In episode two, Kris looks at the musical legacy of the Civil War over the past century and its impact on American music today. He discovers how the war inspired 20th and 21st century songwriters and artists including Elvis Presley, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Band.

How the US Civil War Influenced Music | HISTORY History Howe’s version, called “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” became the version of the song we know best today, with its eloquent anti-slavery message, including the exhortation “Let us die to make men free.” As Andrew Limbong writes for NPR, later generations of very different Americans would use the Civil War-era anthem for their own purposes: The conservative activist Anita Bryant played it at anti-gay rallies, while Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted Howe’s words ("Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord") in his famous “I”ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, delivered the day before he was killed in 1968. HISTORY https://www.history.com/news/civil-war-music-influence

As more than three million men and boys from the North and the South marched to war in the 1860s, so did America’s music. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army, reportedly said, “I don’t believe we can have an army without music.” From marching music to camp songs, from concerts to “Taps,” music moved the armies through daily activities, rallied morale, incited conflict, and defused tensions. Black soldiers brought with them to the war their unique musical traditions, including spirituals, shout songs, and dance music. Through songs and letters, explore the stories and people who lived through the American Civil War, including the relationship President Abraham Lincoln had with the music of his time.

In episode two, Kris looks at the musical legacy of the Civil War over the past century and its impact on American music today. He discovers how the war inspired 20th and 21st century songwriters and artists including Elvis Presley, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Band.

How the US Civil War Influenced Music | HISTORY History Howe’s version, called “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” became the version of the song we know best today, with its eloquent anti-slavery message, including the exhortation “Let us die to make men free.” As Andrew Limbong writes for NPR, later generations of very different Americans would use the Civil War-era anthem for their own purposes: The conservative activist Anita Bryant played it at anti-gay rallies, while Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted Howe’s words ("Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord") in his famous “I”ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, delivered the day before he was killed in 1968. HISTORY https://www.history.com/news/civil-war-music-influence

As more than three million men and boys from the North and the South marched to war in the 1860s, so did America’s music. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army, reportedly said, “I don’t believe we can have an army without music.” From marching music to camp songs, from concerts to “Taps,” music moved the armies through daily activities, rallied morale, incited conflict, and defused tensions. Black soldiers brought with them to the war their unique musical traditions, including spirituals, shout songs, and dance music. Through songs and letters, explore the stories and people who lived through the American Civil War, including the relationship President Abraham Lincoln had with the music of his time.