Stephen Foster spent his life in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and New York, only once venturing below the Mason-Dixon Line. Although he is associated with the South, he took up the Union cause, and this is one of his “current events” tunes. This is an exceptional performance from Thomas Hampson and friends.
The tune is actually an Irish folk melody with the time signature changed from 2/2 to 3/4. The lyrics are of the period, however, and the chorus is a bit different from the Irish original.
