The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-09-13
SOME REBEL POEMS.
Sketches of the Songs that Urged
Patriots to Battle.

Cincinnati Commercial: A dis
cussion of the once-famous rebel
war song of Maryland, Ny Mary
land" has revived interest in the
songs that thrilled the hearts OF
both northern and southern soldiers
as they went forth to seige and bat
tie. The song referred to was
written by James r. Randall, now,
We believe, one of the editors of the
Augusta Chronicle, and bears date
of Pointe Coupee, April 26, 1881
There-are no such lines in it as
these:
"The tyrant's heel is on thy neck,
Maryland, Ny Maryland."
The first verse Is as follows
The despot's heel is on thy shore.
Maryland
His torch is at thy temple door,
Marylandl
Avenge thy patriotic gore
That tiecked the streets of Baltimore.
And be the battle queen of yore.
Marylandl Ny MAryland!"
Maryland is at that time trem
bling in the balance between loyalty
to the union and secession, and this
song was intended to FIRE the hearts
of the people and win them over to
the side of Virginia, which had just
cast her fortunes with the new con-
federacy. 1t Immediately became
popular, and was sung in every
camp from the Potomac to the Mis-
sissippi; but Maryland remained
steadfast to the union, despite this
powerful appeal.
The lyric quality of the Southern
song writers during the war was
conspicuous. Their songs were an
mated by the intensest local patri-
otism, and breathed the fiercest
spirit of war;
Albert Pike, who was once
thought to be the coming great
American poet, wrote song quite
as popular as my Maryland" and
adapted to the tune of 'fDixie.'
The opening verse is stirring
enough:
..Soathrons, hear your country call you'll
Upl lest worse than death befall youl
To armsl To arms! To arms in Dixie
Lol all the beacon-fres arc lighted,
Let all hearts be now united!
To armsl To armsl To armsl in Dixiel
Advance the flag of DiXiel
Hurrahi Hurrah
For DiXie's land we take our stand,
And live and die for Dixie
To armsl To armsl
And conquer peace for Dixiel
To arms! To arms!
And conquer peace for Dixiel'
The battle of Manassas, or Bull
Pun nc II xroc I-DOur Of Tho north
called out many stirring poems, cal
culated to renew the courage of the
southern people, and fire them with
renewed exertion for independence.
Among the most graphic of these,
and with a certain grim humor in
it, was one entitled "Flight of Doc
dies" A few sample verses must
suffice:
81 come from old Manassas with pocket
full of fun
killed forty YaLless with SINGLE bar
1t don't make a nif-a stiffsrence to neither
Big Yankee, little Yankee, all run or die.
81 saw old Fuss-and- Feathers Scott, twenty
miles away,
His horses stuck up their ears, and you
ought to hear 'em neigh;
But it don't make q niff-a -stiference to
neither you nor |,
Old Scott fed like the devil, boys; root, hog,
or die"
And so on for quantity.
"The Bonnie Blue Flag" was one
of the most singable lyrics of the
war, and was Immensely popular,
even in the north, by reason of its
beautiful air. 1t tells how, when
''our rights were threatened" the
cry arose for the Bonnie Blue Flag
''that bears a single starr" and re-
cites the secession of state after
state, and concludes as follows:
'Then, cheer, boys, cheer; raise the joyous
shout,
beth gone out;
And let another rousing cheer for Tennessee
be given,
The single star of the Bonnie Blue Flag has
grown to bs eleven"
This fixes the date of this song.
1t was written after the secession of
the eleven states had been compile
ted and before there had been much
fighting.
Later on, when the Congress and
Cumberland had been sunk by the
rebel iron-clad Manassas, a poem
appeared entitled "The Turtle"
which, although highly humorous,
did not have large circulation in
the north, whose people failed to
see any humor in the performance
of a vessel that threatened the en-
tire American navy with destruc-
tion. At this distance of time, how
ever, it will be better appreciated,
and as it is most likely new to the
majority of our readers, we repro
duce it entire:
''THE TURTLE"
"C@sar, afoat with his fortunes,
And all the world sgog,
Straining its eyes
At thing that lies
In the water, like a log.
It's a weaselI q whale!
| see its tall
It's q porpoisel polywog
"Tarnationl it's turtlel
And blast my bones and skin,
My hearties, sink her,
Or else you'll think her
A regular terror-pin,
"The frigate poured broadsidel
The bombs they whistIed we'll,
But-hit old Nick
With a sugar-stiokl
They didn't phase her she'll
"Piff, from the creatures larbosrd-
And dippinQ along the water