Marching Through Georgia (sometimes called Marching
Thru' Georgia) is a marching song written by Henry
Clay Work in 1865, referencing U.S. Maj. Gen. William
Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea during the previous
year. It was widely popular with Union Army veterans
after the war. However, General Sherman himself despised
the song, in part because it was played at almost
every public appearance that he attended. Outside
of the Southern United States, it had a universal
appeal: Japanese troops sang it as they entered Port
Arthur, the British sang it in India, and it was popular
with the Allies in World War II. It remains a popular
tune for brass bands, and has lent its tune to a number
of other popular songs, including The Land, Billy
Boys and Come In, Come In. It was also sung by a carpetbagger
in Gone with the Wind.