Advertisement
Entertainment & Arts

Remembering the Civil War: Songs, films and books

Julia Ward Howe's lyrics to the original tune of "John Brown's Body" were written, published and popularized during the first year of the Civil War. The verses came to Howe in the middle of the night, and she quickly scrawled them down in the darkness. Today, "Battle Hymn" is one of the most recognized American patriotic songs and a lesson to all writers and journalists that dragging oneself out of bed to write down an idea is usually a wise decision.

Julia Ward Howe’s lyrics to the original tune of “John Brown’s Body” were written, published and popularized during the first year of the Civil War. The verses came to Howe in the middle of the night, and she quickly scrawled them down in the darkness. Today, “Battle Hymn” is one of the most recognized American patriotic songs and a lesson to all writers and journalists that dragging oneself out of bed to write down an idea is usually a wise decision.  (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Getty Images
Share

April 12 will mark the 152nd anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, which means we’ve had plenty of time to gain some perspective on one of the most momentous events of our nation’s past. Though the country lost much, it gained a more solid identity, along with numerous works of art and literature that captured the years following 1861. Here are some of the more memorable ones.

"O Captain! My Captain!"

Walt Whitman’s 1965 poem reminds us that although wars are fought and sometimes won, their violent reverberations often remain. “O Captain, My Captain,” speaks of the close of a perilous journey; a metaphor for the Civil War and abolition, while the “Captain” is fallen president Abraham Lincoln. Whitman’s naked display of affection and despair is so moving, it even moved Ethan Hawke to stand on a desk.  (Fotosearch/Getty Images)

"Andersonville"

MacKinlay Kantor’s novel about the Confederate prison camp in Georgia won the Pulitzer Prize in 1956. The story uses both real historical figures and fictional characters, and is based on memoirs from those involved in the camp during the war.  (Archive Photos/Getty Images)

"The Yellow Rose of Texas"

Though the song was originally written about General Sam Houston’s victory at the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution, the tune gained popularity among Confederate troops during the Civil War. The final verse was changed to honor Confederate General John Bell Hood after victory for the South at the Battle of Nashville.  (MPI/Getty Images)

Entertainment & Arts

More From the Los Angeles Times

Advertisement