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There have been arguments about whether this tune would have been popular in the south (for obvious reasons), but here is a copy of the sheet music from 1864 that was published in Augusta, Georgia.
I have indeed heard this ole tune a time or two. It was popular back in those days for Confederate soldiers to mock the slaves by speaking the dialect of thy bondsmen and bondsmaids for entertainment. Along the same lines as of a minstral show. Sometimes these tunes gained wide popularity with respect of the Yellow Rose of Texas... "she can make a man a king!" I think that one is referring to a mulatress who held the heart of a Texan fieldhand. Heck, Dixie, our proud national anthem was a song similar to these, and look how far it went in the South.
Christopher E. McBroom, Capt.
16th Ark. Infantry - 1st Arkansas Battalion, C.S.A.
Little Rock Castle No. 1
Order of Knights of the Golden Circle
Actually the Yellow Rose of Texas was about the Mulatto woman, Emily Morgan, who 'entertained' Santa Anna before the Battle of San Jacinto in the Texas Revolution.
Cody Mobley
Texas Ground Hornets
Texas State Troops
[HOUSTON] TRI-WEEKLY TELEGRAPH, October 28, 1863,
Wanted.
All ladies in Houston and surrounding counties who have cloth on hand, which they can spare, are requested to donate it to the ladies of Crockett for the purpose of making petticoats for the Minute Men of this county, who have "backed out" of the service. We think the petticoat more suitable for them in these times.
What you have provided the link for is not THE sheet music, but one published later as a piano arrangement of a particular stage performance of the song.
The original sheet music was published in 1862 as a song authored by Henry C. Work and it was distributed widely. See the cover for that attached.
As I understand it, at the time this sort of song was not thought of differently North or South. It was just what popular song was. You could be an abolishionist, free black or a slave driver and sit in the same audience for this song and not even blink an eye about it because it was just part of the mix of popular entertainment that also mocked the Irish, the Germans, women in general, "Scientists", politicians, opera singers and Shakspearean actors etc., even in the same night.
- Dan Wykes
p.s. to Tim - perhaps Christopher was saying that for him "Dixie" is, not was, a "proud national anthem." (Unfortunately, then) for the South it was written in the North by a Northerner as a finale for some stage clowns.
"Sucks for the South?" Are you serious? What is this, some junior high forum?
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]Carl Anderton[/FONT]
[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][SIZE="2"]"A very good idea of the old style of playing may be formed by referring to the [I]Briggs Banjo Instructor."[/I][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT="Palatino Linotype"][B]Albert Baur, Sgt., Co. A, 102nd Regiment, NY Volunteer Infantry.[/B][/FONT]
This tune was a popular fiddle tune during the war through out the states and was tansferred to fife and drum during the war. Dissregarding the lyrics it was a catchy tune and I think it is a fun song as well.
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