The 1861 Project is a collection of original songs that imagine the stories of the real people who fought and lived through the Civil War. Maguire sings ‘Old Before Our Time’, while Merriman handles lead vocal duties on ‘Eyes’, narrating the story of an Irish immigrant, one of many drafted into Union service from their new home in New York City.

The album was produced by Thomm Jutz in Nashville and all the songs have been written by some of Nashville's top songwriters. The album also includes contributions from US country stars Marty Stuart, John Anderson, Dana Cooper and Irene Kelley.
According to producer Jutz, “The 1861 Project is a collection of new and original songs that bring to life the stories of the real people who fought and lived through the American Civil War. These distinctive artists have collaborated to create a collection that not only explores this historically rich era, but also seeks out the wisdom and warnings latent in countless Civil War stories.”

To find out more about the project and listen to the songs, go to [link]www.1861project.com[/link].