Trace tries to reveal a little of himself in every song he releases and being a Civil War buff isn’t an isolated hobby that has nothing to do with his music.
“If you look back at the Civil War, it makes you realize how much human nature has changed. You don’t really realize that unless you study history.”
Trace, whose great-great-grandfather was wounded and taken prisoner at Vicksburg, Miss, is a lifelong Civil War enthusiast who adds his support whenever possible to Civil War battlefield preservation.
"When I visited the battlefield in Vicksburg and stood in a trench where my great-great-granddaddy stood, tears came to my eyes. As a father of five, I believe it is critical that I protect a legacy that belongs not just to my family but to our entire nation." Trace’s new song will help do that.
Unlike the paid reviewers of Trace’ album who often describe it as “predictable” I did not expect a peace anthem, from a man who has never backed down from a fight. I could write for days on how obtuse those reviewers are, but instead will tell you a part of what the song means to me. I’d love to hear what it means to you.
“Was there in the winter of '64, When we camped in the ice at Nashville's doors”
My great-great-grandfather and his brother Rolland, members of the 23rd Kentucky Infantry, were camped just south of Nashville in the summer of ’62.
“Three hundred miles our trail had lead”
Their trail led 360 miles from the Ohio Valley.
“We barely had time to bury our dead, when the Yankees charged and the colors fell Overton hill was a living hell When we called retreat it was almost dark, I died with a grapeshot in my heart.”
My ancestor Rolland died from “disease” on June 18, 1862, at the age of 21, according to government records. My great-great grandfather Mortimer left the camp with his brother's body and returned to New Haven where Rolland was buried in the family plot at the Old Baptist Cemetery, Harrison, OH, on June 22, 1862, according to cemetery records. The day after he left camp, Mortimer was charged with desertion (19 Jun 1862).
I am in wonder at how Mortimer traveled 360 miles in four days to bury his brother’s body in the family cemetery. That’s an average of 90 miles a day. Since my ancestors owned a horse farm, I assume that Rollin and Mortimer rode their own horses from New Haven to Nashville and that is how they returned.
I’ve walked in that cemetery and visited Gettysburg and Fredericksburg and I’m not certain they lay peacefully at rest . Visit those battlefields too, and you will find it is not difficult to believe our soldiers will not rest "Until The Last Shots Fired".
If a lean budget has kept you from buying a copy of Trace's book, "A Personal Stand, Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck", for yourself or to pass it on to someone else, you will be glad to hear it is now out in paperback. You can pick it up for $7.99 at most major bookstores and online from publisher Random House, Inc.
