Sullivan Ballou's Letter/"Ashokan Farewell"

This is an excerpt from Ken Burns' documentary, "The Civil War". This letter, written by a Union soldier to his wife, was the influence for me to write "Reveille!", a Civil War drama about sapphic love (ha, no - I'm serious).

The music in the background is Jay Unger's, "Ashokan Farewell", written in the style of a Scottish lament. I dare you to listen to Ballou's letter and not get a lump in your throat. I thought since it's the 4th of July and the birth of our country's independence, we should reflect a bit on those who served our country protecting that independence.