Tenting on the Old Camp Ground (Illustrated)

Unpaginated. Cream boards with brown titles, all edges gilt, floral endpapers. Words and music by Walter Kittredge. "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" (also known as Tenting Tonight) was a popular song during the American Civil War. A particular favorite of enlisted men in the Union army, it was written in 1863 by Walter Kittredge and first performed in that year at Old High Rock, Lynn, Massachusetts. A tableau vivant was given on May 29, 1897, in the auditorium of Girls High School (San Francisco) by Union Army veterans, at right, who sang Tenting on the Old Camp Ground. A Methodist camp meeting variant appeared with title "Tenting Again" in 1869, using the same tune but words modified for the religious environment. Charles Ives later quoted the song in his own political song, "They Are There," changing the lyrics to "Tenting on a new campground"—referring to a worldwide social democracy.