Ashokan Farewell

"What shall be done with the slaves if they are freed?" You had better ask, "What shall we do with the slaveholders if the slaves are free?" The slave has shown himself better fitted to take care of himself than the slaveholder.
-- The words of an ex-slave named William W. Brown. In 1863, he was an author and lecturer.

Southern States Secede

Secession fever hit the South after Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The South considered Lincoln's Republican party victory in the 1860 presidential election as a sign that the North was now going to end the "peculiar institution" of slavery. For the South, the time of talk and compromise had ended. In December, 1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Secession of the rest of the states that would make up the Confederate States of America occurred in two waves.
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Ashokan Farewell

By Jonathan R. Allen - Last updated: Tuesday, June 30, 2009- Leave a Comment

Chances are, you first heard Ashokan Farewell during The Civil War eleven-hour 1990 miniseries on PBS.

The Ashokan Farewell music served as the theme for The Civil War by Ken Burns. It is hauntingly unforgettable. The song is heard 25 times during the miniseries and is the background music for the reading of the Sullivan Ballou letter. Ashokan Farewell was a perfect match for the story and scenes of The Civil War miniseries.

With music, Ashokan Farewell puts the sadness of the Civil War into our hearts, in a way all today can understand and feel.

Contrary to common thought, Ashokan Farewell is not music from the Civil War era. Instead, it is from our modern times and is the only music in The Civil War miniseries not from the 19th century. Its name comes from a village in the New York Catskill Region, named Ashokan. The Ashokan Reservoir now covers most of this village.

Jay Ungar composed Ashokan Farewell in 1982. It features a solo violin at the beginning, and later a guitar accompanies. Ungar wrote Ashokan Farewell in the style of a Scottish lament.

Barnes&Noble:
Ashokan Farewell
(The Civil War Soundtrack)

The Civil War [TV Soundtrack]

Ashokan Farewell – Jay Ungar with Aly Bain and friends.

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The purpose of this Civil War blog is to help you Learn Civil War History. You are invited to read about a crucial time in the history of the United States: the Civil War. Any and all aspects of the Civil War will be subjects on this blog. Battles, leaders, soldiers, civilians, abolitionists, slaves, freed slaves, politics, politicians, civilians and their lives during the war, equipment, animals, cavalry, infantry, artillery, medicine, Rebels and Yankees, heroes, villains, and scoundrels... and all other topics of the Civil War will be discussed. Your comments and thoughts are always welcome. The Civil War is a rich, broad, fascinating, and interesting subject to learn about. So, join me and Learn Civil War History!
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And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(Isaiah 2:4)