In anticipation of Veterans Day, we presented a program honoring the memory of the Union soldiers, sailors, Marines and nurses who served in the Civil War to free enslaved persons and to preserve our Nation. The show, a free concert at the Saugerties Library on Washington Avenue on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 6pm, was well attended and once again our offerings pleased young and old alike. Our songs included, Tramp, Tramp, Tramp The Boys are Marching, The Rose of Tralee, We Are Coming Father Abraham, We’ll Fight for Uncle Sam and many other greatest hits of the ’60s; the 1860s that is. A very enthusiastic group came to the Carnegie library building community room and shared in the memories; bitter, sweet, and comic too, of the brave men and women who sacrificed to give us the country we have today.

The Veterans in a New Field presented a concert at the Hunter Library in Hunter, NY on Friday August 19, 2016 at 6:30pm. Our playlist included songs of the Civil War and the Irish Brigade to please and entertain people of all ages including; The Minstrel Boy, Clear the Track! Old Abe Lincoln Came Out of the Wilderness, Goober Peas, The Army Bean, Lincoln and Liberty, and The Monitor and the Merrimac as well as many more. The audience and The Vets shared a truly fun evening with several of our humorous songs and at the same time shared a new perspective on the war to liberate the enslaved people and to preserve the Union.

John Quinn of the well known 77th Balladeers, who have sponsored the Civil War Music Gathering and Encampment at Windham for many years, graciously offered to do a benefit performance of the group with proceeds to go equally to the Saugerties Historical Society and the Lamouree-Hackett Post #72 Veterans History Museum also in Saugerties. Marge Block, President of the Society and Post Commander Bob Chappelle gratefully accepted the offer and the concert took place on 6/11/16; to coincide with Flag Day. The Veterans in a New Field played a prelude to the concert, featuring; We’ll Fight for Uncle Sam, The Ulster Recruit and We Are Coming Father Abraham,  to a full house at the Kiersted House Barn, a beautifully restored 18th Century building. Donations received at the door and proceeds from the raffle of a patriotic quilt, handmade by Gayle Tucker, were all generously presented to the Veteran’s History Museum by Marge. A good time was had by all and we of the Saugerties community are grateful for the thoughtfulness and kindness of all concerned. The Vets were very happy to welcome our newest member; Gary Whittaker to his first performance with us. His rich mandolin playing added a new dimension to our traditional sound and we are looking forward to many more performances with him.

After our enthusiastic reception by the members of the Ulster County Civil War Roundtable, we  looked forward to our part in the Civil War Music Gathering & Encampment at Centre Church, Rt. 23, Windham, NY – July 31-August 2nd.

The Veterans in a New Field had been invited to play for many years, but this was the first time we had been able to attend. We played our showcase presentation on Saturday, August 1st at 10:30am in the Church and included on our playlist; Clear the Track!, We are Coming Father Abraham, The Rocks of Bawn, We’ll Fight for Uncle Sam, The Army Bean and We Are the Valiant Soldiers. We joined in the Grand Concert at 7:30pm on Saturday night with Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, The Boys Are Marching and the Ulster Recruit.

We were very happy to receive rousing ovations for both sets and this from audiences made up very much of re-enactors and our fellow Civil War era musicians, as well those who have a particular interest in the period and its tunes and songs.

The Ulster Recruit, which RJ and Bill adapted from a traditional Irish ballad, while they were travelling through County Kildare in Ireland a few years back, to tell the story of a young, immigrant quarry worker in Saugerties who decides to join the Union Army, was especially popular with the audience.

Books and CDs were on sale all weekend long in the Church foyer.

The Veterans in a New Field also played the following dates:

8/9/17 at 7pm at the Hunter Library, Hunter, NY

9/17/17 from 2pm to 4pm at Lamouree-Hackett Post 72, American Legion, 30 John Street, Saugerties, NY

10/7/17 from 12noon to 12:30 at Grant Cottage, Mt. McGregor for Generals Day.

Thursday, June 25th, 2015, 7pm Meeting of the Ulster County Civil War Roundtable in the 6th floor Legislative Chambers, Ulster County Office Building, Kingston, NY. We had a rousing night of music at the meeting of the Roundtable and look forward to playing there again.

A great time was had at the launch party.

Saturday, 3/14/15 at 7pm Live Launch Party for our new CD; HURRAH FOR THE UNION! was held at the Inquiring Mind Bookstore corner of Main and Partition Streets in Saugerties, NY. A free concert and a chance to get into the spirit on the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day with songs of the Civil War Irish Brigade.

3/18/18 at the Holiday Residence/Manor at Woodside in Poughkeepsie, NY a St. Patrick’s Day Concert. We return by popular demand; we played a Veterans Day program last summer for or friends there.

6/2/18 At 2pm at Lamouree-Hackett Post 72, American Legion, 30 John Street, Saugerties, NY. Songs of the Civil War and World War I.

7/11/18 At 7pm at the Hunter Library, Hunter, NY Songs of the Union Irish Brigade in the Civil War.

1/27/19 At the Home Sweet Home senior residence in Catskill, NY

3/13/19 At 7pm Bill presented on the history of the Union Irish Brigade for the Greene County Civil War Roundtable at the Greeneville Library.

3/24/19 Back by popular demand at the Home Sweet Home senior residence in Catskill, NY we presented a special St. Patrick’s Day program of music of both the Civil War and, in observance of the Centennial of the end of WWI, popular songs of that era.

6/12/19 Bill presented at the Greene County Civil War Roundtable on the history of the USMC in the Civil War

8/1/19 for our fourth consecutive performance this year at the Hunter Library, we performed a program of Civil War and WWI songs with our highlighting those tunes of the Irish-American Regiments.

UPCOMING SHOWS

10/20/19 We will perform a free concert for the benefit of the Centennial celebration of Lamouree-Hackett Post 72 of the American Legion at the Post Home, 30 John Street, Saugerties, NY 12477. We will play songs of the Civil War and WWI from 1pm to 3pm.  

Here are the tunes on the new CD:

THE BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM – A ROUSING SONG ADVOCATING THE CAUSE OF THE UNION – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODHRAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: VOCAL, TAMBOURINE.

THE IRISH WIDE AWAKE – A HUMOUROUS TALE OF AN IRISH IMMIGRANT WHO CAMPAIGNS FOR LINCOLN IN 1860 AND THEN CAMPAIGNS IN THE WAR WITH THE IRISH BRIGADE – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODHRAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY; VOCAL, TAMBOURINE.

NANCY HANKS/OLD ABE LINCOLN – THE STORY OF OUR FRONTIERSMAN PRESIDENT AND HOW HE SAVED THE UNION – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BONES; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: JAW’S HARP.

KINGDOM COMING – HOW THE ENSLAVED PEOPLE OF THE CAROLINA COAST SEIZED THEIR FREEDOM WITH THE HELP OF THE UNION ARMY AND NAVAL FORCES – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BONES; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: JAW’S HARP.

SKIBBERREEN – THE TRAGIC STORY OF A FATHER AND SON FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOME IN IRELAND BY THE AUTHORITIES DURING THE GREAT FAMINE OF THE 1840s – BILL PAYNE: VOCAL.

THE RISING OF THE MOON – A SONG OF FREEDOM FROM THE RISING OF THE UNITED IRISHMEN IN 1798 – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, PENNY WHISTLE, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS, BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODHRAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: VOCAL, TAMOURINE.

THE ULSTER RECRUIT – THE SAGA OF AN IRISH IMMIGRANT WHO TIRES OF WORKING IN THE QUARRIES OF ULSTER COUNTY NEW YORK AND JOINS THE 20TH NY REGIMENT – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODRHAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: VOCAL, TAMBOURINE.

THE BOATMAN’S SONG – A ROLICKING STORY OF THE FLATBOATMEN OF THE WESTERN RIVERS; A YOUNG ABRAHAM LINCOLN HAD BEEN ONE OF THEM – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BONES; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: JAW’S HARP.

BEAUTIFUL DREAMER – ONE OF THE SWEETEST AND MOST MYSTICAL OF STEPHEN FOSTER’S SONGS – DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL; BOB LUSK: GUITAR.

SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT –  A CHEERING HYMN OF HOPE; A FAVORITE OF BOTH SOJOURNER TRUTH AND HARRIET TUBMAN – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: VOCAL, TAMBOURINE.

SONG IN CAMP – A POWERFUL SONG OF THE CRIMEAN WAR IN WHICH MANY IMMIGRANTS TO AMERICA; IRISH, ENGLISH, SCOTTISH, FRENCH AND ITALIAN, HAD SERVED AND THEN SERVED IN OUR CIVIL WAR. THE LAST VERSE BECAME THE EPITAPH FOR IRISHMAN MYLES KEHOE OF THE US CALVARY –  BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODHRAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: VOCAL, TAMBOURINE.

THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC – A TRIUMPHAL RECOUNTING OF THE VICTORY OF NORTHERN TECHNOLOGY AND PEOPLE AS EMBODIED IN SWEDISH IMMGRANT ERICSSON’S USS MONITOR – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKER; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODHRAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: JAW’S HARP.

THE ROCKS OF BAWN – A POOR YOUNG IRISH FARM LABORER CONSIDERS LEAVING THE ROCKY FIELDS OF HOME TO SERVE ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF THE CIVIL WAR. – BILL PAYNE: VOCAL.

WHEN JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME – A JOYFUL WELCOME FOR THE RETUNING VETERAN – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, BANJO; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL, SHAKERS; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODHRAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: VOCAL, TAMBOURINE.

TAPS – THE CALL TO REST, SOMETIMES ETERNAL REST, COMPOSED BY UNION GENERAL DAN BUTTERFIELD OF NEW YORK – BOB LUSK: VOCAL, CONCERTINA; DALE WELWOOD: VOCAL; BILL PAYNE: VOCAL, BODRHAN; RJ BUTLER: VOCAL, GUITAR; KEVIN UMHEY: VOCAL.

And don’t forget our ever popular first CD: The Veterans in a New Field, Songs of the Civil War Era:

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp the Boys are Marching – a song of hope for Union prisoners of war  – Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo; Dale Welwood: vocal, maracas; Bill Payne, vocal, bodhran; R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar.

Girl I Left Behind Me – a song of love, war and parting from County Carlow, Ireland – Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo

Bard of Armagh –  an ancient wandering minstrel from the Province of Ulster, Ireland sings his finale  –  Bill Payne: vocal

Marching Through Georgia – Uncle Billy Sherman’s army brings the jubilee to the enslaved people at the South – Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo; Dale Welwood: vocal, maracas; Bill Payne, vocal, bodhran; R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar.

Army Bean – a cheerful song of Union soldiers rations – R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar.; Dale Welwood: vocal, maracas; Bill Payne, vocal, bodhran; Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo

Goober Peas –  a humorous ditty of Southern soldiers rations – Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo; Dale Welwood: vocal, maracas; Bill Payne, vocal, bodhran; R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar.

Annie Laurie – an anthem of love and longing from the Scottish soldiers in the Crimea War and the US Civil War – Dale Welwood: vocals.  Bob Lusk: concertina; R.J. Butler: guitar.

Rose of Tralee – a song of beauty and solace crushed in the battlefields of India; from County Kerry, Ireland – Bill Payne: vocal

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Columbia the Gem of the Ocean – a patriotic tune of the early 19th Century called back to active duty in 1862 – Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo; Dale Welwood: vocal, maracas; Bill Payne, vocal, bodhran; R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar.

General Munroe – – a tale of self-sacrifice in the United Irishmen’s Rising for freedom in 1798 -Bill Payne: vocal

Lorena – a song of love and loss, cherished equally by the soldiers in both blue and in gray – Dale Welwood: vocals.  Bob Lusk: banjo, R.J. Butler: guitar.

Sojourner’s Mirror – Ulster County’s own Sojourner Truth pleads in her own words for a peaceful liberation of her enslaved people – Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo

Port Jervis – a bitter tale of two brothers serving at the South in the 14th Infantry, collected in New York in the 1930s – Bob Lusk: vocal

Home Sweet Home, a song known and loved by both sides in the Civil War and by soldiers the world over since that time – Dale Welwood: vocals.  Bob Lusk: vocals, button accordion, R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar; Bill Payne: vocals.

Lincoln and Liberty – a campaign song by the Hutchinson Family supporting the election of the Rail Splitter statesman in 1860 – Bob Lusk: vocal, banjo; Dale Welwood: vocal, maracas; Bill Payne, vocal, bodhran; R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar.

Tenting Tonight – a haunting dream of peace for the hard pressed soldiers of  1863 – Bob Lusk: vocal, guitar; Dale Welwood: vocal,; Bill Payne, vocal, R.J. Butler: vocals, guitar.

Each CD features many of the most popular tunes of our concerts. The CDs are priced at $15 for the first copy and $10 for each additional copy. Order from W.H. Payne, 325 Pine Street, Saugerties, NY 12477. Or at; wpayne@hvc.rr.com. Or call 518-588-5462.