This song is set during the Civil War in the US, and the elder son (probably) is going off to fight with the Union Army at what became known as the Battle of Shiloh, or Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, which took place in southwestern Tennessee in the Spring of 1862. The narrator of the song is probably the father of the family (unless it's the grandfather telling the story and Little Dan and Becky's father that is going to war).
I honestly never thought I'd hear three of my early 70s rock heroes harmonizing together as they do on this moving song. Neil Young adds a haunting quality to his verse and the choruses, along with Leon Russell and Elton John. It's also a refreshing change to hear a song with a hero that's fighting for the North in the Civil War, as there are so many cliché tunes featuring "rebel heroes".
This song is set during the Civil War in the US, and the elder son (probably) is going off to fight with the Union Army at what became known as the Battle of Shiloh, or Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, which took place in southwestern Tennessee in the Spring of 1862. The narrator of the song is probably the father of the family (unless it's the grandfather telling the story and Little Dan and Becky's father that is going to war).
I honestly never thought I'd hear three of my early 70s rock heroes harmonizing together as they do on this moving song. Neil Young adds a haunting quality to his verse and the choruses, along with Leon Russell and Elton John. It's also a refreshing change to hear a song with a hero that's fighting for the North in the Civil War, as there are so many cliché tunes featuring "rebel heroes".