Maine has an official state bird, state flower, and even a state soft drink. Now, lawmakers are considering a measure that would add an official state ballad to the list.Winterport Democrat Scott Cuddy is the sponsor of a measure that would confer that particular honor on a song that commemorates the charge of the 20th Maine regiment at the battle of Gettysburg.
"Joshua Chamberlain led the way in winning the battle of Gettysburg," Cuddy says. "We know this is a defining moment for Maine. Let’s recognize that. Let’s enshrine that as our state ballad.”
Historians agree that Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War, and many credit the 20th Maine’s bayonet charge down Little Round Top, led by Gen. Joshua Chamberlain, as a pivotal event in that battle.
The state already has an official song and an official state march, but supporters say that as Maine prepares for its bicentennial celebration, it should commemorate an important moment in history with a state ballad.
Sean McCarthy is a member of the band Ghost of Paul Revere, which wrote and recorded the ballad.
“It’s so, so cool to be down in Virginia or to be down in Alabama and see a group of people whose descendants fought against my descendants sing the same words with you all the way,” McCarthy says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuvORvF04zQ&list=RDkuvORvF04zQ&start_radio=1&t=130
Correction: An original version of this post erroneously referred to Scott Cuddy with the wrong first name.
