Marching Through Georgia

For the S. M. Stirling novel, see Marching Through Georgia (novel).

Original 1865 sheet music cover of "Marching Through Georgia" by S. Brainard Sons.

"Marching Through Georgia" is an American Civil War-era marching song written and composed by Henry Clay Work (1832–1884) in 1865. It is sung from the perspective of a Union soldier who had participated in Sherman's March to the Sea; he looks back on the momentous triumph after which Georgia became a "thoroughfare for freedom" and the Confederacy was left on its last legs.

Work made a name for himself in the Civil War for penning heartfelt, rousing tunes that reflected the Union's struggle and progress. The popular publishing house Root & Cady employed him in 1861—a post he maintained throughout the war. Following the March to the Sea, the Union's pivotal triumph that left Confederate resources in tatters and civilians in anguish, Work was inspired to write a commemorative song which would become the campaign's unofficial theme tune, "Marching Through Georgia".

The song was released in January 1865 to widespread success. One of few Civil War songs that withstood the war's end, "Marching Through Georgia" cemented a place in veteran reunions and marching parades. Today, it is nigh synonymous with the state of Georgia, even though residents look upon it with contempt for glorifying Sherman's annihilative campaign. Gen. William T. Sherman himself, to whom the song is dedicated, famously grew to despise it after being subjected to its strains in every public gathering he attended.

"Marching Through Georgia" also lent the tune to a slew of partisan hymns such as "The Land" and "Billy Boys". Beyond the United States, troops from all over the world have adopted it as a marching standard, from the Japanese in the Russo–Japanese War to the British in World War Two. Many musicologists consider the song the most fruitful of Work's career and among the most iconic of the Civil War.

Background

Work as a songwriter

Unionist composer Henry Clay Work who wrote "Marching Through Georgia" and many other prolific patriotic songs.

Henry Clay Work was a printer by trade, operating in Chicago ever since 1855. However, his true passion rested in songwriting, which he had cultivated a deep penchant for as a child. After years of submitting poems to local newspapers, he published a complete song in 1853, "We Are Coming, Sister Mary". Eight years later, the American Civil War broke out, launching his songwriting ventures into a "fecund" career. That year, Work signed up for a post at Root & Cady, the then-most popular publishing firm. George F. Root, its director, was soundly impressed by his song submission "Kingdom Coming" and promptly assigned him the post.

Music was of utmost importance in the Civil War; Journalist Irwin Silber comments: "soldiers and civilians of the Union states were inspired and propagandized by a host of patriotic songs." Work delivered, penning 25 Unionist songs from 1861 to 1865, chief among them: "Kingdom Coming" (1862), "Grafted into the Army" (1862), "Song of a Thousand Years" (1863), "Babylon is Fallen" (1863), "Wake Nicodemus" (1864) and "Marching Through Georgia" (1865). Their "intense partisanship" is owed to Work's devout allegiance to the Union cause, itself rooted in his abolitionist background. As a child, he passed much time among freed slaves in the Underground Railroad, on which the family home was situated. A bitter hatred of slavery soon consumed him. His wartime compositions imparted this sentiment, no less than his minstrel songs conveying the hardships of plantation life.

In general, Work is commended for genuinely communicating the feelings of Union civilians through music. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians notes: "More than perhaps any other songwriter Work captured the deeply felt emotions of the Civil War [...]" For instance, the minstrel tune "Kingdom Coming" accompanied African American troops marching down South, and "The Song of a Thousand Years" consoled civilians at the height of Confederate progress in the Battle of Gettysburg. This sense of empathy, along with his mastery of melody, fueled one of the most successful songwriting careers in the war.

By 1865, Work had written several Civil War staples. Root & Cady was prospering, reveling in the success of its latest hit "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!". At the war's eve, he penned three final pieces, the latter two being "Ring the Bell, Watchman", invoking Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard's evacuation of Charleston in February, and "'Tis Finished!, or Sing Hallelujah", glorifying Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox in April closing the conflict. "Marching Through Georgia", the first of the final three, marked the apex of Work's career up to that point. Released on January 9, 1865, it commemorates the March to the Sea, a defining Union triumph that had taken place a few weeks prior. The song is dedicated to the campaign's mastermind, Gen. William T. Sherman. While other contemporary songs honored the march, such as H. M. Higgins's "General Sherman and His Boys in Blue" and S. T. Gordon's "Sherman's March to the Sea", Work's composition towers over them all.

The March to the Sea

I can make the march and make Georgia howl.

— Sherman to Grant on October 9, 1864, before the March to the Sea

Sherman's March to the Sea was "the most dramatic military campaign of the Civil War." Lasting from November 15 to December 21, 1864, the 285-mile advance from Atlanta to Savannah bifurcated the Confederacy and shattered Southern morale. A Union victory was on the cards. At the campaign's end, Gen. John W. Geary remarked: "This last campaign of Sherman has almost disemboweled the rebellion […] The state of Georgia is about as badly destroyed as some of the tribes of the land of Canaan were by the Israelitish army, according to the Biblical record…. We are in sight of the 'promised land,' after a pilgrimage of three hundred miles."

Prior to the march, Sherman had initiated a conquest of Atlanta. After three months of hostilities, the city fell to Union troops and, by September 2, it was completely evacuated and left in ruins. The Northern victory assured civilians, disillusioned by four years of a primarily bloody stalemate, that the war was soon to end. Their confidence was proven by president Abraham Lincoln's landslide reelection in 1864. In conjunction with Gen. Philip Sheridan's recent triumphs in the Shenandoah Valley, the South's military fortunes grinded to a near halt. After the fall of Atlanta, President Jefferson Davis admitted: "There are no vital points on which the continued existence of the Confederacy depends […]"

Sherman felt confident enough to pursue another ambitious campaign in Georgia. He eyed the coastal city of Savannah which, if captured, would split the Confederacy in half. While marching to Savannah, his troops would seize every resource they could find and scourge every structure in their path. In late September, the plan was finalized but an obstacle sprung up; Gen. John Bell Hood and his Confederate militia had advanced to Tennessee in pursuit of Nashville. Hood hoped that this would provoke Sherman to redirect his army and abandon Georgia, but Sherman instead sent only a small yet sufficient military force led by Gen. George H. Thomas. With Georgia free from significant Confederate presence, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant finally gave his approval to Sherman's plan. After destroying all buildings and communication lines in Atlanta, the plan took action.

Map of the March to the Sea, lasting from November 15 to December 21, 1864.

1868 engraving depicting the march's impact on Georgian civilians and territory by Alexander Hay Ritchie.

On November 15, 62,000 Union troops left Atlanta and commenced the March to the Sea. They bore 20 days' worth of rations, an insufficient amount; they would have to scavenge the land of foodstuffs and resources for subsistence. Sherman, who affirmed their entitlement to enemy territory, ordered them to "forage liberally on the country." While some regulations were imposed, they were hardly observed. For this reason, author David J. Eicher likens Sherman's strategy to Grant's Vicksburg campaign owing to its "radical nature," more so than the latter. The army was split into two equally sized flanks, the right commanded by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard and the left under Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum; 5,000 of the troops belonged to an attached cavalry division led by Gen. Hugh J. Kilpatrick.

After Gen. John Bell Hood left for Tennessee, Sherman's army would only face a meager Confederate resistance of 13,000 troops at any given point during the advance. The two wings were intending to deceive the Confederates as to which city Sherman was destined to—Macon, Augusta or Savannah. Howard's wing, led by Kilpatrick's cavalry, marched to Lovejoy’s Station, situated en route to Macon, hoaxing the small Confederate force to retreat to the city, while Slocum's wing advanced to Augusta and, mid-path, turned southward to Milledgeville. Slocum’s arrival in the capital forced the state legislature out; it was taken on November 23. The day prior, Howard’s wing had faced resistance from a militia led by General Wheeler at Griswoldville—the first battle of the march. Numerous minor skirmishes ensued; Wheeler's forces had temporarily halted the two wings from advancing before being stopped by Kilpatrick at Buckhead Creek on November 28.

By December 10, Sherman had arrived at the outskirts of Savannah, ending the march and laying the groundwork for taking the city. However, before this could be done, he had to link up to the Union Navy and obtain supplies by gaining full access to the Ogeechee River situated 12 miles beneath the city. The second prominent action of the march, the Second Battle of Fort McAllister, the fort blocking Union access to river, took place on December 13, whereby it was taken within 15 minutes. Unable to defend Savannah, General Hardee and his men withdrew to Charleston on December 20; the next day, Sherman's troops peacefully moved it, ending the March to the Sea.

Eicher writes: "Sherman had accomplished an amazing task. He had defied military principles by operating deep within enemy territory and without lines of supply or communication. He had destroyed the South's potential and psychology to wage war." This left the path open for the Carolinas campaign, where similar tactics were employed. While often exacerbated, the March to the Sea did cause unparalleled, unwarranted destruction in its path, including pillaging, excessive burning and pilfering against the orders of their generals.

Composition

Original lyrics

Bring the good old bugle boys! we'll sing another song,
Sing it with a spirit that will start the world along;
Sing it as we used to sing it fifty thousand strong,
While we were marching through Georgia.

CHORUS
"Hurrah! Hurrah! we bring the Jubilee!
Hurrah! Hurrah! the flag that makes you free!"
So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea,
While we were marching through Georgia.

 
How the darkeys shouted when they heard the joyful sound!
How the turkeys gobbled which our commissary found!
How the sweet potatoes even started from the ground,
While we were marching through Georgia.

(CHORUS)

Yes, and there were Union men who wept with joyful tears,
When they saw the honor'd flag they had not seen for years;
Hardly could they be restrained from breaking forth in cheers,
While we were marching through Georgia.

(CHORUS)

"Sherman's dashing Yankee boys will never reach the coast!"
So the saucy rebels said, and 'twas a handsome boast,
Had they not forgotten, alas! to reckon with the host,
While we were marching through Georgia.

(CHORUS)

So we made a thoroughfare for Freedom and her train,
Sixty miles in latitude—three hundred to the main;
Treason fled before us for resistance was in vain,
While we were marching through Georgia.

(CHORUS)

Henry Clay Work

The song became widely popular with Union Army veterans after the American Civil War. The song, sung from the point of view of a Union soldier, tells of marching through Georgian territory, freeing slaves, meeting Southern Unionist men glad to once again see the U.S. flag, and punishing the Confederacy for their starting the war.

Numerous writers correlate the song's passionate patriotism with Work's background in an abolitionist family. Biographer Polly H. Carder notes that "Marching Through Georgia" shares the "exultant spirit" of "Kingdom Coming".

The chorus underestimates the number of troops who participated in the march—rather than 50,000, roughly 60,000 took part.

Musicologist Sigmund Spaeth remarks that beneath the song's jovial melody lurks an unabashed partisanship—it provides details that "rubbed Yankee salt into one of the sorest wounds of the Civil War."

"Marching Through Georgia" sung by Harlan & Stanley in 1904.

Legacy

Postbellum

Gen. William T. Sherman, to whom "Marching Through Georgia" is dedicated.

"Marching Through Georgia" quickly cemented itself as a hallmark of the Civil War. Selling 500,000 copies of sheet music within 12 years, it became one of the most successful wartime tunes and Work's most profitable hit up to that point. Music biographer David Ewen regards it as "the greatest of his war songs," and Carl S. Lowden deems it his very best work, in part owing to its "soul-stirring" production and longevity. It became synonymous with the state of Georgia.

Writer Edwin Tribble opines that Work's postbellum fame, the little he had, rested solely on the success of "Marching Through Georgia", citing a letter he wrote to his long-time correspondent Susie Mitchell:

"It is really surprising that I have excited so much curiosity and interest here, not only among romantic young women but among all classes. My connection with 'Marching Through Georgia' seems to be the cause ... at the annual camp fire of the Grand Army of the Republic, to please soldiers and citizens, I sang the song in the opera house before an audience of several hundred—something I never did before in my life. Since then I have been compelled to repeat it at every gathering I have attended."

Sherman himself came to loathe "Marching Through Georgia" in part because of its ubiquity, being performed at every public function he attended. When he reviewed the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1890, the hundreds of bands present played the tune every time they passed him for an unbroken seven hours. Eyewitnesses claim that "his patience collapsed and he declared that he would never again attend another encampment until every band in the United States had signed an agreement not to play 'Marching Though Georgia' in his presence." He lived up to his promise. The song pursued Sherman even after his death, as it was played at his funeral.

"Marching Through Georgia" does not share the same popularity in the nation's other half. Irwin Silber deems it the most despised Unionist song in the South owing to its evocations of a devastated Georgia at the hands of Sherman's frantic army. Accordingly, Tom Dolan writes in The Jeffersonian: "Georgia will not forget [the march], nor will her Southern sisters be unmindful of the anguish of that relentless pillage." Two incidents—both at a Democratic National Convention—exemplify Georgia's contempt for the song. In the 1908 convention, Georgia was one of the few states not to send its delegates to the eventual victor William Jennings Bryan; the band insultingly played "Marching Through Georgia" to express the convention's disapproval. A similar incident sparked in 1924. When tasked to play a fitting song for the Georgia delegation, the convention's band broke into Work's piece; music historian John Tasker Howard remarks: "[...] when the misguided leader, stronger on geography than history, swung into Marching Through Georgia, he was greeted by a silence that turned into hisses and boos noisier than the applause he had heard before."

Military/Nationalist uses

"Marching Through Georgia" is a staple of marching bands. While quintessentially American, it has been performed by armed forces across the world. Japanese troops sang it as they entered Port Arthur at the Russo–Japanese War's onset; it had previously been used by the local Salvation Army in the late 1880s. In World War Two British troops stationed in India periodically chanted it.

The song's melody has been adapted into numerous regional military and nationalist anthems. Shortly after the Advance on Pretoria of the Second Boer War, British soldiers commemorated their victory with "Marching on Pretoria". Finnish civilians distraught at the conduct of the frigate Toivo's captain adopted it into a protest song, "Laiva Toivo, Oulu". Charlie Oaks set the tune to "Marching Through Flanders", detailing the American intervention in Belgium during World War One. The Princeton football fight song "Nassau! Nassau!" also borrowed the melody of Work's composition. Its most notable adaptation is the controversial pro-Ulster hymn "Billy Boys", with the chorus:

Hello, hello, we are the Billy boys,
Hello, hello, you'll know us by our noise,
We're up to our knees in Fenian blood,
Surrender or you'll die,
For we are the Brigton Derry boys.

Political uses

Both major candidates in the 1896 U.S. presidential election, William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan, featured songs sung to the tune of "Marching Through Georgia" in their campaign. The piece is of Liberal significance in the United Kingdom, lending the melody of future prime minister David Lloyd George's song, "George and Gladstone", for his first parliamentary campaign, as well as the Liberal Democrats' de facto anthem, "The Land". It is a Georgist protest song calling for the equal distribution of land among the British public; the chorus goes:

The land! the land! 'twas God who gave the land!
The land! the land! the ground on which we stand,
Why should we be beggars, with the ballot in our hand?
"God gave the land to the people!"

It additionally forms the basis of "Paint 'Er Red", a commonplace unionist tune of the Industrial Workers of the World.

Other uses

Several films have employed Work's piece. A carpetbagger, in the epic Gone with the Wind (1939), chants its chorus while trying to steal Tara from Scarlett O'Hara. The western Shane (1953) features Wilson briefly performing the song on a harmonica, and in the western El Dorado (1966), Bull proclaims in response to being shot and asked to provide cover: "Well, just give me another gun and I'll play 'Marching Through Georgia'." The alternate history novels Marching Through Georgia (1988) and Bring the Jubilee reference the lyrics in their titles.

Bibliography

Books

• Carder, P. H. (2008). George F. Root, Civil War Songwriter: A Biography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3374-2.
• Creiger, Wayne (1976). Bounder from Wales:. Columbia, Missouri; London, England: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0-8262-0203-9.
• Eicher, David J. (2001). The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York City, New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84944-5.
• Erbsen, Wayne (2000). Rousing Songs and True Tales of the Civil War. Pacific, Missouri: Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 978-1-883206-33-8.
• Ewen, David (1962). Popular American Composers from Revolutionary Times to the Present: A Biographical and Critical Guide. New York City, New York: H. W. Wilson Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0824200404.
• Foner, Philip S. (1975). American Labor Songs of the Nineteenth Century. Chicago, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-00187-7.
• Green, Archie; Roediger, David; Rosemont, Franklin; Salerno, Salvatore, eds. (2016). Big Red Songbook. Chicago, Illinois: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-62963-129-5.
• Hattaway, Herman; Jones, Arthur (1991). How the North Won: A Military History of the Civil War (2 ed.). Chicago, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06210-8.
• Howard, John T. (1946). Our American Music: Three Hundred Years of It (3rd ed.). New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
• Kaukiainen, Yrjö (1998). Laiva Toivo, Oulu (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. ISBN 951-746-026-0.
• Kelley, Bruce C.; Snell, Mark A. (2004). Bugle Resounding: Music and Musicians of the Civil War Era. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0-8262-1538-6.
• Kimura, Seiya (1987). Soeda Azenbō, Tomomichi: Enka nidai fūkyōden (Shirīzu minkan Nihon gakusha) (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Riburo Pōto. ISBN 978-4845702718.
• McWhirter, Christian (2012). Battle Hymns: The Power and Popularity of Music in the Civil War. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-3550-0.
• Moore, Ward (2009). Bring the Jubilee. Wildside Press. ISBN 978-1434478535.
• Root, George F. (1891). The Story of a Musical Life: An Autobiography by Geo F. Root. Cincinnati, Ohio: The John Church Co. ISBN 978-1-4047-8329-4.
• Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John, eds. (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 27 (2 ed.). New York City, New York: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 1-56159-239-0.
• Sherman, William T. (1875). Memoirs of General William T. Sherman. Vol. 2. New York City, New York: D. Appleton and Company.
• Silber, Irwin (1995). Songs of the Civil War. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-28438-7.
• Simms, James M. (1888). The First Colored Baptist Church in Northern America. Philadelpha, Pennsylvania: J. B. Lippincott Company.
• Spaeth, Sigmund (1948). A History of Popular Music in America. New York: Random House.
• Stirling, Stephen M. (1988). Marching Through Georgia. Baen Books. ISBN 978-0671654078.
• Work, Henry C. (1884). Work, Bertram G. (ed.). Songs of Henry Clay Work. New York City, New York: Little & Ives.

Studies and journals

• Birdseye, George (1879). "America's Song Composers: IV. Henry Clay Work". Potter's American Monthly. 12 (88): 284–288 – via Internet Archive.
• Drago, Edmund L. (1973). "How Sherman's March Through Georgia Affected the Slaves". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 57 (3): 361–375. JSTOR 40579903 – via JSTOR.
• Epstein, Dena J. (1944). "Music Publishing in Chicago before 1871: The Firm of Root & Cady, 1858-1871". Notes. 1 (4): 43–59. doi:10.2307/891291. JSTOR 891291 – via JSTOR.
• Harpine, William D. (2004). "'We Want Yer, McKinley': Epideictic Rhetoric in Songs from the 1896 Presidential Campaign". Rhetoric Society Quarterly. 34 (1): 73–88. JSTOR 40232421 – via JSTOR.
• Hill, Richard S. (1953). "The Mysterious Chord of Henry Clay Work". Notes. 10 (2): 211–225. JSTOR 892874 – via JSTOR.
• Osborn, George C. (1950). "The Atlanta Campaign, 1864". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 34 (4): 361–375. JSTOR 40577246 – via JSTOR.
• Rhodes, James Ford (1901). "Sherman's March to the Sea". The American Historical Review. 6 (3): 466–474. JSTOR 1833511 – via JSTOR.
• Sellers, James L. (1927). "The Economic Incidence of the Civil War in the South". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 14 (2): 179–191. JSTOR 1895946 – via JSTOR.
• Steinle, John (2008). "'Shall the People Rule?': Denver Hosts the Democrats, 1908". Colorado Heritage Magazine. 28 (3) – via Colorado Encyclopedia.
• Tribble, Edwin (1967). "'Marching Through Georgia'". The Georgia Review. 21 (4): 423–429. JSTOR 41396391 – via JSTOR.

News articles

• Dolan, Tom (July 16, 1908). "News and Views of Things: 'Marching Through Georgia!'". The Jeffersonian. p. 13. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Ivey, David. "War is Marching Our Way: The General Hated His Theme Song". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Lowden, Carl S. (August 7, 1920). "Stories of Old Home Songs: Marching Through Georgia". Dearborn Independent. p. 9. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• McCray, Florine Thayer (January 19, 1898). "About Henry Clay Work". New Haven Morning Journal and Courier. p. 10. Retrieved June 29, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Watson, J. D. (October 29, 1908). "Editorial Notes". The Jeffersonian. p. 12. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• "Famous Songs and their History: No. 5—Marching Through Georgia—By Henry C. Work". Salt Lake Herald Republican. August 15, 1909. p. 21. Retrieved June 30, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• "Irish FA bans 'Billy Boys' song for Linfield fans". BBC Sport. April 16, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• "The bitter divide". BBC News. June 2, 1999. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Websites

• Bailey, Anne J. (2020). "Sherman's March to the Sea". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Davis, Stephen (2018). "Atlanta Campaign". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 7, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• IMDB (1953). "Shane". IMDB. Retrieved September 7, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Quotes by Stonewall Torrey.
• IMDB (1966). "El Dorado". IMDB. Retrieved September 7, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Quotes by Bull Harris.
• Myers, Barton (2020). "Sherman's Field Order No. 15". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Ross, Kelley L. (2004). ""Marching Through Georgia"". I am a Union Man. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014.
• Tome, Vanessa P. (2021). "'Marching through Georgia'". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• Whitehead, Andrew (May 1, 2011). "God Gave the Land to the People: the Liberal 'Land Song'". History Workshop. Retrieved September 6, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Songs

• Colquhoun, Ian (1903). Marching on Pretoria (Record). Zonophone – via flatinternational.
• Oaks, Charlie (1925). The Kaiser And Uncle Sam / Marching Through Flanders (Record). Vocalion – via Discogs.

External links

General

• Commentary on "Marching Through Georgia" by Kelley L. Ross.
• Sheet music of "Marching Through Georgia" by Sheet Music Singer.
• Additional information on Sherman's March to the Sea on the American Battlefield Trust.

Recordings

• Recording by Tennessee Ernie Ford on his 1961 album Songs of the Civil War.
• Recording by the 97th Regimental String Band on their 1990 album Battlefields and Campfires: Civil War Era Songs, Vol. I.
• Recording by Jon English on his 2002 album Over There: Songs From America's Wars.
• Instrumental by the U.S. Marine Band on their 2011 album The Heritage of John Philip Sousa: Volume 7'.'
• Medley with "Sherman Will March to the Sea" by the Lansdowne Orchestra on their 1960 album The Blue and the Grey.