More McClellan minstrels

SATURDAY | Before we leave the minstrels on the McClellan Poetry Day, I wanted to give another sample of how military personalities percolated into pop culture.

Wood's Mistrels was a rival to Dan Bryant's group (see last week's entry), and was also based in NYC.

In looking at this piece, consider the sequence of the generals named: Halleck, McClellan, Kearny. They appear in command order. Kearny is dead, so the piece was written after Chantilly. McClellan is in Dixie, which means he has crossed out of Maryland. The Library of Congress has dated the song "circa 1862." We can help them a little by narrowing the range to October 1862.

Civil War historians generally revile the McClellan of October, 1862. The minstrel shows were celebrating him.

I have been unable to find the music for this, but the repetion suggests a marching song.

Hold on Abraham, Uncle Sam's Boys Are Coming Right Along.

We're going down to Dixie, to Dixie, to Dixie,
We're going down to Dixie, To fight for the dear old Flag;
And should we fall in Dixie, in Dixie, in Dixie,
And should we fall in Dixie, We'll die for the dear old Flag.

Chorus:
Hold on Abraham,
Never say die to your Uncle Sam;
Uncle Sam's boys are coming right along,
Six hundred thousand strong

Our Flag shall float o'er Dixie, o'er Dixie, o'er Dixie,
Our Flag shall float o'er Dixie, the Red the White and Blue:
We'll ne'er give up 'till Dixie, 'till Dixie, 'till Dixie,
We'll ne'er give up 'till Dixie, sings Yankee Doodle Doo.

Our Halleck's bound for Dixie, for Dixie, for Dixie,
Our Halleck's bound for Dixie, with a million boys or two:
He'll never give up Dixie, old Dixie, old Dixie,
He'll never give up Dixie, 'till she's back in the Union true.

McClellan he's in Dixie, in Dixie, in Dixie,
McClellan he's in Dixie, and ready for the foe:
Do you think he'll give up Dixie, old Dixie, old Dixie,
Do you think he'll give up Dixie, oh, no no no no no no.

Bold Kearney fell in Dixie, in Dixie, in Dixie,
Bold Kearney fell in Dixie, While fighting for us all:
And there is Gen'ral Burnside, our Burnside, old Burnside,
And there is Gen'ral Burnside, he will avenge his fall.

And where is Gen'ral Butler, our Butler, old Butler,
And where is "Picayune Butler," he's gone to Dixie's town:
And there he keeps a stir'ing, a stir'ing, a stir'ing,
And there he keeps a stir'ing, the Secesh up and down.

Brave Corcoran's come from Dixie, from Dixie, from Dixie,
Brave Corcoran's come from Dixie, to speed the cause along:
He's going back to Dixie, to Dixie, to Dixie,
He's going back to Dixie, with a Brigade full and strong.

Our friends have gone to Dixie, to Dixie, to Dixie,
Our friends have gone to Dixie, to fight for the dear old Flag:
And we're all going to Dixie, to Dixie, to Dixie,
And we're all going to Dixie, to stand by the dear old Flag.