Martial Music, War of the Rebellion: Tenting Tonig LbNA #32841

Martial Music, The War of the Rebellion:
Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground Letterbox

(One in an occasionally expanding series…)


Weary Of War
Singing 'round the Camp Fire


“Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground”
Words and Music by: Walter Kittredge, 1863

We're tenting tonight on the old camp-ground
Give us a song to cheer
Our weary hearts, a song of home
And friends we love so dear.

Chorus
Many are the hearts that are weary tonight
Wishing for the war to cease,
Many are the hearts looking for the right
To see the dawn of peace.
Tenting tonight, tenting tonight
Tenting on the old camp-ground.

We've been tenting tonight on the old camp-ground,
Thinking of days gone by
Of the loved ones at home that gave us the hand,
And the tear that said, "Good-by !"

Chorus

We are tired of war on the old camp-ground;
Many are the dead and gone
Of the brave and true who've left their homes;
Others been wounded long.

Chorus

We've been fighting today on the old camp-ground,
Many are lying near;
Some are dead, and some are dying,
Many are in tears.

Last Chorus
Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,
Wishing for the war to cease;
Many are the hearts looking for the light,
To see the dawn of peace.
Dying tonight, dying tonight,
Dying on the old camp-ground.

From Lesley Nelson-Burns' (aka the Contemplator)'s Folk Music Site: http://www.contemplator.com/america/tenting.html
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"The Civil War was in full development by 1863 when [Kittredge] received notice that he had been drafted to serve in the army and must report at once to Concord, New Hampshire. The night before he left, he sat beside the window looking out across the twilit New Hampshire fields. He reached for his violin and inspired by sadness, regret and thoughts of soldier life that were all too familiar, with all their mingled glory and pathos, a song began to take form. His thoughts continued to wander away into the South and to the camps where soldiers were gathered. "Many are the hearts," he thought, "many are the hearts that are weary tonight, wishing for the war to cease." The music and words of Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground came together that night. Not a word or a note was ever changed later. Kittredge took his song to the Oliver Ditson Company a Boston publisher and offered to sell it for fifteen dollars. He was told it was too sad and sentimental and that there was nothing to it. Asa Hutchinson a friend and musical partner knew the song would be a success. Asa and Walter had sung and toured together a number of times before. Asa promised to interest the company, which published Hutchinson songs, and the two men agreed to divide the royalties equally. The Oliver Ditson Company paid two and a half cents on each copy sold and agreed to supply Kittredge and the Hutchinsons with copies to be sold at concerts for eight cents apiece. Within two years both men would realize a thousand dollars apiece in royalties from Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground.
The song's halting verse and melancholy refrain was performed publicly by the Hutchinson Family Singers for the first time in 1863 at Old High Rock in Lynn, Massachusetts. The concert audience paid eight cents a ticket to attend the open-air performance. With the smoky flare of lamps, the stars overhead, and the silent people, many of whom had sons at the battlefront, sitting close together on the cold rock, the song had a perfect setting. Within six months after the song's premier over ten thousand copies of the Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground had been sold."

From the 77th New York Regimental Balladeers: http://ny77thballadeers.tripod.com/tenting2.html

In “Songs of the Civil War”, (Columbia University Press, 1960) Irwin Silber noted: “A childhood bout with rheumatic fever kept Kittredge out of the army, but it was while preparing to answer the draft…[h]e wrote it, in a sense, as his farewell to civilian life…” (p. 167).

Paul Glass, in “A History of the Civil War in Song, Singing Soldiers” (Grosset & Dunlap, 1964) wrote: “This was one of the most popular songs on both sides. It is reported that its appeal was so strong that officers had to restrain their men from singing it at night because they would divulge their positions on the field”, (p. 152).
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Follow the link (cut and paste) to listen to “Tenting Tonight” as performed by the 97th Regimental String Band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oixO-Tl0LTU
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BYOInk: there is no pen or stamp pad; bring black ink.

Letterbox Difficulty Rating:
Difficulty Rating = 2
Terrain Rating = 2.25
Thanx to Silent Doug; see: www.letterboxing.info/rating/

All directions are magnetic and a pace equals two (2) steps.
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Find Bailey Rd. off Route 6 in Coventry and park in the lot (on the left) at the intersection with the Hop River Rail Trail. Head East down the trail to find your bivouac.

Eventually you will cross stream by way of a wooden bridge, continue following the trail East passing the Andover Sportsmen’s Association property at a dirt road crossing (marked by a sign: “Warning, Crossing Traffic, Please Use Caution”.) From this intersection count 10 standing telegraph poles.

From the 10th pole, count 12 paces and look right for a faint footpath going up the hill before a rock cut/ledge (ahead on the right). File right onto the path, cross the shallow ditch and follow it uphill to the remains of a broken down green "wagon" on the right. From the wagon's bumper, sight 180º due South and spy a large oak tree about 14 paces away. Walk just past this tree to a lone boulder about hip high.

Standing beside the boulder, go 12 paces at 160º to a rock at the top of the hill. (Note the metal eye bolts in the rock just South of the split). From atop the hilltop rock, look for the flat mossy rock just downhill at 190º -- your bivouac lies behind a SPOR under the South-West corner.

Please stamp in away from the hiding place, and carefully avoid making or at least try to conceal social trails to the letterbox--especially in mud or snow! Kindly double-bag the log, reseal the Lock-n-Lock type box, and re-hide the letterbox exactly where it was placed, covering it well and contact the placer if you find any problems.

Thank you, Connfederate