Theme Teams: Culture in The Civil War

Mathew Brady Photography

Culture during the Civil War was directly shaped by the war effort meaning the numerous battles, the horrific affects inflicted onto the South, and the ways soldiers lived while fighting the Confederate enemy. Seeing as most of the soldiers on both sides were always facing consistent hardship and deprivation, music was a way of distracting themselves away from the war. Most of the soldiers would sing and play musical instruments creating the patriotic marches and the sad ballads which became a legacy of the war. Before 1862 volunteers usually consisted of a regimental band but when those bands slowly

Yankee Doodle Dandy Performance

became too unwieldy they were ultimately dismissed. But sometimes few bands survived or were replaced by brigade bands who would serve to a larger number of soldiers. Whether music was played by these bands or sung by soldiers themselves typically accompanied by banjo, fiddle, and harmonica, popular songs ranged from the patriotic melodies meant to rally the troops or to the ballads which expressed their yearnings for home. Among the Union troops favored old favorites like "Yankee Doodle Dandy" or "The Star-Spangled Banner" whilst the Confederate troops liked "Dixie," "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again," or "The Yellow Rose of Texas." In

Harper's Weekly

addition to the military music, southern slaves singing spirituals dedicated towards emancipation would eventually enter America's music culture as well. Newspapers like Harper's Weekly also affected the culture during the Civil War, newspapers were widely distributed than ever before which helped shape the public's wartime experience

Mathew Brady Photography

to a higher extent than any previous conflict. Reporters would often travel with the armies gaining first hand coverage which was sent back through dispatches while soldiers would write letters to their local newspapers back home. Noting that these newspapers circulated all over the country, the newspapers also began to incorporate political cartoons into the articles which talked about controversial leaders, the celebration of victories, and cementing the blame for defeats. These cartoons ended up becoming a integral part of how many Americans processed the events of the war. Also the Civil War was the first major conflict which was extensively photographed in history, allowing the horrific imagery to be brought home to urban centers of the North. Photographers would also travel to military camps much like news reporters and onto the battle field to catch glimpses of wartime life and death.One of the most well-noted photographers was named Mathew Brady who built a successful career before the war decided to make a full record of the war. He hired and supervised several other photographers who took pictures for him but refused to give them individual credit on the photos they took. He did get behind the camera notably at the Battle of Bull Run, Gettysburg, and Antietam. And in 1862 when his photos were displayed, it gave many urban northerners the scoop on the war's true carnage. But photos by Brady and other photographers were widely distributed and reproduced, bringing that terrible reality home for viewers in America and across the globe. Culture specifically photography, newspapers, and music were all affected by the Civil War making this era the first public wartime experience for everyone across the country and across the globe.