How soon we forget.  As I read the story, I recall seeing it a year or so
ago.  It confirms that Handel's DEAD MARCH was at the top of the charts for
military funerals at that time.  And since a new state is introduced with
this posting (Maryland), I recall those stirring words to
'Maryland-My-Maryland' which the Southern songwriter hoped would inspire MD
to come over to our side:

"Avenge the patriotic gore,  that flecked the streets of Baltimore."

Ah, they don't write'em like they used to.  I also don't think our Maryland
bretheren have kept that particular verse in their State Song.

Randy Cabell
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 10:40 PM
Subject: Re: Music @ Stonewall Jackson's Funeral


> I realized that the newsgroup that had the discussion of Bowering was this
> one ...in April of 02. here's the copy of the article that was posted at
that
> time.
>
> "Detested 'Dixie' often required of Rebel bugler."Summary:Andrew Benjamin
> Bowering (1842-1923) was reared in Fredericksburg VA from early childhood.
> At the opening of the Civil War, he joined the Confederate Army and served
as
> musician and bugler with the 30th Virginia Infantry, Corses Brigade,
> Pickett's Division.  Interviewed for the"Dictionary of Virginia
Biography,"
> Bowering, who had marched with Lee'sArmy of Northern Virginia for four
years,
> recalled the two highlights of his musical army life.  (1) Directing of
the
> band at Stonewall Jackson's funeral in Richmond in May 1863, where the
band
> performed Handel's "Dead March from Saul; and 2) blowing the last assembly
> call at Appomattox.Bowering went on to explain to the interviewer the
> westward march toward Appomattox, during which the band was almost
captured
> by the Union troops.  Upon seeing Yankee officers and soldiers come
through
> Confederate lines under a flag of truce early on the morning of April 9th
and
> realizing that the war was over, Bowering hung his bugle on a treelimb and
> walked away from it.  Shortly a Confederate officer asked him to blow the
> call for religious services.  Bowering said, "That assembly call, which I
> played, was the last note that I played in the war."  The recent article
> states that most authorities now recognize that Bowering's last
Confederate
> bugle call was the final one blown at Appomattox.After the Army's
surrender,
> Bowering walked home to Fredericksburg,VA,only to find that his family had
> left there for Salisbury, NC.  He went to Salisbury and for a while
remained
> there with his family, living by teaching music and doing odd jobs.  He
and
> his family left in August 1865 to return to Fredericksburg, VA.He was
> frequently seen in later years at reunions of the United Confederate
Veterans
> in many areas of the South, where he conducted the band music but didn't
> "play" Dixie unless forced to.  He explained that he had always disliked
> "Dixie," and he implied that most of the Rebel troops also disliked the
song.
> He gave no explanation for this dislike of"Dixie" throughout the war and
> afterwards.   He recalled that the favorite marching songs of Confederate
men
> was the now- forgotten"Lorena" and "Maryland, My Maryland."
>
> A.B. Bowering was the bugler of my wife's great grand fathers unit...his
son,
> Benjamin Bowering, was the Regular Army advisor to the 244th Coast
Artillery
> (New York National Guard) in which my father enlisted in 1928. It was
> Bowering who recommend that my father be commissioned an officer in the
> Regular Army, were mt father met my mother at the Coast Art'ry Officers
Dance
> in NYC. I went to VMI were Bowering' son wrote the fight song "the Spirit
of
> VMI" and now live in Fredericksburg Va. were I play a bulge for a
Confederate
> Reenactment unit........what an interesting follow of events.
>
> Bill Buser
> Chief Bugler
> 35th Battalion Va Cavalry (Reenactment)
>
>
>
>
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