Wisely deciding against taking sides, Tennessee Ernie Ford opted to record two albums celebrating the centenary of the American Civil War in 1961, with Civil War Songs of the North being complimented by Civil War Songs of the South. For some reason, the album of Southern songs found greater favour with the American public when originally released, selling more and for longer than the Northern counterpart, and was still in the catalogue more than a decade later. Even a song such as Dixie, virtually the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy, was much beloved by President Abraham Lincoln!