Growing up we didn’t have a TV until I was in the 3rd grade. And then it was a small black and white. We were only allowed to watch TV for an certain number of hours per week. My brother and I would go through the TV guide trying to decide what we would watch.

But what was unlimited was music. All sorts of music. Some music is just a joy to listen to. You can close your eyes and be transported. My parents had an amazing collection of music.

On a weekend I would head over to the stereo, put on the good Sony head phones, cue up my favorite music and just listen.

Some of the songs told stories. Stories of conflict, stories of love, stories of sacrifice and of success.

Over time, I learned that some of the songs were of real events. Of history. Other songs were not of any particular event, but instead of a series of events that were historically accurate.

Sort of like this painting from 1846, George Caleb Bingham’s The Jolly Flatboatmen (1846). This is a “photoshoped” image. The artist had sketches of all these events but at no time did this event take place with these people at this location.

Songs could be like that too.

Here is one of the first songs I remember that caused me to go learn more:

There are movies and books about this battle.