Military

The Military subseries comprises sheet music published in the United States between 1820 and 1900, with the bulk of materials dated between 1861 and 1865. The scores, most of which are marches and quicksteps, shed light on the key military campaigns and players from the American Revolutionary War, the Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, foreign wars, and other United States military endeavors spanning the 1820s to 1900. A portion of scores though military-related, are also patriotic in nature.

Scores about the American Revolution touch upon the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill; Generals Henry Knox, George Washington, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Also included are scores about Revolutionary War patriots Paul Revere and Sergeant Andrew Wallace. The category focusing on the Mexican-American War highlights the military endeavors of key figures including Generals Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and Zachary Taylor. Also included are scores about Henry Clay a lawyer and statesman, and Major Samuel B. Ringgold the "father of modern artillery." The definitive battles addressed are the battles of Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, and Vera Cruz. Some notable scores within this category are "Smith's March," and "Rough and Ready." Also found are scores dedicated to the crossing of the Rio Grande River.

The scores within the American Civil War category were published between 1853 and 1888 and focus on the Confederacy, Union officers, key battles, and camp life. Found within this category are scores about Confederate President Jefferson Davis and United States President Abraham Lincoln. Some of the Confederate officers highlighted are Pierre G. T. Beauregard, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. A few of the Union officers highlighted are Generals Ambrose Everett Burnside, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Tecumseh Sherman. Also included are scores dedicated to Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth, the first Union officer to die in the Civil War. The significant military campaigns covered in this category are the battles of Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, Shiloh, and Vicksburg. Also included are Confederate and Union anthems and rallying songs "All quiet along the Potomac To-Night," "The Battle Cry of Freedom," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "The Bonnie Blue Flag," "God Save the South," "I Wish I was in Dixie's Land," "Maryland, My Maryland," and "When this cruel war is over." Other noteworthy scores include "Jeff In Petticoats," and "Manassas" by African American composer Thomas 'Blind Tom' Wiggins.

The patriotic scores span the decades between 1851 and 1891 and focus on patriotism as it relates to the United States military. Included are odes to the United States Navy, the American flag, the American eagle, and the concept of American union. This section also consists of scores focusing on the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, Civil War Unionist Barbara Fritchie, and a medley of national hymns such as "Hail Columbia," "Red, White, and Blue," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and "Yankee Doodle."

The scores within the Foreign Wars category span the decades between 1820 and 1871 and focus on military campaigns and political figures throughout Africa, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom. The notable figures featured in this category are Napoleon Bonaparte, Queen Victoria, George Washington, and Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington. The military campaigns highlighted here include the Crusades, the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, and the Napoleonic Wars. Notable scores within this category include "The Battle of Prague" and "The Captive Knight."

The materials related to other US military endeavors highlight notable military figures, entities, and campaigns including Generals Samuel Houston, Stephen Van Rensselaer IV, Winfield Scott, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Also included are scores about the United States Military Academy West Point, the U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), and various infantry units such as the New York Light Guard. Some of the notable scores featured in this category are "Jeannette and Jeannot," "The Minstrels returned from the war," and "Hewitt's Quick Step." A small portion of the material is devoted to the Spanish-American War and focuses on United States Navy Admiral George Dewey, the First United States Volunteer Cavalry (the Rough Riders), the USS Maine, and the siege of Santiago Bay (Cuba).