Sunday Washington globe., 1901-12-29
The Author Of "The Bivouac
Of the Dead"
FOUGHT FOR THE SOUTH
En the Civil War and Served with
Distinction in MeKicO-His Immor-
tai Poem Commentaries His Fallen
Comrades OF the Mexican War.
Celtic Martial Lyrics Superior to All
Others

" "AohANSiONi ~. ~ DcteNtOefi I9Of
I Editor Sunday Globe
Wall you kindly inform me through the
columns of your excellent journal as to who
IS the author of the following verses
The muffled drums sad roll has beat
The soldiers last tattoo;
No more on life's parade will meet
i The brave and gallant few
! On fames eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards with solemn rouAd
hebivouac Of the dead
claim they were written by an Irish
! American, Confederate general, while my
friend insists they were written by a general
| in the Union Army after the war Please
answer and oblig- CELr.
The author Of THE BIvOUAC OF THE
! DEAD Colonel Theodore O'Hara, was a
/ confederate officer, but he also served in
the Mexican war, and it is the men who
fell in that war his unrivalled poem i'm.
mortalizes. Colonel o Hara was pure
| Celt, or else he never could have written
these beautiful soul-stirring verses
If he were an Anglo Saxon the martial
chant would have degenerated into a nasal
! hymn like God Save the Queen" OF My
] a
/ Gael can write or has ever written martial
! lyrics which stir the blood and nerves
| even the coward arm to resistance. ." The
/ French MARsEGLLAIsE, the Scotch Scots
Wha Hae w here Wallace Bled and the
Irish O'Donnell Aboo have the swing, the
FIRE, the reckless welcome to death, "
which soldiers and the brave Of every
| cline love to sing, and which inspires the
responsive heart to deeds of heroism
! The nearest approach to this Gaelic mar
tial spirit as expressed in battle lyrics is
the Teutonic WAcHT AM RHINE but the
Welsh MARCH OF THE MEN OF HARLEY"
and several other swinging airs both words
and music, are superior in the matter of
rhythm and inspiration
The down-trodden peasants of France
fought aud defeated almost combined
Europe in their first battle (Valmy) under
the maddening recollections of their
wrongs az expressedin this noblest of all
battle hymns, De Lisle's AIARSEILLAISE
The Irish Brigade at Fontenoy turned de-
feat into victory under the inspiration of
that superb, martial lyric, "ODoNNELL
/ ABoop' as their pipers played the regiments
/ Of Clare and Burke and Dillon and O'Brien
/ into line for the grand charge which utterly
routed the victorious English and added
aaothsr wreath to the victor brow of Ia belle
France. The Welsh-Irish poet Thomas
1 Davis in hisipoetic description of the charge
describes the valor of the English who
Dressed their ranks upon the hill
To face that battle wind
Their bayouets, the breakers foam,
Like rocks the men behind.
One whitening voley from their ranks,
When through tire surging smoke
With empty guns clutched in their hands,
The head long Irish broke
"Ou Fontenoyl On Fontenoy bark to that
fierce huzzai
Revenge, remember Limerick dash down
these Saxon slaves"
The English, although victors of the field
up to this charge, were utterly routed, and
to the cadence Of O'DoNNELL ABoo on the
wild Irish pipes the poet sings:
"Ou Foutenoy On Fouteuoy like eagles in
the sun,
The Irish stand with bloody plumes the
field is fought and wou'
There is nothing so inspiring to the sol
dier as the martial music of his country,
the bands playing the well-knowu airs
quicken the steps of even the laggards until
the firing line is reached How depressed
we felt when advancing in line at the Will
derness as our ears were saluted with
"Lannegan's Ball " a ridiculous but rolick-
ing Irish ditty, it looked to US as if we we're
hired to murder the enemy and that the
tune was being played to drown remorsel
Imagine French soldiers going in" under
the inspiration Of
March on March on all hearts resolved
On victory or death!'
This chorus Of their magnificent battle
hymn and the contrast of American soldiers
marching into the most sanguinary battle of
modern times to the tune of "Lannegan's
Ballw
The American bands did not know the
music of 70 DonnelI Aboo" and if they
did the men would not understand it. but
everybody knew the rolicking, devil-may-
care rhythm Of Lanqegan's Ball, and to that
air thousands of brave American soldiers
tripped lightly to-death
Colonel o Hara was a familiar figure to
the writer when a resident of Kentucky a
short time after the civil war. In appearance
he was an ideal soldier and typical Celt,
proud Of his ancient lineage and loyal to his
state. He was fine classical scholar and
was the author of an equally meritorious
OF companion piece to THE BIvoUAc OF
THE Dead He died some years ago and
his remains rest we believe, under the
monument raised in Lexington, Ky, to the
Mexican veterans whom his poem immor.
taizes
The encyclopaedia will give "Celt more
extensive information of this Irish
American whose poem furnishes the sub
lime dedicatory verse TO the cemeterys of
the nation where sleep the brave who fought
and died that this Republic might not
perish from the face Of the earth
REST on, embalmed and sainted dead,
Dear as the blood you gave;
No impiOus footstep here shall tread
L.. L. Il - .--.. ~