Jump to: Background Suggestions for Teachers Additional Resources This resource was created by Kirk Steyer, the 2017 Liljenquist Family Fellow at the Library of Congress. For soldiers and civilians embroiled in the Civil War, music was a near-constant companion. Historical Background Soldiers awoke to the call of bugles and went to sleep to the beat of drum taps. On the home front, citizens sang ballads in their homes and songs at political rallies, joining their voices in chorus to reaffirm the