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Peace Breaks Out on Christmas Eve
AmericanHeritage.com ^
| 22 December 2005
| Julie M. Fenster
Posted on 12/22/2005 9:44:52 PM PST by Racehorse
. . . James McIvor has found an instance in the Civil War when the animosity between the Union and Confederate soldiers also lifted, if only for the length of a single song . . .
As the opposing forces settled into battle lines near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on December 30, 1862, the bands on each side played an evening concert for their respective comrades. The two concerts continued, unharmoniously enough, until, “as if by common consent,” recalled the Tennesseean, both took up “Home, Sweet Home.” The men on both sides soon joined together in singing the song. When it was over, though, they went back to their brooding and prepared for the next day’s fighting in the fierce Battle of Stones River (which is known as the Battle of Murfreesboro in Confederate histories). Three thousand men died in the fight, never again to see their homes, sweet or not, while fifteen thousand were wounded. By itself the incident of the singing probably doesn’t deserve a whole book, but McIvor meanders through the lives of various soldiers and their lot in the war, always a topic worth recalling.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanheritage.com ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: battles; blackwatch; christmas; christmaseve1914; christmastruce; civilwar; confederate; dixie; godsgravesglyphs; milhist; militaryhistory; murfreesboro; stonesriver; thegreatwar; truce; union; war; worldwari; wwi
1
posted on
12/22/2005 9:44:54 PM PST
by
Racehorse
To: indcons
Milhist: See this story for a rather eerie description of the 1914 (first year WWI) Christmas true. Good, brief account.
2
posted on
12/22/2005 9:53:43 PM PST
by
Racehorse
(Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.)
To: Racehorse
May the spirits of those old soldiers from long ago, both of Blue and Grey ,rest in peace on this eve of a modern Christmas:
HOME, SWEET HOME Words by John Howard Payne Music by Henry Rowley Bishop
'Mid pleasures and palaces though I may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek thro' the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Chorus:
Home! Home! Sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, there's no place like home.
An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain,
Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again;
The birds singing gaily that come at my call;
Give me them, with that peace of mind, dearer than all.
Chorus
To thee, I'll return, overburdened with care,
The heart's dearest solcae will smile on me there.
No more from that cottage again will I roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
3
posted on
12/22/2005 10:01:51 PM PST
by
injin
To: Racehorse
The last person alive at that Christmas 1914 event was a Scottish soldier who died a few weeks ago.
4
posted on
12/22/2005 10:04:34 PM PST
by
exit82
(Congressional Democrats---treasonously stuck on stupid.)
To: Racehorse
They just had the WWI Christmas truce on the History channel. I made my 8 year old daughter watch it for awhile. Gotta give her credit - she sat through 20 minutes of it (and my explanations!) before she asked if she could watch Sponge Bob (and I let her).
5
posted on
12/22/2005 10:08:04 PM PST
by
geopyg
(Ever Vigilant, Never Fearful)
To: Racehorse
We visited the battlefield at Murfreesboro, TN a few years ago. They have a park, historical artifacts, history movie, and live cannons firing, etc. The most impressive part of the visit was driving along side thousands of white crosses covering the graves of these brave men. Sent shivers of pride through my soul. I'll never forget that visit to Murfreesboro.
6
posted on
12/23/2005 12:56:58 AM PST
by
raisincane
(Dims think we're all oblivious to the obvious)
To: Racehorse
There's a very real transforming power of Christmas, whether it be secular or religious.
7
posted on
12/23/2005 4:02:34 AM PST
by
tkathy
(Ban the headscarf. (All religious headdress). The effect will creat a huge domino effect..)
To: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten; 75thOVI; Adrastus; beebuster2000; Belasarius; bert; BJClinton; ...
A WW1 Christmas Eve story...thanks for the ping "Racehorse."
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody
8
posted on
12/23/2005 6:07:36 AM PST
by
indcons
(FReepmail indcons to join the MilHist ping list)
To: Racehorse
Milhist: See this story for a rather eerie description of the 1914 (first year WWI) Christmas true. Good, brief account. "Christmas in the Trenches" was the song written about that incident. Very touching.
9
posted on
12/23/2005 6:28:31 AM PST
by
Colonel_Flagg
("Defeatism may have its partisan uses but it is not justified by the facts.")
To: Racehorse; indcons
10
posted on
12/23/2005 8:31:06 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("In silence, and at night, the Conscience feels that life should soar to nobler ends than Power.")
Note: this topic is from the FRchives and probably years past. Adding to the GGG catalog.
11
posted on
12/25/2017 5:34:03 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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