The music and songs of the Civil War produce a stirring and fiery image of the efforts on both sides of the conflict. These songs  vary in their representation of womanhood and the female figure, often dependent on the author's aim and the song's use as propaganda or inspiration. Popular songs, like “What Is A Home Without A Mother” were often adopted for the war effort after publication given their association to the loss and regret of war. The Civil War was also the first opportunity for Americans to produce and publish songs particular to their nation’s consciousness and would later be noted for the emergence of the African-American contribution to music overall. The use of minstrel performance, folk song and Negro spiritual would combine with early suffrage to redefine citizenship and womanhood in America, establishing a postwar movement for individual rights.
It is also during this period that songs dictated the national mood and addressed the conflict in great numbers, with over 10,000 compositions created by numerous artists from every state and socioeconomic level. Women were prominent composers, evoking the spirit of home, heart and the men (and women) serving in the armed forces. No other war compositions in U.S. History capture the hatred, fear, loss and strength of the American citizen like those of the Civil War period. Join us on a journey through the minds and thoughts of our Civil War neighbors, particularly those women who fought and held ground for their families as battle broke out all around them.