Til Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again
In the winter of '65 we were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th Richmond had fell, it was a night I remember oh so well.
In the winter of '65 we were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th Richmond had fell, it was a night I remember oh so well.
“To this day,
people ask me, ‘Whatever possessed you to write that song?’ and the answer is,
I don't really know; it's the only thing I could think of at the time.”
~Robbie
Robertson, 2005.
The song in
question is The Band’s “The Night They Drove old Dixie Down.” Released on the group’s debut album in 1969
the work is look at American history written by a Canadian. Whether or not there was a Virgil Caine is
anyone’s guess but Robertson’s history lesson is relatively factually correct. It has been written that Robertson needed the
advice of Arkansas native and Band drummer Levon Helm in order to capture the
essence of the American South. The group
had been together for many years, first as the band for Bob Dylan, and later as
their own headlining group traveling the highways and back roads of
America. Robertson wanted a song that
felt like America and sounded American.
“The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down” was the result. Robertson assembled the lyrics in Woodstock,
NY and when the southern drawl of Helm was added as the lead vocal an anthem
was born.
In the winter of
1865 residents of Richmond were just barely alive as Robertson had written. Beginning in the fall of 1864 the Union forces
under Gen. U.S. Grant laid siege to nearby Petersburg. The small city was the key link to the
Confederate supply lines of Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Supplies from Petersburg were necessary for Lee to keep the Union away
from Richmond. Grant understood the importance of Richmond and knew that Lee would defend the capital at
all costs. Grant decided a siege on
Petersburg and later Richmond would help to end the war without a full-scale and costly assault of the city. The siege last nine months with numerous skirmishes
and deadly battles erupting along trenched front lines throughout the
duration. Food, shelter and water were
severely limited--people “were hungry, just barely alive.” Time was running out. Failing to adequately restock his troops and
replace his army Lee withdrew. Richmond
fell to the Union on the evening of April 3.
“By the May the 10th” Richmond was in ruins as it had been in
Union hands for over one month. The war
itself was over with Lee’s surrender on April 9.
George Stoneman (pictured) was
a general in Union Army and was a leader of cavalry troops serving in the Third
Army Corps. His men fought throughout
the war in Northern Virginia and saw action during the Peninsula Campaign, at
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and at Gettysburg. Prior to Gettysburg Stoneman fell out of
favor with Gen. Thomas Hooker, commander of the all Union Armies and was transferred
to Washington and given a desk job. He
was later provided a field assignment again and after service in Ohio Stoneman
served under Gen. William T. Sherman on his March to the Sea. During the “March” Stonemam was captured
(the highest ranking Union general to be taken during the war) and was held for
three months before being exchanged. Later, Stoneman led cavalry raids into North
Carolina and Richmond. His troops nearly
captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It is quite possible that Stoneham’s cavalry
“tore up tracks.” Stoneman, after the
war, moved to California and in 1882 was elected governor. His home, Los Robles, is a state
landmark in the San Gabriel Valley.
The Danville Train
was possibly the Richmond and Danville Railroad. Completed in 1856, the line covered the 140
miles between the two cities. Later, it
became part of the 3,000 mile Southern Railway.
Today, some remaining sections are part of Norfolk Southern.
During the Civil War it was the last rail line to serve Richmond and was
the city’s final life line. The Richmond
and Danville Railroad supported the Confederacy right up to April 4, 1865--just
five days shy of surrender. As Lee waited for supplies that he believed
would arrive on the Danville Train--supplies that would help his army keep Grant at bay--the hours grew desperate. When no rail cars arrived Lee realized the war
was over.
Today, 5.5 miles of the Richmond and Danville Railroad is
the Richmond-Danville Rail Trail. The
ride is frozen in time with an old caboose and abandoned train station along the
way. It is simply farmland and
forest. The quiet solitude provided by
an impromptu mediation garden near one of the trail heads provides some
peace. Maybe at that spot you can hear
the song in your head…
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
We have the video of “The
Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” on our website, www.stickybottleteam.net. Click on VIDEOS.
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