The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-18
"THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG"
An interesting Account of Its Origin.

An Interesting Account of Its Origin.
That the air and words of this stirring
song were composed in an hour by its
brilliant young author, is known to but
few; the story of its origin has never
been written.
In January, 1861, I was in attendance
as a looker-on at the Mississippi State
Convention, which passed the ordinance
of secession. In the latter days of the
preceding December, South Carolina had
initiated the revolution by "going out of
the Union" Mississippi was the next to
follow suit. When her convention met
at Jackson the first week in January,
Hon. w. S. Barry was chosen president
of that body, which numbered such men
as Hon. Walker Brooke, General ]. q.
George, Hon.. J. L. Alcorn, Wiley P.
Harris, and others well-known to fame as
members. 1 recall the deep solemnity
which characterized the proceedings of
that splendid body of gallant spirits.
They did not rush like madmen, as many
suppose, into the whirlpool of secession
ON the other hand, the deliberations
were calm, statesmanlike, manly and
digni6ed, Indicating that from their sis
ter States they parted company more in
sorrow than in anger. Quite a number
of the members had been elected as
Union men or co-operatists, instructed to
counsel waiting for the cover act;" the
southern states meantime, to enter into
defensive league with one another, ready
to resist the first open attack by the fed
eral government upon the peculiar in
stitution. The majority, however, looked
upon this scheme as utterly impractical
ble-for, they argued, there will be no
open trespass upon our rights; abolition
ism will work by slow, insidious agencies,
and, before we dream of such result,
we shall be bound hand and foot A
more digni6ed, able, patriotic delibera-
tive and earnest investigation of great
question was never, for number of days,
more gravely debated. 1t was bitter
trial to men whose fathers, like them
selves, had followded the starry banner
under a new and untried standard; it
was hard to part company with those
splendid memories which had become
the best portion of our country's proud
history; and when, finally, just as twi-
light fell over the state house on the
evening of January 9th, 1861, and the
president of the Convention, the vote
having been announced, rose, and slowly
unfurled the little blue flag with its sim
gle. red Star in the centre, and proclaim
ed that Mississippi had dissolved the
political bonds which had connected
her" with the Union of our fathers;
strong men bowed their heads and wept.
I shall never cease to recall this, the most
solemnly impressive scene have ever
witnessed
But I have been led away by these
memories from the object Of my sketch,
the origin of the
"BoNNIE BLUE FLAG"
During the last few days of the con-
vention, Harry cCarthy, supported by
young lady, who accompanied him in
his original and selected songs, was Civ
ing variety of entertainments at An
gelo's Hall, in that city, consisting of
songs, serious and comic, dancing, in
strumental music, etc. On the afternoon
of the 9th of January, Judge Wiley P.
Harris, late Chief Justice, and one Of
the soundest lawyers living, met the
gifted young Irishman on the street, and
remarked:
"Mac, the convention will adopt the
ordinance of secession sometime this af-
ternoon, and you will have large audi
ence this evening. Permit me to offer
suggestion: Why can you not compose
a song pertinent to the occasion? Give
US patriotic song-one which shall,
perhaps, be universally received as ma
tional something soul stirring and
patriotic, that may become as immortal
as the ordinance ITSELF"
Young Mccarthy caught the idea at
once, retired to his room, and in three or
four hours was singing, for the first time
in public, the "Bonnie Blue Flag" to
house crowded to its utmost capacity.
And not once, or twice, or thrice only,
did he sing the new song that night; but
he was encored again and again, twelve
or fifteen times at least, until he became
hoarse from singing and the audience
almost exhausted from applauding. The
scene was one, which literally, must
have been seen to have been appreci-
ted.
The "dollar of the daddies" was the
currency at that time, and the audience
absolutely showered gold and silver over
the stage. recall one gentleman who
was seated about the centre of the hall,
near supporting column, and who had
evidently taken on little extra patriot
ism Observation-Disclosures agility, under the
excitement of the hour, was equal to the
supremest test. Wrapping his arms and
legs about the pillar, he climbed up un-
til his head struck the ceiling.
The accompaniment on the piano was
we'll executed, and whilst singing. Nc
Carthy promenaded the stage back and
forth waving his flag. One verse espe-
cially when first delivered came near
"bringing down the house" literally:
$50 long as the Union
Was faithful to her trust,
Like friends and like brothers,
We were kind-we were just!
But when northern treachery
Attempts our rights to mar,
Well hoist on high the Bonnie Blue
Flag,
That bears single star"
From that hour there was nothing but
the Bonnie Blue Flag in Southern air.
AS the visitors to Jackson returned home,
north east, south and west, they spread it
every where. The rigid critic of the
words, in the light of this hour, may not
feel their full force as we experienced it
then, but, surely, the "Marsellies Hymn"
could not have been originally more
warmly received than was our simple little
"Bonnie Blue Flag" and of which one of
the first lawyers in the south was the
immediate inspiration.
THE CHUFA FAILURE.-The Will
mington IN. C.) Reuie,o says: Spanish
chufa is failure. At least SO it is pro-
nounced by many who has given it what
they consider a fair test. Some of the Pen