The morning call., 1890-11-30
ABOUT A FAMOUS
WAR SONG.
"All Quiet Along the Potomac"
How 1t Came to Be Written.
A Line at the Head Of Newspaper Article
Inspired the Writing Of the Words OF
the Song by Lamar Fontains.

n
data. "When l was prisoner in the Con-
federates' hands at Charleston, S. c.,
movement was started to exchange me for
Fontaine, whom our troops had captured.
Each of us held the rank of Major at the
time. But the scheme miscarred, and he
was exchanged for Major Harry White of
Pennsylvania.
",rhis man. Lamar Fontaine," continued
the General, sis famous through the South
for two things. 1t is he who, in May, 1868,
undertook the seemingly foolhardy but
nevertheless successful exploit of carrying
supply of percussion caps from the Con
federate General Lorings headquarters at
jackson, Miss, TO the beieaguered General
Pemberton in Nicksburg. when that COM
mander was entirely out Of caps, and con-
sequently could not fire gun
=" FOntaine-who then, as now, was.
Mississippian-ha horses shot under him,
and any quantity of bullets fired at him,
making numerous holes in his clothes and
eouipage, beside other frightful dangers in
that terrible experience. He is the hero OF
twenty-seven hard-fought battles, and came
out Of the war minus leg and bearing 9Iher
evidences of his war experiences lie is
still living in his native State. where, at the
age.of co. he works hard at his profession OF
surveyor and civil engineer.
"The other thing for which he IS cele-
brated is as the real author of the popular
war song. All Quiet Along the Potomac To-
night To be sure, that fact is disputed, but
/ notice in book Of war songs recently pub
lished he is given the credit which 10 MIN
rightfully belongs.
But it is not my purpose to go into the
discussion Of question in which the pubic
is little interested what l do care for is the
deeply interesting narrative of wartime
episode in connection with the poem, as told
in his recent correspondence with me-, These
are the letters. Read them yourself"
Thank you, General" And
THIS is THE STORY:
1t appears that not long after the first
battle of Bull Run, in which Fontaine, as. a
| private in Company k-the Burt Rifes-
| Eighteenth Mississippi Regiment, took part,
| be was transferred to the Second Virginia
| Cavalry, and at the time Of which this mar
| ratiye treats was doing picket duty Just
| above the head of an island near the Seneca
| Falls on. the Potomac. This was in August,
/ 1S61-one month after Bull Run. So many
| of the COnfederates had gone home on fur
/ Tough that the picket lines were thin, being
stretched over vast extent OF river-front,
! and what few men, comparatively, were on
| the front had to do double duty.
| 1t was here that Fontaine and another
| private named Moore formed close friend
| ship Moore was married man. and
| fairly idolized his wife and their two beauti-
| full young children. Moore and Fontaine
| were together, whether on picket or guard
duty. They chung to each other. They
| bought little hand-books of poems-Byron,
Burns aud others-and together they would
| sit in the cool Shade OF trees or hanging
| rocks that lined the Potomac above the
falls of Seneca, and read aloud to each other
| passages from their favorite authors.
| At this section of the two army lines the
pickrts on either side of the waters, Federal
and Confederate, had come to an under
standing and agreement that there should
| be no firing at each other while on picket
duty; and but for the treacherous violation
| of this contract by dastardly soldier the
| incident herewith related would not have
occurred and "All Quiet Along the Potomac
| Tonight" would never have been penned.
l give the story in Fontaine's own graphic
words:
1--WE had to stand ON post six hours at
time. That night. l took my stand at 6
| o'clock and Moore retired to rest. The
| nights were chilly and we usually kept some
fire burning. There was small spring Of
water close by, and large fallen pine tree
| that | used to sit on and rest at times, after
| walking my beat, and L have frequently
stopped at the spring and bathed my face
when the dreary monotony. of the still
| night had tendency to lull me to sleep.
AS soon as | found that midnight had ar
rived l stepped TO the fire and threw on
some pine knots, and reused Moore to take
my place.
"He rose slowly, picked up his gun.
| stepped to the fire and stretched himself, as
a sleepy soldier will, and gaped and yawned.
| and while his arms were extended and his
| hand grasping the barrel of his gun, there
| was flash across the river and the whiZ of
| bullet, and he sank to the earth with a
hole just above his eye on the left side, from
which flowed a dark, crimson tide. Not
| word, not grOan escaped him.
| REMOVED HIS REMAINS
From near the fire where he had fallen.
| And as l did so my eyes fell on the tele-
| graphic column Of newspaper, and it was
| headed: .Al Quiet Along the Potomac To-
night And, oh, how truthful it wasl 1t
| was certainly all quiet with me and with
| him whom l loved as brother
| Il could not help shedding tear, and my
| thoughts reverted to his home, his wife and
his children. and to the falsehood told by
| those whose guest | had been and whose
| grew bitter, and demon of vengeance
| arose in my heart, which was not stilled
until the white dove OF peace had spread
| her snowy pnions over the whole face of
| the land and the bombshell rolled across the
| sward the playthins of child
| when morning dawned the words in that
| newspaper were burned in my brain. They
| rang in my ears and were painted on every
| scene that met my view. put my friends
| effects together-his letters, sword, hat all
| and expressed them to mis- wife. with a true
! and perfect description of his death. And
| while stood beside his cold form and gazed
at his marble face and glazed eyes in the I'M
broken silence of my lonely watch felt
| what few mortals ever feel In this shadOwy
| vale. l penned the outlines of the poem
| then and there. but not as they now appear,
! for the first were biting and sarcastic. l
| read the crude copy to Orderly Sergeant w.
| w. Williamson (who was fine critic( and
| Lieutenants Graham and Deprltt OF my COM
| pany, and Williamson suggested that if l
| would only make it MORE pathetic, instead
| of sarcastic, it would take better.
Il did So and on the 9th of August had
it complete, as the poem now stands, and l
| read it to my messmateS and received their
| highest commeDdatiOn. l gave them copies
| of the original and they recopied and sent
them home. and soon the whole regiment,
| brigade. division'and army were In posses
| sion of it.
"My father, whom.I met shortly after the
| completion OF it, suggested that, instead of
! stray picket l ought to say, lone picket
| But did not alter it. The ladies of Lees
| burg, in Loudon County, Virginia, put the
words to music and used to sing them for us
| long before they were printed: Lgave one
! copy to Miss Eva Lee and one to Miss.
| Hempstone. Also copy to Jehn NJ. Orr,
| who at the time was Mayor of the town. gave
| copies to many others whose names L cannot
| recall The following Is copy from the
ORIGINAL POEM.
'All quiet along the Potomac" they say,
Except here and there stray picket
| Is Slot as he walks on his beat and fro
BY rifeman hid In the thicket."
| IT'S nothing-a private ortwo. now and then.
Will not count in'the news of tho battle;
| Not an officer lost-enly one OF the men
Moaning out, all alone, the death rattle
All quiet along the Potomac tonight,
Where the soldiers lie peacefully dreaming:
| Their tents in the rays OF the clear autumn moon
| Or In the light of ther. eampfres cleaning.
| A tremulo Gus sigh gentle night wind
| Through the forest leaves softly Is creeping,
While the stars up above, with their gathering eyes,
| Keep guard Ger the army while sleeping.
There is only the sound OF the lone sentry's tread,
AS he tramps from the rock to the fountain,
| And thinks of the two the low trun dI e-bed,
| Far away in the cot on the mountain.
His musket falls back-and his face, dark and GRIM
grows gentle with memories tender,
| AS he mutters prayer for the children asleep.
| For their mothcr-may heaven defend herL -
|
| The moon seems to shine as brightlyas then,
| That night whom the love yet unspoken = :.