Album Notes

Artist Name is Jimmy Phillips (Ryan)

First of all, thanks to CD Baby for all they do in providing a forum for independent musicians to present their music. And thanks to the sutlers and Civil War reenactors who have supported the preservation of 19th century music and encouraged me to continue.

With “Rebel Soldier II” my goal was to tell, through music, the story of Morgan’s Great Raid of 1863. It begins with a set of dance tunes, then a song about the guerrilla warrior who steals the girl’s heart, followed by a set of tunes from the Old Republic, then one about the young patriot who sadly goes across the mountain to “fight the boys in blue.” Then comes a jig, “Juice of the Barley” (Morgan’s Men were known to drink a bit), a silly “around the campfire” song advising men to marry for “love not riches,” and another jig, “The Road to Lisdoonvarna” that represents Morgan’s Irish heritage.

I was standing on the Indiana shore of the Ohio River a couple of years ago, looking across at Brandenburg, Kentucky, and I recalled reading in Basil Duke’s book, \"History of Morgan’s Cavalry,\" how the Raiders crossed the river, pushed the Home Guards back toward Corydon, and bravely began their Great Raid to “whip the scoundrels.” Not far up the trail the men grew silent, almost somber, after riding through so many lush valleys and hills, with their bountiful farms virtually untouched by war. One of the Raiders turned to General Duke and said, “Sir, I don’t think we can beat these people.” The solemn, yet defiant tune “Jefferson & Liberty” reflects what the men must have felt that day.

I wrote “Run, Johnny, Run” about the fight at Buffington Island where Morgan’s men tried to cross the Ohio River to West Virginia and relative safety. Most of the command was captured there and sent off to languish in prison camps like Camp Morton in Indianapolis or Camp Douglas in Chicago. Morgan was captured shortly after the fight and placed in the Ohio Penitentiary, a prison for common criminals. As the imprisoned soldiers yearned for a return to peace, the once-rebellious “Bonnie Blue” became the “Bonnie White Flag.” At war’s end the soldiers went home. They rebuilt their war-ravaged cities,
their farms, their homes; hence “The Mississippi Sawyer.”

The music tells the story.

Jimmy Phillips