Richmond is a Hard Road - Ballad of the Civil War

Hear “Richmond is a Hard Road to Travel” a comedic song telling the tale of the first years of the American Civil War, and the many Union defeats. Below is a quote from Joe Ewers of the 2nd South Carolina String band, to explain the song’s setting... “The song/poem was written and published in the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg and prior to the assignment of ’Fighting Joe Hooker’ to the command of the Army of the Potomac. Previously, the Lincoln admin had pressured each commander to capture Richmond as quickly as possible (90 days) while at the same time protecting Washington DC, leaving not enough troops to do both.” If you would like to read more about the songs origins and hear an explanation for the complex first verse of the song, below is a quote from Tom DiGiuseppe researcher of the 2nd South Carolina String Band...