"The Vacant Chair" was a Civil War poem written by Henry S. Washburn and set to music by George Root in 1862. It provides an example of a song from the home-front perspective. The melancholy song mourns the loss of a son and remembrance of 'how our noble Willie fell'. This is a reference to Second Lieutenant John William Grout, whose death at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff in 1861 inspired Washburn’s lyrics. The image of ‘the vacant chair’ signifies the empty space Grout’s absence left as the family gathered for Thanksgiving. The melody, for me, brings to mind "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning", a hymn written by Philip P. Bliss in 1871. In 1864 he went to Chicago in the employ of Dr. George F. Root, the musician, where he was engaged in conducting musical Institutes, and in composing Sunday School melodies. Maybe there is a connection between the two melodies. "The Vacant Chair" was recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford on his album Tennessee Ernie Ford Sings Civil War Songs of the North which is where I learned it. Other Civil War era songs in this collection are: "The Bonnie Blue Flag" "Dixie" "The Faded Coat of Blue" "Goober Peas" (in the Tunes section) "Just Before the Battle, Mother" "Lorena" "Marching Through Georgia" "Union Dixie" "The Year of Jubilo"