The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-12-31

was one OF THESE copies Which i was
fortunate enough to secure, and which
is reproduced here.
The EEomespun Dress.
Oh. yes. | am q Southern girl.
And glory in the name;
I boast Of it with greater pride
Than glittering wealth or fame.
7 envy not the Northern girl
Her robes of beauty rare,
Though aiamCnds deck her snowy
neck
And pearls bestud her hair.
CHORUS:
Hurrah, hurrah,
For the sunny South. so dear.
Three cheers for the homespun dress
The Southern ladies wear.
Now Northern goods are out of date;
And since Old Abe's blockade
We Southern girls can be content
With goods that's Southern made,
We send our sw~eethearts to the var
But. girls, ne'er you mind
Your soldier love will not forget
The girl he left behind.
The Southern lands a glorious land,
And has a glorious cause;
Then cheer, three cheers for Southern
rights,
And for the Southern boys,
We ScOrn to wear a bit of silk,
A bit of Northern lace,
But make our homespun dresses up
And wear them with a grace.
| And now, young a a word to YOU.
If YOU would win the fair,
Go to the field where honor calls,
And win YOU lady there.
Remember that our brightest smiles
Are for the true and brave,
And that our tears are all for those
Who fill the soldiers grave.
AS the story was related to me-, i
was on a beautiful morning in tht
early fall of the year 1862 that q small
group of men were standing in from
of a country store in the village o
Carrollton. Ky. watching a detach
ment Of Confederate Genera Morgan
cavalry coming down h pike in tn
distance.
In that little group about the coun
try store was DR.. John Uri Lloyd, tn,
author. as the soldiers filed by tn
store singing THE Homespun Dress.
DR.. Lloyd liked the song, and in afte
years he wanted to print it In one o
his books. He could not remembe
the words and he was unable to fin
the song anywhere. so he offered a re
ward for it.
1t might be we'll to say just her
that the town of Florence, KY, Wher
DR.. Lloyd first heard the song. ha
since become Familiarity known a
"StringtoWn," being the village re
ferred to In "~Stringtown on the Pike.
While Morgan's army was in Lex
ington, Ky, the women of hat cit
gave a ball one night in honor c
MOrgan's men. On tins occasion, it
said, the wOmen appeared in home
spun dresses. Lieutenant Harrington
of Alabama, who was a membe c
NnrCa no army and who attGnHa1 th
ball, was so deeply affected by tn
flower of Kentucky ycung womanhoo
appearing at a ball gowned in home
spun dresses that he wrote the word
to the song, The Homespun Dress.
During the evening hi Young lieut.
nant met at the ball a Miss Earle. an
during those few, hours there grew a
attachment betWeen the two that Wa
more than friendship.
Miss Earle was an accompliShe
musician. and improvised an air fc
the young lieutenant's an
played and sang it on the piano durin
the evening. 1t is said that all tn
; men of Morgan's command 500
, learned the words n the air and o.
ten sang THE Homespun Dress"
, Lieutenant Harrington CAV Mi:
Earle the original manuscript copy
the words Of the song, and it is sal
| that it was from her that Mr.. Mus
; grove, of Carrollton, Ky. secured II
: words of the song, as found in tt
manuscript written by himself.
Lieutenant Harrington was killed
: the battle of P~erryville, October
1862, only a few days after the ba
{ in Lexington, Ky, where he wrote tf
1 words to the song. and wlefe he IN,
$ Miss Earle. Miss Earle died only
Z few years ago. She never marie,
4 She kept the manuscript copy of tt
1 song, just as it was written by LIEUT.
L nant Harrington. all her lifetime. an
5 it is said that she priced ii most higl
I lN.
Lieutenant HarringtOn's grave
c unknown, but the song words whiC
fair Kentucky girl until death Gale
her away to join her soldier lover
a better and brighter world.
$ The song, although never printe
: so far | have been able to learn. h;
lived for almost half a century in II
: hearts OF the few remaining soldie
o of the South and in the hearts of II
few women of those trying days WI
: still live.
q The Homespun Dress should fill
place in the nations archives as a DO
ular song and as a historical meme
to Of that great conflict between Il
States of the Union.
n 1t would be fitting for Alabama
erect a to the memory
J that brave SOldier-poet son of he
who gave his life for the cause he b
S lieved to be right-Iieutenant Ha
e rington, who sleeps today. perhaps,
another State, in a grave unknov
and doubtless unmarked. even by
1t plain slab bearing the inscription ~
Known"