Song View

The song, also known as “Blue Eyed Boston Boy” after its first line, was written during the American Civil War (1861–1865), likely in 1863, in reference to the Battle of Fredericksburg, in which the Union suffered heavy losses. A poem titled “At Fredericksburg,” published in *Harpers Weekly* on February 7, 1863, was certainly the basis for the song, as the story described there matches the song exactly. The author is unknown; the poem was signed only with the initials L.C.M. The 1928 recording with Carl T. Sprague was likely the first to be made. In 1937, folklorist Alan Lomax made recordings with a singer from Kentucky (Monroe Gevedon), though these remained unpublished. They are housed in the Library of Congress. Most of the lyrics of the songs published from the 1940s onward correspond to the recording made by Alan Lomax. That is why he is often mistakenly referred to as a songwriter.