"Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts"-The Music of Stephen Foster and 19th Century America
Filled with songs the Highlanders would have known or heard, Charlie relates the campaign experience in an hour-long program sure to entertain anyone from Celtic music lovers through the most bookish of Civil War enthusiasts.īrigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher of the famed Irish Brigade Joseph Laing, a Paisely-born soldier - gravely wounded at first Bull Run but who survives the war. Charlie's knowledge of this great regiment of well-traveled soldiers, as well as his grasp of Scottish history (the first few hundred men of the 79 th were either Scottish or Scottish-American) help to bring the Highlanders alive through this dramatic presentation. These programs are outlined below.Ĭlick here for music clips from Charlie's CD "Americana" Scottish American Warriors - The 79 th New York Highlanders in Song and StoryĪs a life-long student of all things Scottish, preparing a musical history of the 79th New York Volunteers-the Cameron Highlanders-was a natural fit. Charlie has also written two popular first-person music and history programs where he takes on the persona of two gentleman who took part in the conflict, one Irish and one Scottish. His 13 th CD, "Americana," is heavily influenced by music of the War, and the collection of songs (clips of which can be heard elsewhere on this website) has proven a favorite of those who enjoy the study of this period. Zahm-still much revered in Ohio-was the uncle of the first Charles Louis Zahm (and lent his name to the child, though it is now spelled differently), and Charlie is the fifth in line to hold that exact name so he is actually, in part, named after a Civil War officer.Ĭharlie does his best to present these great songs with the honor due both them and the subjects they recollect. Lewis Zahm of the Third Ohio Cavalry at a library in Ohio (pictured here), Charlie found the first of many family connections to the War. They were exactly right! Charlie's interest in history (in fact, one of his degrees is in history) led him to disciplined research of the period, and how it affected the body of music now so important to its proper understanding.įurther, after finding a photo of Col.