What are we remembering when we sing Auld Lang Syne? This historical narrative follows Ulysses S. Grant from his arrival in Washington to the Overland Campaign and Appomattox, where the meaning of victory changes from defeating an enemy to living with countrymen again. Music, memory, and homesickness run alongside the terrible cost of continuing the war.
Written for New Year's Eve in 2025, the essay returns to the song's invitation: remember old friendships by showing up for the people still here. Grant's resolve and the soldiers' longing for home lead to a question beyond the battlefield. After everything a country has endured, can its people stop celebrating one another's defeat long enough to share a cup and begin again?
Read the essay and sources: https://joelkdouglas.com/2025/12/30/should-old-acquaintance-be-forgot/
