Music of the Civil War
Compact Disc Album Recorded in 1991
CD and downloadable versions available from Summit Records.
Individual tracks available on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
Track List
- When The Cruel War Is Over & Hoist Up the Flag Quick Step — Charles Carroll Sawyer and Henry Tucker/Billy Holmes, Brodhead Cornet Band 1863
- Americus Quick Step — William L. Hobbs, J. H. Ross & Co. Washington DC. 1872
- Fireman’s Polka — Hosea Ripley Music Collection
- Tenting On The Old Camp Ground — Walter Kittredge, Oliver Ditson & Co. Boston – 1864, arr. Leigh Schwartz
- Dixie’s Land Medley Quick Step — Daniel Emmett, New Hampshire 4th Regimental Band 1864, arr. David L. Downing
- Battle Cry Of Freedom & Kingdom Coming Quick Step — George Root and Henry Work, Brodhead Cornet Band 1864
- William Tell Overture (excerpt) — Gioacchino Rossini, 1829, arr. Paul Maybery
- Sumter Light Guard March — William F. Erdman, Marsh Publishing Co. Philadelphia PA 1860, arr. Leigh Schwartz
- Bonnie Eloise Quick Step — George W. Elliott & John Rogers Thomas, 26th North Carolina Regimental Band 1863
- Amazing Grace — John Newton, Southern Harmony 1835, arr. Leigh Schwartz
- Glory Hallelujah Grand March — Traditional Hymn, arr. Frances Scala, Scala Books of the U.S. Marine Band, ed. Robert Garofullo 1861
- Scenes That Are Brightest & In Happy Moments Quick Step — W.Vincent Wallace, Squires Cornet Band 1871
- Kazoodie Ko Whirl Overture — David L. Downing, Manchester Cornet Band 1852
- Woodman, Spare That Tree — Henry Russell, Stratton Military Band Journal No. 526, 1870
- Fireman’s Quick Step — Edwin Oscar Kimberley (?), Brodhead Cornet Band 1864
- When Johnny Comes Marching Home — Patrick Gilmore, Henry Tolman & Co. Boston 1863
- Civil War Folk Song Medley
- Oh, Suzanna — Stephen Foster, arr. David Scott
- Garry Owen — Irish Folk Song, arr. Paul Chauvin
- Jordan Am a Hard Road — Daniel T. Emmett, arr. Leigh Schwartz
- Bonnie Blue Flag — Irish Folk Song
- The Girl I Left Behind Me — Irish Folk Song, arr. Paul Chauvin
- Coronation March from Le Prophet — Giacomo Meyerbeer, Squire’s Cornet Band – 1871
Personnel
Director – Richard Birkemeier
Eb cornets – Kurt Curtis and David Scott
Bb cornets – David Wailes and Tim Catlin
Eb alto horns – Mitch Mocilnikar and Mike Steffens
Bb tenor horn – Brad Harris and Don Jackson
Bb baritone horn – Loren Marsteller
Bb baritone horn and Bb bass horn – Phil Keen
Eb bass horn – Leigh Schwartz
Percussion – Ken Peters, John Becker, and John Hannan
Liner Notes
The American Civil War represents the single greatest upheaval in the history of the United States. Patriot battled patriot, as the north and south fought each other in four long years of carnage that comprised the most important watershed event in the development of our nation. Though the fighting ceased over 160 years ago, much of the music of that war remains with us today, music that still produces feelings of humor, joy, sadness, and patriotic pride.
This album is an authentic recreation of the regimental brass band music of the Civil War, music popular with civilians and troops on both sides of the conflict. The recording is historically accurate, right down to the high military pitch and the clicking of the rotary valves on the original antique instruments employed. The listener needs little imagination to be ushered back into our history to that earlier time: a time when “Home Sweet Home,” “Listen to the Mockingbird,” and “Amazing Grace” were among the favorite tunes of the day; a time when brass bands were the most popular form of musical entertainment; and a time when patriots, northern and southern, marched off to war with the music of these same bands ringing in their ears.
The original Americus Brass Band was founded in 1860 in Americus, Georgia by “Professor” Louis Zitterbart, a conservatory trained musician from Bohemia hired by the town. At the beginning of the war, the band played for Company K, the “Sumter Light Guards” of Americus, a local outfit that formed the core of the celebrated 4th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Within weeks of the start of the war, the musicians from Americus enlisted in Company K forming the nucleus of the 4th Georgia’s regimental band. The men of the Americus Brass Band spent their first year of service at Camp Jackson in Virginia where they regularly played marches and quick steps to accompany the drill of the troops. The “Sumter Light Guard March” was, no doubt, particularly popular. The band developed a reputation for its superior sound and technical display and was frequently called upon to perform concerts and balls for the local citizens as well. Concerts certainly included such favorites as the “William Tell Overture,” the “Fireman’s Polka,” and beloved ballads such as “Woodman, Spare That Tree” and “Amazing Grace.” The balls always included Virginia Reels, danced to popular folk songs such as “Bonnie Blue Flag,” “Garry Owen,” and of course, “Dixie’s Land.”
The 4th Georgia first saw action at the Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond in May, 1862. The regiment and its band eventually joined Dole’s Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee and fought at all the major battles in the east including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. This illustrious band marched all the way to Appomattox, one of only a handful Confederate bands to remain intact throughout the entire war, but only six of the original twelve bandsmen were left at the final surrender.
No evidence exists today revealing the actual repertoire of the historical Americus Brass Band*, but the music recorded on this album is typical of what they might have played. To achieve that level of authenticity, these recordings were performed from copies of original Civil War band books including the Squires, Stratton, and Brodhead band books, as well as those of the 4th New Hampshire, the 25th Massachusetts, and the 26th North Carolina regimental bands.
The modern arrangements have also been carefully crafted to maintain the style of the period as well. The goal of today’s Americus Brass Band is to create an authentic musical experience that, as closely as possible, recreates the sound of an actual Civil War brass band. We hope you will agree.
*The ABB has recently discovered that W. L. Hobbs’ “Americus Quick Step,” included in this repertoire, was probably not composed for the original Americus Brass Band as we thought. We have added a detailed description of the origins of this wonderful march in the “Reading Room” link on the ABB website that tells “the rest of the story.”
Credits
Produced by the Americus Brass Band
Recorded by Sonny Ausman
Edited by Dave Collins and Sonny Ausman
Mastered by Dave Collins, A & M Studios, Hollywood, CA
Cover Photo by Don Petelle
Stock / Stock
Group Photo by Norm Harris Photography
Musical supervision by Jeff Reynolds
Liner notes by Richard Birkemeier
Graphics & Typography by
Ralph Sauer
Special thanks to Robert Wiebe, founder of the modern Americus Brass Band and to Dr. Graydon Beeks of Pomona College.
Many of the instruments and much of the music used for this recording were secured by Mark Elrod.
Recorded March, 1991 at Little Bridges Auditorium, Pomona College of Claremont, California.
DCD 126 Summit Record
Manufactured in the USA
Summit Records
Box 26850, Tempe, AZ 85282
The Americus Brass Band is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Donations are tax deductible as permitted by law.
© 2026 Americus Brass Band