Comments on: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

By: Harry Smeltzer

Harry Smeltzer — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:16:00 +0000

Thanks Brian. In light of your most recent on Behind AotW, I’m wondering if this article doesn’t qualify as a “vanity post”.

By: brian

brian — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 21:27:04 +0000

Thanks for posting the clip, Harry. Always loved that song and Mr Helm’s voice doing it. He’s back from the brink making music again, too.

By: Josh M.

Josh M. — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:37:07 +0000

Harry,

I see your point. I am not sure the Lost Cause is the best term to describe what I am trying to say. Unfortunatly my brain has been fried from the semester and it’s taking me longer to articulate what I am trying to say, but I will post a follow up on my own blog soon.

I’m just glad that something on my blog was able to generate a discussion. Thanks for checking out my post.

By: Harry Smeltzer

Harry Smeltzer — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:11:33 +0000

Josh,

Wow, this is the second comment I’ve lost in two days. Anyway, while I see your point about the song and its uses for teaching about the Lost Cause, for me the song is anything but Lost Cause-ish. It doesn’t try to justify or even explain what brought Virgil to this lowly state. It simply recognizes the circumstances, mourns the loss, determines to carry on. That to me a is the beauty of the song.

By: Josh M.

Josh M. — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:25:58 +0000

The link to The Band’s website is very interesting and gave me a little more to think about regarding the song. This song is a great way to generate class discussions, especially when discussing memory and the Lost Cause.

By: Harry Smeltzer

Harry Smeltzer — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:31:47 +0000

I thought I responded to this already, Rea. Seems to have gone missing in cyberspace, though. I don't own the disc, but The Last Waltz is one of those films that sucks you in if you run across it while surfing. Like Patton. It's hard to believe that Helm and Robertson are pushing 70 now!

By: Harry Smeltzer

Harry Smeltzer — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:24:52 +0000

Thanks for sharing that, Susan.

By: Susan Sweet

Susan Sweet — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:51:58 +0000

Harry I have loved this song for years. Thanks for posting the video. It has been a while since I saw the movie. Stoneman in the song later became the commander of the Drum Barracks here in Wilmington California. He was one of the last commanders of the post.

Susan

By: Rea Andrew Redd

Rea Andrew Redd — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:37:20 +0000

Harry,

I saw the film when it first came out. I was in DC, young and in love.
The music cd and dvd is in my collection and will be played on the widescreen at home over the holidays, along with Jimmy Stewart and Bing Crosby. I’ll be first in line for the BlueRay-HD copy.

Rea Andrew Redd

By: Harry Smeltzer

Harry Smeltzer — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:52:54 +0000

Aly,

The thing I love about this song – it’s not about anything other than desolation, devastation, regret, loss. There’s no attempt to justify what brought it all about, nothing about the righteousness of a cause or the oppression of or by a people – it’s completely in the moment, but it explains a lot. It is was it is.

“Young Men and Fire” will grow on you – just allow yourself to think on it. One of the things I love about it is that it shows how history can be done right, even without footnotes. Purists will gnash their teeth, but by inserting himself into the story, Mclean makes it all the more real. I see no reasons why we can’t do the same thing. A CW parallel is Svenson’s “Battlefield”