Civil War Songs and the Irish

Part 1

 

“These Days will be remembered by America’s loyal sons,

If it hadn’t been for Irishmen, what would your Union done?

Hand to hand we fought them, out in the blazing sun

Stripped to the pants we did advance, at the Battle of Bull Run”

Prior to the first shots of the Civil War, the Irish in America were a favorite butt of many a joke that poked fun at them as an inferior race.   “Paddy” and “Mick” were pictured in song as lazy, stupid, drunken idiots from many stage performers and examples of this abound in the sheet music of the 1850’s - the era of "No Irish Need Apply".       

The above song, a folk verse from the 1860’s,  shows that the tide was turning in the culture.  This music of the Civil War featuring  the Irish Brigade and the Fighting 69th would play a big part in  making these stereotypes diminish and eventually disappear.

Dr. Catherine Bateson has done extensive studies on the music of the Civil War that featured the Irish.   Her graduate thesis focused on the  sentiments of Irish American Civil War songs and music. She studied the way in which Irish singing culture influenced American musical culture in the mid-nineteenth century and how song was used to express the wartime experiences of the Irish diaspora in America.

It was interesting to learn from her work that there were over 100 songs written during the war that featured the Irish Brigade, the 69th, or its famous Generals Michael Corcoran and Thomas Meagher.    

Dr. Bateson also speculated that this music from the Civil War is how Irish Music became “Americanized” much in the same way that the war experience of the Irish was critical to their assimilation into American Society   Take the “Gallant Sons of Erin” - one of the first of the era to show the Irish as brave:

“You, Soldiers brave, pray pay attention: gentle folks, grand condescention,

While in this song I will make mention of the sons of Erin;

Whose brave behavior do excel what pen can write or tongue can tell

The Sixty-Ninth, you know well, are gallant sons of Erin.

"Gallant Sons of Erin" goes on to give a fairly accurate account of the history of the 69th and features its famous leader Michael Corcoran.  This is one of many in this canon of music written during the war – others of note include “Pat Murphy of the Irish Brigade”,  “Corcoran’s Ball”,  “The Irish Volunteer”,  “The Boys of the Irish Brigade” , “The War Song of the 69th” (Sheet cover shown above),  and the “Battle of Bull Run”.   

Music was the CNN of the day in the 1800’s as the stages of all the major cities featured many types of performances.    Minstrels were in their heyday, but many singers and groups like the Hutchinson Family also attracted large audiences to the music halls.     They sang topical songs of the day that told stories of the war and those fighting it.     Music of the war was quite popular.   

The power of song also made these messages memorable and helped to form the opinions of the listeners.   Plus, the wide distribution of sheet music put these songs into the homes of thousands of Northern families where  nightly entertainments featuring song were common.   

These songs portrayed  the Irish as brave soldiers -  loyal to the Union cause and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the Union.    They certainly had the  effect of changing the  perception and acceptance of the Irish by the American people.

Perhaps the best example of the attitude towards the Irish coming full circle was a song performed by a popular singer of the day - Joe English (a pause for irony).   He wrote the song “Paddy and the No-Nothings” that featured this verse:

“The President called on the land for an Army,

And straightway to arms each patriot flew

And they found that the men that they had scorned and slighted

The Irish Brigade to the Union was true”