Soldiers brought fiddles, guitars, and banjos to pass the time. The United States made it a mandatory regulation that ever regiment of infantry and artillery must have a brass band with twentyfour members and cavalry must have sixteen members. Camp was thought as a safe place, rarely were there attacks on a camp, Dealton Cooper of the 10th New York Artillery recalled “I was pleased last night just at dark to hear a Rebel Band playing a few tunes such as Dixy and Hail Columbia and our men gave them three cheers” (Davis). Therefore, around camp soldiers from both sides were able to enjoy the time they had away from fighting by listening to the wonderful sounds of music. Music duels were very common among opposing camps. The Battle of Stones River was “miserable for the soldiers in the line on both sides;” however, one of the “Union’s regimental bands struck up “Yankee Doodle” and then “Hail Columbia.” As the music drifted across the field, one of the confederate bands answered by playing “Dixie,” Then a Federal band started to play “Home, Sweet Home” within minutes, a Southern band joined in, and the bands played together in what was a unique expression of mutual longing for home and family” (New Year's). Some soldiers that enlisted in the Union army applied because the “Boston Transcript publicly announced that a famous band would be attached to some particular regiment” (The Civil War Bands). Even before the war, music was used for
Soldiers brought fiddles, guitars, and banjos to pass the time. The United States made it a mandatory regulation that ever regiment of infantry and artillery must have a brass band with twentyfour members and cavalry must have sixteen members. Camp was thought as a safe place, rarely were there attacks on a camp, Dealton Cooper of the 10th New York Artillery recalled “I was pleased last night just at dark to hear a Rebel Band playing a few tunes such as Dixy and Hail Columbia and our men gave them three cheers” (Davis). Therefore, around camp soldiers from both sides were able to enjoy the time they had away from fighting by listening to the wonderful sounds of music. Music duels were very common among opposing camps. The Battle of Stones River was “miserable for the soldiers in the line on both sides;” however, one of the “Union’s regimental bands struck up “Yankee Doodle” and then “Hail Columbia.” As the music drifted across the field, one of the confederate bands answered by playing “Dixie,” Then a Federal band started to play “Home, Sweet Home” within minutes, a Southern band joined in, and the bands played together in what was a unique expression of mutual longing for home and family” (New Year's). Some soldiers that enlisted in the Union army applied because the “Boston Transcript publicly announced that a famous band would be attached to some particular regiment” (The Civil War Bands). Even before the war, music was used for