In 1903, Charles Ives considered setting his Uncle Lyman Brewster's play Major John André into an opera, which he would have retitled either "Benedict Arnold" or "1776"—good ideas never die, apparently, as in 1969 a very successful Broadway show by the latter name began its long, Tony-awarded run. Nevertheless, Ives' concept never got very far from the ground, as he abandoned the idea of writing the opera soon after producing Overture and March "1776," scored for a modest-sized theater orchestra of the kind typical in early 1900s America. It begins with a quiet, reflective opening with the oboe in the lead, which is interrupted by a brass figure, sending the music into a more stepping motion and, after a wry transformation of Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, into a dense, multilayered section centered on Columbia, Gem of the Ocean. After a brief return to the opening section, Ives sets up one of his typically uproarious conclusions, which ends the piece. In the version edited by James Sinclair, a decrescendo timpani roll over the final measure is omitted, as this figure was probably intended to open the curtain on an opera that, unfortunately, was never composed.

In 1914-1915 Ives further adapted part of Overture and March "1776" into a work now editorially titled Overture "Nationals" that didn't get past an 11-measure full score and a page of sketches. However, the slow opening and part of the march section were recycled into "Putnam's Camp" from Three Places in New England, and the rest was worked into The Fourth of July, later collected into the "Holidays" Symphony. Fortunately, Ives never managed to lose or discard the manuscript of Overture and March "1776," and as it dates to Christmas Day 1903, it is one of the earliest orchestral works utilizing Ivesian techniques of collage and quotation that has come down in its original, un-derived form. Overture and March "1776" was first performed in New Haven by the Yale Theater Orchestra on March 3, 1974, under the direction of the work's editor, James Sinclair.

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