Description Music was everywhere during the Civil War.
The result is a portrait of a war fought to music..
By gauging the popularity of the most prominent songs and examining how Americans used them, Mc Whirter returns music to its central place in American life during the nation\'s greatest crisis.
Though published songs of the time have long been catalogued and appreciated, Mc Whirter is the first to explore what Americans actually said and did with these pieces.
Drawing on an array of published and archival sources, Christian Mc Whirter analyzes the myriad ways music influenced popular culture in the years surrounding the war and discusses its deep resonance for both whites and blacks, South and North.
With literacy still limited, music was an important vehicle for communicating ideas about the war, and it had a lasting impact in the decades that followed.
Tunes could be heard ringing out from parlor pianos, thundering at political rallies, and setting the rhythms of military and domestic life.
Description Music was everywhere during the Civil War
