New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1919-03-01
CIVIL WAR SONGS.

II is very credita Bile to The New
Times and TO number Of its con
trid lations that something lik,
a trivial both to the public inter.
est and discussion has arisen in ref
erencc TO some of the familiar mus.
zeal products of the civil war. 1t
is of historic value. too. that the
origin and some Of the salient char.
acteristics Of several Of the more
popular Of those war songs should
be definitely authenticatedk0 Thi,
desire, | regret to say. is not us
usIly regarded by those who rely
mainly upon their personal re
collections Of certain incidents or
events Of the period Of the "civiI
misunderstanding between the
States. y
I'm leagues Civil War Museum
at Aiken! S. G. owned by the pre-
sent Commander of the Confeder
ate Camp of South Carolina. Brig
Gems B. M. league, may be seen
a documentary history of "Dixie
Land with copy. from the first
published edition. of the words and
music, t1S60, by Pond, publisher,
New. York. copyright.) This with
its history, ,wos deposited with then
Major league by. this writer. thirty
wears a,o. after nearly twenty
years of intermittent effort to. es-
tablish beyond future cavil the
facts / desired to perpetuate.
through cumulative proofs.
Dixie, was not an inspiration.
musical. military, or otherwise.
it was the competitive outcome
Of the Observation-Disclosures and come
dams of Dan Bryant's Ministries
(472 Brodway) in a competitive
effort for something newer" in a
field occupied nightly by four or
five rival MINISTRIES troupes. each
under constant necessity for some
thing new. The words of "Dixie"
wretchedlv- meaningless. were Dan
Emmett s sponsored the comuos-
ition. became quite famous. but
died in poverty.
,'fDixie sentry into Southern
war popularity was also an acct
dent. but subsequent association
throughout the war gave it an ele-
yation immortal in song and re-
weren't in memory.
In December. 1860, a few weeks
preceding the secession Of South
Carolina. Rumsev and Newcombs
Minstrels played a week at the
South Carolina Institute Hall. the
largest in Charleston. They an
nounced Dixie Land" as the
nightly windup Ga plantation walk
around.) Che music caught the !
public fancy and the little darkies
whistled it in the streets. As the
local brass bands had to abandon
all the national air and nothing
remained to them save the MAR
seillaise' il may he easily imagin-
ed with what avidity they fell up-
on this new and inspiring negro
ditty. In few days the strains
Of Dixie" filled the air through
all the hours.
On the same December South
Carolina went ont of the I'm
ion. On Christmas night while
Major Anderson. Z. s. A. was
dining with Major Macbeth
Of Charleston. Anderson's garri-
son secretly abandoned Fort Moul-
trie. on Sullivan IS Island, and oc-
cupied Fort Sumter. in the harbor.
On discovering this. Governor Pic
kens called for 10000 troops
and had them in seven days.
Meanwhile every band blared
Dixie. " It's notes were waited
to Anderson's garrison from each
of the surroundings Islands. and it
was PLAYED in triumph while his
eapitulated artillerists were emf
barking at the fort on the barges
of the steamer Baltic.
One week after the lombard
ment. those South Carolina troors
nucleus of the afterward famous
army Of Lee, were on there way
to Virginia--and "tDixie'. went
enthusiastically along with them.
1t went into all their battles.
Nights and day it's notes, now fam
iliar in every camp. cheered then
and all the other troops as they