"Marching Through Georgia"[a] is an American Civil War-era marching song written and composed by Henry Clay Work in 1865. It is sung from the perspective of a Union soldier who had participated in Sherman's March to the Sea; he looks back on the momentous triumph after which Georgia became a "thoroughfare for freedom" and the Confederacy was left on its last legs.
Work made a name for himself in the Civil War for penning heartfelt, rousing tunes that reflected the Union's struggle and progress. The popular publishing house Root & Cady employed him in 1861—a post he maintained throughout the war. Following the March to the Sea, the Union's pivotal triumph that left Confederate resources in tatters and civilians in anguish, Work was inspired to write a commemorative song which would become the campaign's unofficial theme tune, "Marching Through Georgia".
The song was released in January 1865 to widespread success. One of few Civil War compositions that withstood the war's end, it cemented a place in veteran reunions and marching parades. Today, "Marching Through Georgia" is ingrained into Georgia's identity, even though some residents look upon it with contempt for glorifying Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's annihilative campaign. Sherman himself, to whom the song is dedicated, famously grew to despise it after being subjected to its strains in every public gathering he attended.
"Marching Through Georgia" lent the tune to numerous partisan hymns such as "Billy Boys" and "The Land". Beyond the United States, troops from all over the world have adopted it as a marching standard, from the Japanese in the Russo–Japanese War to the British in World War Two. Many musicologists consider the song the most fruitful of Work's career and among the most iconic of the Civil War.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).