The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-09
THE NAN OF THE 18TH OF MAY.
How the Stirring Song by Judge Fall
Iigant Was Written and Lost.


Judge Robert Falligau was recently
song, THE Man Of the 18th of May" to
be stored with the world of cherished
things in the Georgia room of the Con-
federate museum.
The letter making the inquiry was writ
ten by Miss Katherine Styles, who is in
| charge of the Georgia room in the old
confederate white house IN Richmond,
where the museum has been established,
and Judge Falligant felt profound regret
In being unable TO comply with the re-
quest, the fact being that he lost the
original Of the altogether charming verses
the night before the surrender at Apo
mattox, while in an engagement
Nearly everybody is familiar with this
song, commemorating Gordon's famow ;
charge of the 18th of May, and it ha S
since the war come to be one of the song s
of the repertoire Of nearly every house
hold throughout the entire south. FIut.
the story that tells how it came to he
written, and how the original copy clrne
to be lost is interesting and bears re-
peating.
Editor Daniels of the Richmond Dis
patch was the first man to dub Gen. John
%. GOfuOn, tine man OF Ine lZLh OF N Hy, -
in all probability, his paper fairly gilt
tering in those days with bright and
breezy reports of the chtvalroUls deeds of
confederates on the field. The rhyt hmic
flow of the phrase its euphony and allit-
Grafton had, in common parlance, made
, a HIT with Adjt Falligant, hims elf a
man of poetic turn and happy in tile art
of phrase-making.
1t kept haunting the mind of the Geor-
gian on the field, and while he wa 81 on a
trip to Georgia, or rather, attemp ting to
make a trip to Georgia, and stopping over
at James Island, near Charleston, he
wrote the poem. He does not know him
self just why he should have avn 8kened
that night at exactly midnight, cut he
did, and feeling restless and fins ling 1t
difficult to fall asleep aga ia he
decided to spend the time writ
ing He was not long at work
before the verses had been fran ed and
put on paper, and folding the pape in his
pocket he went to sleep. Within few
days after that time he was on / is way
back to Petersburg to rejoin his cor nmand
finding that on account of washout along
the roads he could not get to Geor gia. He
read the verses to the soldiers arc ind the
camps, and they enjoyed the 50 ng and
many time they would find the mselves
singing over the first verse:
when history tells her story
OF the noble hero band,
Who have made the green fields CORY
For the life of their native Ia nd
How grand will be the picture
OF Georgia's proud array,
AS they drove the boasting foer lan back
On that glorious 18th of May, bciys,
That glorious 18th of May"
The afternoon before the sure nder near
Appomattox station, Judge Fal ligant, as
adjutant in the gallant Cabslpis artillery
battalion, was with the officers at their
frugal supper, consisting of oorn bread
and water when suddenly tho, sound of
carbnes rang out and orders were given
to make ready for battle. The guns were
thrown into place in a jiffy. and within a
few moments the engagement with Gus
ter's cavalry was at full bls st and the
bullets we're flying like leNden shower.
Judge Falligant remembered leaving his
valise behind in the headqua rters wagon,
and went between the lines to get 1t. 1t
was in this satchel that he had stored all
of the cherished letters fro IN his sweet
heart at home, as well as the original
copy of the Man of the 12tll of May" He
ran back to get the letters nd papers par
ticulary and with the bull Is flying thick
and fast above his head, he decided to
hastily grasp the package of letters and
papers, thrust them in hits jacket pocket
and leave the valse. Hts did this and
rushed back into line.
There 1t was that he lost the original
copy that is now sought as a relic by the
Confederate Museum, for he made a mis-
take, took the wrong package, and left
not only the original We rises but also the
| letters he went back to Procure. With the
valise was captured all that was vaIua-
HE.