The National tribune., 1908-06-18
MORE ABOUT LORENA.
Something About the Homespun Dress.
By Theodore. F. Allen, 7th Ohio Cav.


the Old Songs" melodies which moved
| hearts long ago. In this contribution
was included the war time song, 10
rena," with which every old soldier o
the civil war period was familiar Whel
this contribution was published in TIL
National Tribune, 1 thought the sub
| ject was exhausted, but I find tina
''Lorena" still exists, as note the fol
| lowing:
Out in Los Angeles, Cal, is a maya
| zine of the Old and New Pacific, en-
titled, "Out West" and of this publ
cation Sharlott NJ. Hall is one of tn,
editors.
In a recent article published in thi
| magazine is one entitled, Songs of tn,
Old Cattle Trails" by Sharlott NJ. Hall
wherein he says: 1.-The pale curve of ;
| new moon hung above the mesa; GU
of the level of the plain, black shadow!
detached themselves from the dark
ness, moved uneasily in and out among
multitude of other shadow buks, ant
presently laid down with throaty
breathings of content. A moving
shadow circled the mesa edge, and g
plaintive drawing monotone blended
into the whisper of wind threading the
grass.
'Oh the years creep slowly by, Lorena
The snow upon the grass is green
again,
The suns low down the sky, Lorena,
And frost CLEANS where the flowers
were then"
Tex was singing the herd to sleep
half thousand long horn steers GO
ing up the trail for beef. Too small a
drive to give much trouble, but down
across the sand-wash local roundup
had bedded their stray herd, and the
steers were restless. A steer is like a
child; he has a bad dream, his mate
across the way coughs quickly, prowl-
ing coyote puts up his long nose and
howls thru the grassland the whole
herd is up and plunging in mad flight
across the country.
1T matters little now, Lorena,
OF life there is so small a part;
Down here it's dust to dust, Lorena,
But, oh, up there it's heart to heart
The roundup boys were over at the
camp of the trail outfit, visiting around
the camp fire. Some one threw an
armful of dry mesquite on the embers
of the fire, and thin wisps of flame
sprang up, lighting the saddles and
blanket rolls of the weather beaten
faces of the Cow punchers." TEX
was on the far side Of the cattle now
his voice came sifted down into vague
sweetness:
I'VE loved each other then, Lorena,
More than we ever dared to tell;
And what we might have been, Lorena,
Had but our loving prospered we'll"
A puncher turned impatiently: Say,
some of you fellows that can sing, tune
up. I've heard iLorena put them steers
to sleep all can stand. I'll bet Lo-
rena's bedded down more cattle and
checked more stampedes than any song
that ever SfrIIclxf the - .sss.44..s
Don't you-all be maxim of Lorena
none" said the trail boss. ME and
Tex walked on foot clean from 5Vir-
ginny to the Rio Grande, and that old
song sounded mighty good when we
heard some other gray back singing
it. When i hear a man singing Lo-
rena,' l just say, Lee or Joe John
ston? Don't matter which, he was
there
1t was the veteran soldiers of the
disbanded Confederate armies who
carried +'Lorena% to the old cattle trails
of the Southwest. and l dare say that
even tojthis dayil' Iorena'' is being sung
to quiet the nerves of the restless steers
and / cannot imagine a more suitable
lullaby for this purpos. Doleful as
.Lorena" was, it was probably sung
by more soldiers of both Union and
Confederate armies than any other
There was another song which was
sung mostly in the Confederate army
and by the girls in Dixie. which in the
lapse of years has been lost and al
most forgotten. Prof john Uri Lloyd
the distinguished author of String
town-on-the- Pike" and that widely
known book "Etidorhpa,' heard this
song in his boyhood days as sung by
John Morgan's veteran cavalrymen of
tIa fa1n to- n nrn.r
after the war he desired to reproduce
this song in one of his books. but only
a snatch of it remained in his memory
and after long effort he was unable
to find any one who knew the entire
song. He thereupon offered reward
of $50 for the complete song. The title
of this was 1.-The Homespun Dress-A
Dixie Girls Song"
After a long search it was found,
published liz full in a book entitled
Kentucky Cavaliers in Dixie" by
George Dallas Mosgrove, of the 4th Ky.
Cav, C.. S. A.
When the Confederate forces under
Bragg invaded Kentucky in the race.
against Buells army for Louisville,
Gen. John Morgan's Confederate troop
ers led the advance. While at Lex
ington, KY, in the heart of the Blue
Grass region. this being the home of
promptu ball was given in honor of
the Confederate soldiers, the Southern
girls appearing in homespun dresses.
A young Lieutenant, named Harring-
ton, found the inspiration at this ball
to write the words and a Miss Earle,
an accomplished musician, then pres
ent, improyised the air and sang it to
a piano accompaniment. This song of
the homespun dress spread rapidly and
Lran hn m raf TO
army. or by every one who could sing,
and it was sung on the march and in
camp turnout the South. Lieut.. Har-
rington, the author OF the words. was
killed a few weeks later at the battle
Of Perryville, KY. T,r~A'i t'f
The following are the words:
The Homespun Dress-A Dixie Girls
Song.
oh, yes, am Southern girl
And glory in the name;
boast of it with greater pride
Than glittering wealth or fame;
[ envy not the Northern girl
Her robes of beauty rare,
Tho diamonds 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 sweethearts to the war,
But girls, ne'er you mind
Your soldier-love will not forget
The girl he left behind.