Thanks to Ken Burns, we have footage from various Civil War reunions from 1913 to 1938, showing Blue and Gray coming together at Gettysburg. It surely does give perspective on our various American wars.
(A friend sent this to me and I opened it not knowing whose film this was. It’s a tribute to Ken Burns and his gifted staff that after less than a minute I knew it could only be Ken Burns’ impeccable editing, scoring and narrating. There’s nothing quite like it, is there?)
I see myself and my heritage in those amazing faces...my ancestors fought on both side of that war and have fought in every "American" war since the Revolutionary War. I was a young Navy wife homeported in Japan during the last years of Vietnam. Found myself this past summer recalling Patrick Gilmore's ballad, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" which he wrote while he was Grand Master of the Union Army. Did some reading and discovered that after seeing so much war, he spent the rest of his life working for peace. I rewrote the first verse a bit since Johnnie now includes women and added a second. May I share? "When the Johnnies come marching home again, hurrah, hurrah! We'll give them a hearty welcome then, hurrah, hurrah! Men will cheer, boys and girls will shout and ladies they will all turn out, and we'll all feel gay as the Johnnies come marching home. May we greet them with peace and joy on our part, hurrah, hurrah! As we thank them for giving body and heart, hurrah, hurrah! In facing the wars we each must own, as part of our journey coming home, where we'll all feel gay and never again alone"
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Found myself this past summer recalling Patrick Gilmore's ballad, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" which he wrote while he was Grand Master of the Union Army. Did some reading and discovered that after seeing so much war, he spent the rest of his life working for peace.
I rewrote the first verse a bit since Johnnie now includes women and added a second. May I share?
"When the Johnnies come marching home again, hurrah, hurrah! We'll give them a hearty welcome then, hurrah, hurrah! Men will cheer, boys and girls will shout and ladies they will all turn out, and we'll all feel gay as the Johnnies come marching home.
May we greet them with peace and joy on our part, hurrah, hurrah! As we thank them for giving body and heart, hurrah, hurrah! In facing the wars we each must own, as part of our journey coming home, where we'll all feel gay and never again alone"