Civil War Music

"All history proves that music is as indispensable to warfare as money; and money has been called the sinews of war. Music is the soul of Mars...."
​-The New York Herald, 1862

Background

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"In camp and hospital they sang -- sentimental songs and ballads, comic songs and patriotic numbers....The songs were better than rations or medicine... 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." ​ - Kenneth A. Bernard, 1966

​Impact of music

Music in the Civil War was mainly used to inspire the soldier to fight for their side.  Songs were often patriotic and they were presented at parades, formations, dress parades and evening concerts.   Most of the time,  these songs and melodies capture the spirit and emotion of the time for either era.  Union songs tended to be more sentimental and very patriotic.  Confederate songs, however, tended to be more romantic yet patriotic as well.   The beat of union songs was very easy to march to and often gave an upbeat feeling, whereas the beat of confederate songs was much slower, which may have slowed them down, some historians might argue.  Nevertheless, music had great influence on the culture and the ideas that were presented behind it.  Today we can still see the influence of the music in some southern states, where some songs still remain popular. 

Purposes

Musicians in the war were very important for the armies on both sides. In the army, there were 40 different positions for enlistment for band members (24 spots in the artillery and 16 in the Calvary). Drummers were used to keep the beat in order to determine the soldier's formation and to relay signals to the soldiers through beats. Other positions were also very crucial. For example, "The Bugler" was very important because they woke up the troops and sent different sounds depending on the orders given. 

Instruments

Union Instruments were often more abundant and were fancier than those used in Confederate bands.   Instruments were decorated with eagles and stripes to symbolize patriotism. 

Musicians

Band members were often considered part of the army.  Musicians were expected to help the injured during battle and act as on-sight surgeons. However, they had no defense, therefor they were susceptible to attack and injury more than any other military position during the civil war.  After a year of service on the battle field, band members were dismissed and allowed to go home.