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Quiz about Songs of the American Civil War
Quiz about Songs of the American Civil War

Songs of the American Civil War Quiz


This quiz is about songs that were popular during the American Civil War, or connected to that conflict in some way. I hope you'll find it interesting and informative.

A multiple-choice quiz by daver852. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
daver852
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
371,315
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
647
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: Howardman49 (8/10), amarie94903 (9/10), Minister (4/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. This song is unusual for a Civil War tune, in that it was written by a woman. Based on an earlier work called "John Brown's Body," for what stirring song is Julia Ward Howe best remembered? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "Dixie" is often called "the unofficial national anthem of the Confederacy." Who wrote it? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. "Bring the good old bugle, boys, we'll sing another song / Sing it with a spirit that will start the world along." What song by Henry Clay Work, inspired by Sherman's march to the sea, begins with these words? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Said to be second only to "Dixie" in popularity in the Confederacy during the Civil War was this song, which can still be heard today. What is the state song of Maryland? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The popular Civil War song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is actually a reworking of an old Irish folk song called "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye."


Question 6 of 10
6. A popular Confederate tune, that is featured in virtually every Civil War movie I've ever seen, helped to name Rhett Butler's daughter. An alternate title for it is "We Are a Band of Brothers," but what is it usually known as? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Some songs were popular with both sides in the conflict. One was a sentimental love song that speaks of a "maid with golden hair." The tune was later used for Elvis Presley's hit song, "Love Me Tender." Can you name it? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What may have been the most popular song amongst Union troops is seldom heard today. The chorus begins: "The Union forever / Hurrah, boys, hurrah! / Down with the traitors / Up with the Stars." Historian James McPherson won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for a book with the same title as the song. What was it? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Another Confederate song was "Goober Peas." What, exactly, are goober peas? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The people of the United States are still profoundly affected by the Civil War, even though it ended 150 years ago. What song, first recorded by The Band, and later a hit for Joan Baez, has the Civil War as its subject? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This song is unusual for a Civil War tune, in that it was written by a woman. Based on an earlier work called "John Brown's Body," for what stirring song is Julia Ward Howe best remembered?

Answer: The Battle Hymn of the Republic

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord / He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored."

After John Brown led an abortive raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859, he became a hero to many northern abolitionists. Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859, and a song about him, "John Brown's Body," became popular during the early days of the Civil War. Julia Ward Howe heard soldiers singing this song during a visit to Washington, D.C., and rewrote the lyrics (she also slightly changed the melody). "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was published in "The Atlantic Monthly" in February, 1862 and immediately became one of the most popular Union songs of the war. It remains popular today.
2. "Dixie" is often called "the unofficial national anthem of the Confederacy." Who wrote it?

Answer: Daniel Decatur Emmett

"Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton / Old times there are not forgotten / Look way, look away, look away, Dixie Land!"

Although others have claimed authorship, it is generally agreed that the famous song, "Dixie," was written by Daniel Decatur Emmett around 1859. He sold the rights to the song for a mere $300 in 1861. Emmett was a well-known writer of songs for minstrel shows, a popular form of entertainment during his day.

Both sides in the Civil war wrote new lyrics to the song to reflect their patriotic leanings; perhaps the most famous of these changed the words "look away" to "To arms! To arms! To arms in Dixie!" It is said that upon learning of Robert E. Lee's surrender, Abraham Lincoln asked the White House band to play "Dixie."
3. "Bring the good old bugle, boys, we'll sing another song / Sing it with a spirit that will start the world along." What song by Henry Clay Work, inspired by Sherman's march to the sea, begins with these words?

Answer: Marching Through Georgia

"Hurrah! Hurrah! We bring the Jubilee / Hurrah! Hurrah! The flag that sets you free / So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea / While we were marching through Georgia."

"Marching Through Georgia" became one of the most popular songs in the North towards the end of the Civil War. The song is still unpopular in the South, particularly in Georgia. President Jimmy Carter earned several demerits at the U.S. Naval Academy by refusing to sing the song, even though ordered to do so by upperclassmen. Work also wrote "My Grandfather's Clock," and "The Ship That Never Returned." The latter was recycled as "Charlie on the MTA" by the Kingston Trio.
4. Said to be second only to "Dixie" in popularity in the Confederacy during the Civil War was this song, which can still be heard today. What is the state song of Maryland?

Answer: Maryland, My Maryland

"The despot's heel is on thy shore, Maryland! My Maryland! / His torch is at thy temple door, Maryland, My Maryland!"

Maryland would almost certainly have seceded from the Union if Abraham Lincoln had not ordered Federal troops to occupy the state. On April 16, 1861 members of the 6th Massachusetts Volunteers fired upon a crowd of people protesting their occupation of the state. Twelve innocent civilians were killed. James Ryder Randall, a native Marylander living in Louisiana when the massacre took place, wrote a poem about the incident. It was set to the tune of "O Tannenbaum," a German Christmas carol, by the Cary sisters of Baltimore. In addition to "despot," the song refers to Abraham Lincoln as a "tyrant" and "Vandal," and calls the occupying troops "Northern scum." "Maryland, My Maryland" was adopted by Maryland as its state song on April 29, 1939. When the song is sung annually at the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, the second (and noncontroversial verse) is usually chosen.
5. The popular Civil War song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is actually a reworking of an old Irish folk song called "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye."

Answer: False

"The men will cheer and the boys will shout / The ladies they will all turn out / And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home."

"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" was written by Irish-American composer Patrick Gilmore in 1863. It is set to the tune of a popular drinking song called "Johnny Fill Up the Bowl." "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye," is not really a folk song at all. It was written by Joseph Bryan Geoghegan in 1867 - four years after "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." The two songs are often sung to the same tune.
6. A popular Confederate tune, that is featured in virtually every Civil War movie I've ever seen, helped to name Rhett Butler's daughter. An alternate title for it is "We Are a Band of Brothers," but what is it usually known as?

Answer: The Bonnie Blue Flag

"We are a band of brothers, native to the soil / We fight for our liberty with treasure, blood and toil / And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far / Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!"

The lyrics to this lively song were written by Harry McCarthy in early 1861, and were set to the tune of "The Irish Jaunting Car." The "Bonnie Blue Flag" refers to an early Confederate flag that consisted of a single white star on a blue background. The flag soon fell out of use, but the song endured throughout the war. The second line was originally, "Fighting for the property we gained by honest toil." Like nearly all Civil War era songs, there some variations in the lyrics. In both the novel and the movie of "Gone With the Wind," Rhett and Scarlett name their daughter Bonnie Blue.
7. Some songs were popular with both sides in the conflict. One was a sentimental love song that speaks of a "maid with golden hair." The tune was later used for Elvis Presley's hit song, "Love Me Tender." Can you name it?

Answer: Aura Lea

"Aura Lea, Aura Lea, Maid with golden hair; / Sunshine came along with thee, And swallows in the air."

"Aura Lea" (sometimes spelled "Aura Lee") was written by W. W. Fosdick and George R. Poulton just before the Civil War began. It was a popular tune with both Union and Confederate troops. Some 95 years later, composer Ken Darby rewrote the lyrics for the Elvis Presley movie, "Love Me Tender." Elvis first performed the new version of the song on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on September 9, 1956.
8. What may have been the most popular song amongst Union troops is seldom heard today. The chorus begins: "The Union forever / Hurrah, boys, hurrah! / Down with the traitors / Up with the Stars." Historian James McPherson won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for a book with the same title as the song. What was it?

Answer: The Battle Cry of Freedom

"Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
 / Shouting the battle cry of freedom, / 
We will rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain, / 
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!"

"The Battle Cry of Freedom" was written by the prolific composer George F. Root for a war rally in Chicago in 1862. It was an immediate hit, and it is estimated that as many as 750,000 copies of the sheet music to the song were sold during the Civil War. The song was prominently featured in Ken Burns' documentary, "The Civil War." Confederate troops quickly came up with their own version of the song,
9. Another Confederate song was "Goober Peas." What, exactly, are goober peas?

Answer: Peanuts

"Sitting by the roadside on a summer's day, chatting with my messmates, passing time away, / Lying in the shadow underneath the trees, goodness how delicious, eating goober peas!"

Goober peas are peanuts, specifically boiled peanuts, Near the end of the Civil War Confederate troops were often on short rations, and goober peas became a staple of their diet. "Goober Peas" is one of the few popular Civil War songs whose author is unknown. When it was first published in 1866, after the war was over, the writer was credited as "P. Nutt, Esq."
10. The people of the United States are still profoundly affected by the Civil War, even though it ended 150 years ago. What song, first recorded by The Band, and later a hit for Joan Baez, has the Civil War as its subject?

Answer: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

"Virgil Kane is the name / And I served on the Danville train, / 'Till Stoneman's cavalry came / And tore up the tracks again."

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," was actually written by Canadian songwriter Robbie Robertson of The Band. It was released as the B-side of their single "Up On Cripple Creek" in 1969. In 1971, it was recorded by Joan Baez, who changed some of the lyrics. Baez's version of the song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, and was also a hit in the United Kingdom. It has since been covered by many other artists. "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked it number 245 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
Source: Author daver852

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