The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War. It was the final engagement of Confederate Army general Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The signing of the surrender documents occurred on the afternoon of April 9.
This got me thinking if any string band performed a civil war theme in the past. The only civil war theme I could find was Greater Overbrook String Band’s 1996 theme, “Civil Un-Rest”. I found some dixieland themes that include the confederate flag and confederate soldiers, like Polish American’s 1990 theme “Are You From Dixie?“, however I couldn’t find any American/Patriotic themes that included Union soldiers.
Update: It was pointed out to me on Facebook that Ferko String Band’s theme in 1961 was “The Blue and the Grey”. Below is the audio from Ferko’s 1961 theme.
In 1961 Ferko presented The Blue and the Grey, a civil war themed performance. It included a “battle” between the Union and Confederate armies which, combined with the music, resulted in the most memorable mummers performance – by far in my 80 + years. I have tried, unsuccessfully to find a filmed recording or the music. Do you have any thoughts as to where it can be found?