When Sherman Marched Down to the Sea American...

Civil War Sheet Music, Oliver Ditson and Co., c. 1865. This original piece of American Civil War-era sheet music is titled When Sherman Marched Down to the Sea. The lyrics were composed by Adjutant Samuel H.M. Byers of the 5th Iowa Infantry while he was held as a prisoner of war at Camp Sorghum in Columbia, South Carolina. The decorative front cover features an elaborate title banner and scrollwork, specifically noting the lyricist's origins and circumstances: While confined in the rebel prison camp at Columbia, S.C. Published by Oliver Ditson and Co. at 277 Washington St., Boston, the publication date is circa 1865. The cover lists several regional distributors: J. Church Jr. in Cincinnati, W.A. Pond and Co. in New York, Lyon and Healy in Chicago, J.C. Haynes and Co. in Boston, and J.E. G...