gravel, To Dixie’s Land I’m bound to travel. Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Chorus

7.    After centuries of bondage, the many slaves left behind watched and waited. They hoped their children would grow up free and they would grow old in freedom. Like those who left to fight, the world, as they knew it, was about to change. On June 10, 1861, Henry Figures, son of William Figures, editor of the Southern Advocate, enlisted as a private in Company F of the 4th Alabama Infantry, known as the Huntsville Guards. He was at the Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861 when Huntsville resident Col. Egbert J. Jones, sitting upon his horse, took a bullet through both hips. Captain Edward Dorr Tracy, also a resident of Huntsville, helped carry him from the field. Less than two weeks later, on September 1, Col. Jones died of his wounds. His body was escorted home by the Chaplain, Rev. W. D. Chadick of Huntsville’s 1st Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Col. Jones’s funeral procession to Maple Hill Cemetery was the largest ever seen.

8. On September 4, Private Albert Russel died of typhoid fever at Ft. Barrancas in Florida. There were many, many more to follow. The funeral processions were too many and too often. T hey were taken from the Depot, down Randolph Street, and the residents of this very house watched the procession pass to the cemetery. By the end of the year, an editorial in the newspaper complained that the bodies of Huntsville’s dead were carried to the cemetery in baggage wagons, and not in hearses. While the baggage wagon was less expensive, it just wasn’t dignified. It was another indication that the war would not be over in a matter of a few weeks. The next tune was written by George F. Root who moved to Chicago in 1859 after touring Europe and joined his brother’s music publishing house. In 1862 this song became a favorite of Union troops and was one of ultimately 35 war-time "hits" he wrote. We present Just Before the Battle Mother. *** [Just Before the Battle Mother]

9. Just Before the Battle Mother George F. Root (1862) Just before the battle, mother, I am thinking most of you While upon the field we're watching, with the enemy in view. Comrades brave are 'round me lying, filled with thoughts of home and God For well they know that on the morrow, some will sleep beneath the sod.   CHORUS: Farewell, mother, you may never, (You may never, Mother,) press me to your breast again But, oh, you'll not forget me, mother, (you will not forget me) if I'm numbered with the slain. Hark! I hear the bugles sounding, 'Tisthe signal for the fight, Now, may God protect us, mother, as He ever does the right. Hear the "Battle-Cry of Freedom," how it swells upon the air Oh, yes, we'll rally 'round the standard, or we'll perish nobly there.

10. The next song, popular during the era was also written by George F. Root in 1861 and the lyrics were based upon a poem written by H.S. Washburn after the death of Lieutenant John Williams Grout of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff in October 1861. We now present “The Vacant Chair”. *** [The Vacant Chair]

11. The Vacant Chair Henry F. Washburn and George F. Root (1861) We shall meet but we shall miss him, There will be one vacant chair; We shall linger to caress him, When we breathe our ev’ningpray’r; When a year ago we gathered, Joy was in his mild blue eye, But a golden chord is severed, And our hopes in ruin lie. Chorus: We shall meet, but we shall miss him. There will be one vacant chair. We shall linger to caress him, When we breathe our ev’ningpray’r At our fireside, sad and lonely Often will the bosom swell At remembrance of the story, How our noble Willie fell. How he strove to bear our banner Through the thickest of the fight, And uphold our country’s honor, In the strength of manhood’s might. True, they tell us wreaths of glory Ever more will deck his brow, But this soothes the anguish only, Sweeping o’er our heartstrings now. Sleep today, Oh early fallen. In the green and narrow bed, Dirges from the pine and cypress Mingle with the tears we shed.

12. [Reader: Kent Wright] Allow me to introduce myself. I am Brigadier General Ormsby McKnight Mitchel of the United States Army, commander of the Third Division, Army of the Ohio. While most of North Alabama remained pro-Union in the early stages of the war, all of that changed on the early morning of April 11, 1862. On that morning, I led thousands of soldiers in blue into town, surrounded the Huntsville Depot, and captured the town in complete surprise. Later that day, I wrote my official report: “After a forced march of incredible difficulty, leaving Fayetteville yesterday at 12 midnight, my advanced guard, consisting of Turchin’s brigade, Kennett’s cavalry, and Simonson’s battery, entered Huntsville this morning at 6 o’clock. The city was taken completely by surprise, no one having considered the march practicable in the time. We have captured about 200 prisoners, 15 locomotives, a large amount of passenger, box, and platform cars, the telegraphic apparatus and offices, and two Southern mails. We have at length succeeded in cutting the great artery of railway intercommunication between the Southern States.”

13. The next day, I wrote another report: “The work so happily commenced on yesterday has been completed today upon a train of cars captured from the enemy at Huntsville. A heavy force…was ordered to drive the enemy from Stevenson in the east, while an equal force…was directed to seize Decatur upon the west….I accompanied the most difficult one to Stevenson, in person, from which place 2,000 of the enemy fled, as usual, at our approach without firing a gun…. Thus in a single day we have taken and now hold a hundred miles of the great railway line of the rebel Confederacy. …We have saved the great bridge across the Tennessee (from the enemy’s firing of the bridge) and are ready to strike the enemy, if so directed, upon his right flank and rear.” Very respectfully, your obedient servant, O. M. Mitchel.”

14. To my great surprise, Huntsvillians were bitter about my attempts to reconcile them to the old Flag. Huntsville resident Mary Jane Chadick wrote about our arrival in her diary, “Truly our town is full of the enemy.” For four hours, the Meridianville Pike was solid blue as soldiers made their way into Huntsville. Leading citizens were arrested and ordered to sign an oath of allegiance to the Union or face imprisonment. Dr. Thomas Fearn, a member of the Confederate Congress, died while in captivity. He refused to sign. Mrs. Chadick recorded that former Governor Clement Clay was robbed of everything that could be carried away from his plantation, with the promise that he would be reimbursed. His request was denied later by Union General Rousseau who said, “if there is one Secessionist in Alabama more bitter, violent, virulent and hostile. *** [Knot of Blue and Grey / Hard Times]

15. Knot of Blue and Gray T. Brigham Bishop (1876) as sung by Cathy Barton to the tune “The Wearing of the Green” You ask me why upon my breast Unchanged from day to day Linked side by side in this broad band I wear the Blue and Gray. I had two brothers long ago, Two brothers blithe and gay. One wore the suit of Northern blue And one of Southern gray. One heard the roll call of the South And linked his faith with Lee. The other bore the stars and stripes With Sherman to the sea. Each fought for what he thought was right And fell with sword in hand One sleeps amid Virginia’s hills, And one in Georgia’s sands But the same sun shines on both their graves, O’er valley and o’er hill, And in the darkest of the hours My brothers they lie still. That is why upon my breast Unchanged from day to day, Linked side by side in this broad band I wear the Blue and Gray.

16. Hard Times Come Again No More Stephen Foster (1854) As we pause in life's pleasures and count its many tearsLet us all taste the hungers of the poor.There's a song that will linger forever in our ears:Oh! Hard times, come again no more. Chorus: ‘Tis a song and a sigh of the weary.Hard times, hard times, come again no more.Many days you have lingered around my cabin door.Oh! Hard times, come again no more. While we seek mirth, and beauty, and music light and gayThere are frail forms fainting at the door.Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say:Oh! Hard times, come again no more. Chorus There's a pale drooping maiden who toils her life away,With a worn heart whose better days are o'er:Though her voice would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day,Oh hard times come again no more.Chorus

17. [Reader: Mark Hubbs] Not everyone was home to see the General Mitchell’s troop on the streets of Huntsville. Many or her sons were already under arms in the field serving their state and new nation. In early September, 1862, Federal troops left Huntsville and took the mules, the horses, and 1500 slaves. They left behind fields that had been stripped clean of crops and burned bridges and businesses. The town of Whitesburg was no more. While the citizens of North Alabama rejoiced at the evacuation, their time of celebration did not last, as news from the front begin to filter to those at home. On May 1, 1863, Brigadier General Edward Dorr Tracy, whose wife, Ellen Steele was the daughter of Huntsville architect George Steele, was shot at the Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi. He died in the arms of his brother. In the same battle, Limestone County’s Colonel Daniel Hundley was shot in the hip and left on the field to die. Lt. Col. Edmund Pettus was captured, but later escaped, and Major Alfred S. Pickering was killed in action.

18. In July 1863, as an adjutant of the 48th Alabama, Henry Figures wrote a letter to his sister after the Battle of Gettysburg: “Our regiment charged up the mountain for two miles when it became so steep that we could not go any farther …Tell Mr. Leftwich that I have his son’s sword….” Captain William Leftwich died on the slopes of Little Round Top. James Duff, also a member of the Huntsville Guards, part of the 4th Alabama, died as well. In July, five thousand Federal soldiers under Major General David S. Stanley entered Huntsville and North Alabama was briefly occupied again. On Sunday, July 19, Union soldiers surrounded a church where slaves were assembled for worship services. As the services ended and they left the building, the male slaves were seized by force and taken away to work for the Union.

19. The home of the widow Calhoun was taken over to be used as a Federal hospital. Many soldiers were sick and dying of typhoid fever as an epidemic swept through their ranks. On September 1, Mayor Robert Coltart was arrested. His arrest came with an accusation that he was cruel to sick Federal soldiers left to recover at the Calhoun House after the others left town. Fortunately, a letter had been written on his behalf, and published in the newspaper, by Federal Surgeon Goodwin. The letter thanked him for his kindness to sick soldiers. Mayor Coltart was released. Other residents were credited for their kindness as well. In October, more Union soldiers began arriving in Huntsville. This time however, the tone was different. These men, under General Crooks, were said to be the “finest looking set of men and officers that have yet visited Huntsville.” They brought rations of food for their host families and fuel for the poor.

20. The war had gone on for 2½ long years. The invaders from the North missed their families back home. They played ball with the young boys of the households and asked to rock babies and small children to sleep at night. No doubt they thought of their own children so far away, and for a brief moment in time, all was right in the world. There was no blue or gray, no union or secesh, and no horrors of the battlefield. *** [Lorena]

21. Lorena Rev. Henry D. L. Webster (Lyrics - 1856) Joseph Philbrick Webster (Tune – 1857) 3 of 6 verses The years creep slowly by, Lorena,The snow is on the ground again;The sun's low down the sky, Lorena,The frost gleams where the flowers have been.But the heart throbs on as warmly nowAs when the summer days were nigh;Oh, the sun can never dip so lowTo be down affection's cloudless sky. A hundred months have passed, Lorena,Since last I held that hand in mine,And felt the pulse beat fast, Lorena,Though mine beat faster far than thine.A hundred months – 'twas flowery May,When up the hilly slope we climbed,To watch the dying of the dayAnd hear the distant church bells chime. It matters little now, Lorena,The past is in the eternal past;Our hearts will soon lie low, Lorena,Life's tide is ebbing out so fast.There is a future, oh, thankGod!Of life this is so small a part – 'Tis dust to dust beneath the sod.But there, up there, 'tis heart to heart. 21

22. By the winter of 1864, 13 regiments were stationed in and around Huntsville. Every tree was chopped down and any fence that had been left standing was burned for fuel. The fence around the cemetery was gone, as were the wooden headstones over the graves of the Confederate dead. Mrs. Virginia Cabaniss insisted that all of her visitors open the front gate, left attached to the frame, and walk through. Visitors were instructed to close and lock the gate behind them, even though there was no fence attached to it! On April 30, 1864, most Union soldiers began leaving of Huntsville to take part in a massive campaign aimed at the heart of Georgia. Jenkins Lloyd Jones, a private from Wisconsin, wrote, “The almost ceaseless rattle of trains keeps us awake. Upwards of 40 trains passed today, the whistles disturbing our slumbers at every hour of night.”

23. On May 16, 1864, Private Jenkins Lloyd Jones wrote that a band from Brodhead, Wisconsin arrived the night before. “Early in the evening,” he wrote, “they formed a circle, and in the gentle twilight played numerous airs, patriotic and melancholy; the sweetest of all, ‘Home Sweet Home.’ The green was covered with soldiers, lying at full length, dreamily enjoying the sweet music, forgetful of all the past, in blissful forgetfulness of all things real….” On June 22, he wrote, “Reveille sounded at 2:30 AM and quietly we broke camp and marched at 5 AM…through town in fine style, and soon beautiful and dreamy Huntsville was placed among the past.” *** [Home Sweet Home]

24. Home Sweet Home (1822) John Howard Payne (Lyrics) Sir Henry Bishop (Tune) 'Mid pleasures and palacesThough I may roamBe it ever so humbleThere's no place like home A charm from the skySeems to hallow us thereWhich seek thro' the worldIs ne'er met with elsewhere chorus: Home! Home!Sweet, sweet home!There's no place like homeThere's no place like home To thee, I'll returnOverburdened with careThe heart's dearest solaceWill smile on me there No more from that cottageA gain I will roamBe it ever so humbleThere's no place like home (chorus)

25. [Reader: Charen Fink] In the late summer, the town was full of excitement. Federal trains, riddled with bullet holes, arrived in town with supplies and coffins. Horses pulled wagons through town at a full gallop, and there was a rumor that Confederates under Roddey and Forrest were coming from one direction and Wheeler’s men from another for a fight over Huntsville. The citizens could only watch from the safety of their homes. While the battle never materialized, the constant cutting of rail lines by Confederate guerillas was a never ending source of irritation. One month later, Rebels at the edge of town on the Meridianville Pike demanded an unconditional surrender. Union General Grainger held his ground and ordered all citizens to get out of town in two hours before the fight began. The Rebels disappeared, and it was revealed that it had been a ruse to allow General Forrest to get across the river with 200 captured wagons.

26. Life was changing quickly for the residents of Huntsville. In November, the notorious Union guide – and Huntsville resident – Kinch Britt was shot to death outside the plantation known as Forestfield, which was burned in retaliation. Later that same month, another Union evacuation began to unfold. Slaves rushed to the depot to leave town and fires were set all over town. The Greene Academy was set afire and a struggle to save the prestigious boys’ school was too little and too late. On November 28, 1864, the day after the last of the Federal soldiers left town, Russell’s Cavalry arrived and Huntsville was back in the hands of Confederates. It didn’t last long however, as the men in blue came back on December 21. Two days later, a skirmish was fought near the Avalon Plantation on the Old Athens Pike. In the extreme cold, men fought with sabers. 49 Confederate prisoners, badly cut up, were brought in to town. Mary Jane Chadick wrote that the young Confederates fought bravely.

27. Over the next few months, more Federal soldiers came and went, and the citizens of Huntsville became accustomed to the constant turmoil. Some local girls married Union soldiers, and the names of the dead were reported all too often. On April 10, 1865, Mrs. Chadick wrote that a dispatch had been received by Federal soldiers, indicating that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered. The entire town was strangely silent. “Oh my God,” she wrote. “Can this be true?” That evening, President Abraham Lincoln stepped out onto a balcony of the White House as an impromptu celebration took place all over Washington. The band asked what he wished for them to play. “I have always thought ‘Dixie’ one of the best tunes I have ever heard,” he answered. *** Dixie

28. Dixie Daniel Decatur Emmett (1859) 3 of 6 verses I wish I was in the land of cotton, Old times there are not forgotten; Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. In Dixie’s Land where I was born in, Early on one frosty mornin, Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Chorus: I wish I was in Dixie, Hooray!  Hooray! In Dixie’s Land I’ll take my stand to live and die in Dixie. Away, away, away down south in Dixie. Away, away, away down south in Dixie. Old Missus marry “Will the weaver,” Willium was a gay deceiver; Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. And when he put his arm around ‘er, He smiled as fierce as a forty-pounder, Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Chorus Dar’s buckwheat cakes an Injun batter, Makes your fat a little fatter; Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Then hoe it down and scratch your gravel, To Dixie’s Land I’m bound to travel. Look away!  Look away!   Look away!  Dixie Land. Chorus

29. The confirmation came on April 14 when the occupying army erupted in celebration. The brass band played, town bells were rung, railroad engines shrieked, cannons were fired, and Union soldiers were given until 6 PM to get drunk.  And they did. Only 24 hours later, the mood was completely changed when word was received that President Abraham Lincoln was murdered. It was announced that April 18 was the official day of mourning. Businesses were draped in black crepe, a cannon was fired at 6 AM and every half hour until sundown. Schools and businesses were closed and as troops marched through town, their arms were reversed. The band, which played in celebration only four days earlier, now played a funeral dirge. Even Southerners knew that the death of Abraham Lincoln would not bode well for them.

30. Although the war officially ended with General Lee’s surrender on April 9, Confederate General Joseph Johnston did not surrender until April 26 and Kirby Smith surrendered a month later on May 26. On that day, Mary Jane Chadick closed out her war-time diary. “The War being over and the dear ones returned, there will be little more of interest for these pages. Therefore, you and I, dear journal, close friends as we have been, united by every bond of sympathy, must part.” *** [Battle Hymn of the Republic]

31. Battle Hymn of the Republic Julia Ward Howe (1861) Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord, He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,He hath loosed his fateful lightningof His terrible swift sword,His truth is marching on Chorus: Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah Glory! Glory ! Hallelujah! His truth is marching onI have seen Him in the watch firesof a hundred circling camps,They have builded Him an altarin the evening dews and damps, I can read his righteous sentencein the dim and daring lamps,His day is marching on Chorus I have read a fiery Gospelwrit in burnished rows of steel,"As ye deal with My condemnersso with you My grace shall deal,"Let the Hero born of womancrush the serpent with His heel,Since God is marching on Chorus He has sounded forth the trumpetthat shall never call retreat,He is sitting out the hearts of menbefore His judgment seat,Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him!Be jubilant, my feet,Our God is marching on Chorus

32. [Reader: Elizabeth Wright] Approximately 30% of the white male population in the South did not come home alive. The people of the South were demoralized and destitute, but the slaves were free. Life for them was not easy, but they were free. The women rolled up their sleeves and did what they had always done, put food on the table as best they could and comfort their families for another day. The war was finally over. In the months that followed, war-weary men began to return home. Daniel Hundley walked home from Johnson’s Island Prison in Ohio, along with his brother Orville. Their brother William had died as a result of his wounds in 1863. Thomas Jones Taylor walked home from Johnson’s Island as well. In the years that followed, the remains of some of Huntsville’s slain men were finally brought home. William Figures went to Virginia to bring his son Henry home. The battlefields, soaked in blood, devoured the remains of the others. *** [When Johnny Comes Marching Home]

33. When Johnny Comes Marching Home Patrick Gilmore (Lyrics, 1863) When Johnny comes marching home again, Hurrah! Hurrah! We'll give him a hearty welcome then, Hurrah! Hurrah! The men will cheer and the boys will shout The ladies they will all turn out And we'll all feel gay, When Johnny comes marching home. The old church bell will peal with joy, Hurrah! Hurrah! To welcome home our darling boy, Hurrah! Hurrah! The village lads and lassies say With roses they will strew the way, And we'll all feel gay, When Johnny comes marching home. Get ready for the Jubilee, Hurrah! Hurrah! We'll give the hero three times three, Hurrah! Hurrah! The laurel wreath is ready now To place upon his loyal brow And we'll all feel gay, When Johnny comes marching home.