About five years ago, I released an audio CD of the ONLY Virginia Civil War Band music to survive.  The original books had lain in The Museum of the Confederacy for nearly a century and a half.  Our daughter out in Utah found a band who wanted to record them, and the rest is history.  Col. Keith Gibson of VMI narrated the music.  We sold out of the initial order of 1000, and the CDs have not been available for three years or so.  The Big problem for me is that to keep the cost and thus the selling-price down, one must order between 500 and 1000 CDs and that is just too much money for an old guy like me to tie up in inventory. Trying to get this particular CD produced in small quantities took an additional hit since there were 8 pages -- half in color -- in the insert, and most producers provided only four, two color, two B/W  In any case, Bummer since I thought the CD would be a valuable asset given the upcoming commeoration of the Civil War.

But I have good news.  I have identified a source where basically I can have the CDs produced in response to each order.  The music is the same, as is the narration.  But I have put it on the thinner CD which makes it easier and cheaper to handle and mail   And the contents of the CD are bigger and better than ever.   viz.....

- The audio is now in MP3 format.  This seems to be the wave-of-the-present generation....  The files are smaller, but a big advantage is that you can download them directly to those MP3 players you see poked in people's ears as they go about their business.  But the REAL major advantage for this offering is I can also put DOCUMENTS on the CD.

- On the same CD, I have put three family documents, that I think provide invaluable insight into families during the Civil War.  80 pages total, that you can view on your computer in PDF format.

- Sheet music of four songs from the Museum of The Confederacy which are heard on the CD.  Images of the original covers PLUS you can "Sing along with the Crestmark Military Brass Band :)"

- "Diary Depicting the Experiences of DeWitt Clinton Gallaher while Serving in the Confederate Army."  Versions of this are available on the Internet, but I have scanned an original copy of the Diary which DeWitt Clinton Gallaher, Jr. sent to my father in 1945.  I have added a color map of the Battle of Waynesboro which shows the Gallaher home on the right flank of the Confederate line, and some photos of the people involved, and a 1947 photo of "Rose Hall", the site of the January 1865 wedding of My Great Grandmother Sallie Gallaher, and Capt. Hugh Holmes McGure, described by Henry Kyd Douglas in his classic, "I Rode with Stonewall."

- "The Impact of the Civil War on Capt. Hugh Holmes McGuire, CSA and his wife Sallie Gallaher McGuire, and their families in the Valley of Virginia". This includes transcripts of letters from Hugh to his sister, narratives by Sallie about them, and 28 pages of images including original letters about Hugh and his more famous brother, Hunter -- Stonewall Jackson's surgeon.  Also images of an original letter from Col. John S. Mosby, one from Gov. Fitzhugh Lee, and a particularly poingnant one from DeWitt Clinton Gallaher himself to my father in 1928, passing along the hat band that Capt. Hugh Holmes McGuire was wearing when he was mortally wounded at Amelia Courthouse.  Overall, this gives unique personal insight into the lives of families at the two ends of the Valley of Virginia, brought together by the marriage of Hugh (from Winchester), and Sallie (Waynesboro.)

It is my hope that this unique offering will not only provide some musical entertainment "like it was", but that a wider audience can get a better understainding of life in Civil War Virginia.

I shall notify purveyors of books at various Civil War sites in Virginia, but I am letting all you good folks on VA-HIST know of the availability, since over they years you have helped me in my history endeavors.

The CD is also one dollar cheaper than the original..... $15 each, plus $5 S/H, and Tax if applicable.  And acknowledging the economic crunch we are in, you only have to order four (instead of 10) CDs to have the individual price drop to $9 each.  S/H remains at $5 for any quantity.

Randy Cabell

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