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Civil War Music You will soon learn about the music that was played throughout the Civil War and the reason it was used for. There were many reasons for music...some important and some not. Some happy music and some sad music on certain occasions. You will also see when the music was used and how the meaning of music has changed from then to now.

First off, this is a poem mainly about the Civil War itself, but some about the Union Soldiers. It tells about how bad the Civil War was and the bravery and the scare that was put through the soldiers.

The Union soldiers running in the woods, Wearing hats instead of hoods. The Confederated soldiers firing their guns, Some of them worrying about their sons, The Confederate soldiers dressed in gray, Saying we'll beat them one day. The Confederate Army with their skills, Made well more than a thousand kills.

This poem is a deep poem that tells more about the tears instead of the cheers. In one part, it says that the soldiers are fighting and protecting their country, but also protecting their other soldiers which are also their children. When they are protecting their country, their country could also mean their family and their team of soldiers and even the land that they are fighting on. Their country could be their family. So the soldiers are risking their lives so that their "family" could live free and that takes alot of courage to do that.

My other song/poem is called "Little Major". This is a strong, meaningful song that is one of my favorite songs of the Civil War. Even out of all of the other good famous songs that everyone else thinks is the greatest, I think that this one tops them all. When you break the song down by each couple lines, it really shows alot about the song especially if you take the time and think about what it is saying, then the song gets better from your opinion. Just by looking at the title of the song, it should be making you think. It made me by a couple reasons. First off, I thought of Little as in size but then I looked at the Major and I knew that meant as in a General or a Luitenant so I looked at Little as in a kid. Then I realized that kids were drummer boys in the war and I got it right on the money because that is what this is about. You can also look at it as an oxymoran. Major is a big thing or an important reason and then you see Little and they dont match up. Here is the song...

At his post the "Little Major" Dropped his drum that battle day; On the grass all stain'd with crimson Thro' that battlenight he lay. Crying, "Oh! For love of Jesus, Grant me but this little boon! Can you, friend, refuse me water? Can you, when I die so soon?"

//Chorus://

//Crying, "Oh! For love of Jesus,// //Grant me but this little boon!// //Can you, friend, refuse me water?// //Can you, when I die so soon?"//

There are none to hear or help him All his friends were early fled, Save the forms outstretch'd around him Of the dying and the dead. Hush, they come! There falls a footstep! How it makes his heart rejoice! They will help, oh they will save him When they hear his fainting voice.

//Chorus//

Now the lights are flashing 'round him, And he hears a loyal word. Strangers they, whose lips pronounce it, Yet he trusts his voice is heard. It is heard -- oh, God forgive them! They refuse his dying pray'r! "Nothing but a wounded drummer," So they say, and leave him there.

//Chorus//

See! the moon that shone above him, Veils her face as if in grief; And the skies are sadly weeping, Shedding tear drops of relief. Yet to die, by fiends forsaken, With his last request denied; This he felt his keenest anguish, When at morn he gasp'd and died.

//Chorus//

In the first verse, it says how a drummer boy or the "Little Major" got wounded in the war and is praying not to die. In the chorus he is asking Jesus if he can live and be okay but realizes that he is going to die soon. The second verse says how no one is around to help him because all of his friends died before him and that there are dead soldiers around him but when he hears people coming hes exited and thinks that they will save him when he screams for help. In the third verse, he can see and hear the people coming and they can hear his voice, but they will not help the kid because they say that he is just a wounded drummer so they leave him there. In the fourth and final verse, it talks about him dying in the night and with his last request denied, the next morning, the drummer died. The ending is the worst especially because that he had to think all night about how he could have been saved a treated but the soldiers left him there to die. That as a last memory must stink. From what I think, drummer boys should have got a little more credit than they got because they werent.."just drummer boys" they gave signals and messages through beats of the drums and some were important. As you might know by now, I think..(and im not the only one who thinks this) that drummer boys were "underated" because of many reasons. First, because some of the young guns were not even ten years old and still had the guts to fight in one of the biggest wars ever. Another one is because even though they were young, they still were brave enough to go into the war and some were even brave enough to take an important persons place. For instance, (true story from war) Johnny Cook was 13 when he served as a bugler with the 4th US Artillery. At 15 he was in the battle of Antietam on the 17th September the first major battle of the civil war. During the fight Johnny Cook saw the artillery gunners being shot down and bravely ran to take their place. He was awarded the Medal Of Honor for helping to fend off three attacks. Later Johnny joined the navy and served till the end of the war. This shows how brave he was and confident that he could fit in the war. Another one was a boy of the 14th Connecticut Regiment was filling a coffee pot by a narrow stream when three confederate soldiers came upon him. In stead of panicking he immediately ordered them to surrender. Thinking that he was not alone did so. This also shows that he was brave and also that this kid thought he was another soldier and thought quick to go against three other soldiers. Another reason that people never really pick out alot is that even though they were just kids, they didnt get in on alot of details about the war. The major people like important soldiers or generals or captains or majors got to know and had to know all of the details going into battle so they know what to do or what their mission is and stuff like that, but the drummers and the kids never got to. I think that this was a disadvantage to them because it must have been hard to go into battle and fight for your country not knowing alot of detail to what your fighting for. Imagine first of all being only a child, but carrying all of this weight on your back...( and no not just the drum) of fighting for the whole country. I probably wouldnt have the guts to fight in a war for my town. Boys would especially have guts in the war because they would play their instrument in the front of the pack so they were an easy target.

Music in the Civil War was very important for a coulpe other reasons. Music from anything, drums, bugles, bagpipes, and fifes were all sweet sounds to soldiers ears. Just not at five o`clock in the morning after a hard fought day before that. Ugh Ugh. Now way. Not at all. I would be turning over, and raising my blanket over my head as the smart soldiers did. Yes, this happned often and some didnt want to go out and battle, but the music got them up and got them goin. The music would be for telling soldiers lights out and go to bed by playing "TAPS", or telling them to wake up and lets go win. The music was not only for simple codes or messages like this. No, most of the messages were important ones like telling a certain regiment to go to a certain place or play drum beats to call soldiers into formation. A short, repeated beat would play and that beat would mean something, but a sudden change in beats then back to the first beat would mean to get in a certain alignment. Also, the most important use of drums was on the battlefield where they were used to communicate orders from the commanding officers and signal troop movement. Another reason music was important in the war was because it kept the soldiers stamina up to keep fighting and to keep on moving ahead and never give up. It kept up the morale of the men. The last thing they wanted was to have bummed out soldiers ready to fight. When they were down, tired, beatin' up, a little wounded, then they heard drums and fifes going off which they loved to hear, they would think about fighting and winning because its all up to them and the country (north or south) is counting on them. Entertainment was another thing. After a well fought out tiring battle, the entertainment of music would cheer them up.

I have given you all I could of the music on the Civil War and why it was important, and when it was needed. It has been very interesting to see the facts that I never knew about in the Civil War using music. Overall, I think this was one of the biggest topics to be interested about in the war and one of the most important. "Without the band, there would be no army." - General Robert Lee