The Making and the Breaking of the Legend of Robert E. Lee: Musical Reference Edition [UPDATED]

Eric Foner's outstanding essay in the New York Times Book Review begins: 

In the Band’s popular song “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” an ex-Confederate soldier refers to Robert E. Lee as “the very best.” It is difficult to think of another song that mentions a general by name. But Lee has always occupied a unique place in the national imagination. The ups and downs of his reputation reflect changes in key elements of Americans’ historical consciousness — how we understand race relations, the causes and consequences of the Civil War and the nature of the good society.

Foner's insights about Lee are important and well worth reading, but it is not that hard to think of other songs that mention generals by name, even limiting the selection to the Civil War and earlier.

The great Tom Lehrer mentions Lee himself (well, actually the eponymous steamboat) in "I Wanna Go Back to Dixie":

 

Jimmy Driftwood mentions General Washington in "Soldier's Joy":

 

And Driftwood also mentions Andrew Jackson in "The Battle of New Orleans" (although he calls him Col. Jackson for some reason, even though he was a major general at the time of the battle):

 

Tennessee Ernie Ford had a song called "Stonewall Jackson's Way":

 

And, of course, "Bonaparte's Retreat" (this version by Willie Nelson): 

 

[UPDATE] And let's not forget "Jubilation T. Cornpone" (also mentioning Grant and Lee):

 

Comments

[Patrick S. O'Donnell]

Hmm, I have a different take on the references in the lyrics (and I prefer the Joan Baez version): Why the use of the definite article in the song? It might be because the reference is not to Lee himself but the steamboat named after him traveling along the Mississippi River, which makes sense given the fact that he is now “back with [his] wife in Tennessee” (i.e., looking back, as an 'ex-Confederate soldier' on the civil war and what occurred). And the stanza in which we read that “they should never have taken the very best,” appears to be a reference to the way some Union soldiers behaved, plundering and pillaging during and after the heat of battle, again, not to Robert E. Lee who, after all, was not “taken” after the war (see the material in his Wikipedia entry on ‘postbellum life’).

[Steve L.]

There is a controversy over whether the lyrics refer to "the Robert E. Lee" or simply "Robert E. Lee." The original recording by The Band seems to omit the article, while Joan Baez clearly includes it. (She has acknowledged changing the lyrics, however.)

I agree with you, Patrick, that "the very best" does not refer to Lee. More likely, it is a reference to Caine's brother, mentioned in the following stanza, who died in battle.

[Alan Gunn]

"The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" also mentions George Stoneman, a Union cavalry general. But Joan Baez's version, which I think was the most popular, got it wrong. She had heard it sung but hadn't read the lyrics, so the original reference to "Stoneman's cavalry" became "so much cavalry" in her version.