The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Robbie Robertson wrote this song, which is set during the American Civil War - "Dixie" is a term indicating the old American South, which was defeated by the Union army. The song is not related to his heritage, as Robertson is half-Mohawk Indian, half-Jewish Canadian.

Robertson came up with the music for this song, and then got the idea for the lyrics when he thought about the saying "The South will rise again," which he heard the first time he visited the American South. This led him to research the Civil War.

The main character in the song, Virgil Caine, is fictional, but there really was a "Danville train" and "Stoneman's cavalry." The train would have been part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, a vital conduit for the Confederate Army. George Stoneman was a Union cavalry officer who led raids on the railroad.