andersonville-第48章

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fast　as　we　could；　and　picked　up　just　lots　of　'em。　　Finally　it　began　to　be
real　funny。　　A　Johnny's　wind　would　begin　to　give　out　he'd　fall　behind　his
comrades；　he'd　hear　us　yell　and　think　that　we　were　right　behind　him；
ready　to　sink　a　bayonet　through　him'；　he'd　turn　around；　throw　up　his
hands；　and　sing　out：

〃I　surrender；　mister！　　I　surrender！'　and　find　that　we　were　a　hundred　feet
off；　and　would　have　to　have　a　bayonet　as　long　as　one　of　McClellan's
general　orders　to　touch　him。

〃Well；　my　company　was　the　left　of　our　regiment；　and　our　regiment　was　the
left　of　the　brigade；　and　we　swung　out　ahead　of　all　the　rest　of　the　boys。
In　our　excitement　of　chasing　the　Johnnies；　we　didn't　see　that　we　had
passed　an　angle　of　their　works。　　About　thirty　of　us　had　become　separated
from　the　company　and　were　chasing　a　squad　of　about　seventy…five　or　one
hundred。　　We　had　got　up　so　close　to　them　that　we　hollered：

〃Halt　there；　now；　or　we'll　blow　your　heads　off。〃

〃They　turned　round　with　I　halt　yourselves；　you　　Yankee　　

〃We　looked　around　at　this；　and　saw　that　we　were　not　one　hundred　feet　away
from　the　angle　of　the　works；　which　were　filled　with　Rebels　waiting　for
our　fellows　to　get　to　where　they　could　have　a　good　flank　fire　upon　them。
There　was　nothing　to　do　but　to　throw　down　our　guns　and　surrender；　and　we
had　hardly　gone　inside　of　the　works；　until　the　Johnnies　opened　on　our
brigade　and　drove　it　back。　　This　ended　the　battle　at　Spottsylvania　Court
House。〃

Second　Boy　（irrelevantly。）　〃Some　day　the　underpinning　will　fly　out　from
under　the　South；　and　let　it　sink　right　into　the　middle　kittle　o'　hell。〃

First　Boy　（savagely。）　〃I　only　wish　the　whole　Southern　Confederacy　was
hanging　over　hell　by　a　single　string；　and　I　had　a　knife。〃




CHAPTER　XLIV。

REBEL　MUSICSINGULAR　LACK　OF　THE　CREATIVE　POWER　AMONG　THE　SOUTHERNERS
CONTRAST　WITH　SIMILAR　PEOPLE　ELSEWHERETHEIR　FAVORITE　MUSIC；　AND　WHERE
IT　WAS　BORROWED　FROMA　FIFER　WITH　ONE　TUNE。

I　have　before　mentioned　as　among　the　things　that　grew　upon　one　with
increasing　acquaintance　with　the　Rebels　on　their　native　heath；　was
astonishment　at　their　lack　of　mechanical　ski1l　and　at　their　inability　to
grapple　with　numbers　and　the　simpler　processes　of　arithmetic。　　Another
characteristic　of　the　same　nature　was　their　wonderful　lack　of　musical
ability；　or　of　any　kind　of　tuneful　creativeness。

Elsewhere；　all　over　the　world；　people　living　under　similar　conditions　to
the　Southerners　are　exceedingly　musical；　and　we　owe　the　great　majority　of
the　sweetest　compositions　which　delight　the　ear　and　subdue　the　senses　to
unlettered　song…makers　of　the　Swiss　mountains；　the　Tyrolese　valleys；　the
Bavarian　Highlands；　and　the　minstrels　of　Scotland；　Ireland　and　Wales。

The　music　of　English…speaking　people　is　very　largely　made　up　of　these
contributions　from　the　folk…songs　of　dwellers　in　the　wilder　and　more
mountainous　parts　of　the　British　Isles。　　One　rarely　goes　far　out　of　the
way　in　attributing　to　this　source　any　air　that　he　may　hear　that
captivates　him　with　its　seductive　opulence　of　harmony。　　Exquisite
melodies；　limpid　and　unstrained　as　the　carol　of　a　bird　in　Spring…time；
and　as　plaintive　as　the　cooing　of　a　turtle…dove　seems　as　natural　products
of　the　Scottish　Highlands　as　the　gorse　which　blazons　on　their　hillsides
in　August。　　Debarred　from　expressing　their　aspirations　as　people　of
broader　culture　doin　painting；　in　sculpture；　in　poetry　and　prose；　these
mountaineers　make　song　the　flexible　and　ready　instrument　for　the
communication　of　every　emotion　that　sweeps　across　their　souls。

Love；　hatred；　grief；　revenge；　anger；　and　especially　war　seems　to　tune
their　minds　to　harmony；　and　awake　the　voice　of　song　in　them　hearts。　　The
battles　which　the　Scotch　and　Irish　fought　to　replace　the　luckless　Stuarts
upon　the　British　thronethe　bloody　rebellions　of　1715　and　1745；　left　a
rich　legacy　of　sweet　song；　the　outpouring　of　loving；　passionate　loyalty
to　a　wretched　cause；　songs　which　are　today　esteemed　and　sung　wherever　the
English　language　is　spoken；　by　people　who　have　long　since　forgotten　what
burning　feelings　gave　birth　to　their　favorite　melodies。

For　a　century　the　bones　of　both　the　Pretenders　have　moldered　in　alien
soil；　the　names　of　James　Edward；　and　Charles　Edward；　which　were　once
trumpet　blasts　to　rouse　armed　men；　mean　as　little　to　the　multitude　of
today　as　those　of　the　Saxon　Ethelbert；　and　Danish　Hardicanute；　yet　the
world　goes　on　singingand　will　probably　as　long　as　the　English　language
is　spoken〃Wha'll　be　King　but　Charlie？〃　　〃When　Jamie　Come　Hame；〃　　〃Over
the　Water　to　Charlie；〃　　〃Charlie　is　my　Darling；〃　　〃The　Bonny　Blue　Bonnets
are　Over　the　Border；〃　　〃Saddle　Your　Steeds　and　Awa；〃　and　a　myriad　others
whose　infinite　tenderness　and　melody　no　modern　composer　can　equal。

Yet　these　same　Scotch　and　Irish；　the　same　Jacobite　English；　transplanted
on　account　of　their　chronic　rebelliousness　to　the　mountains　of　Virginia；
the　Carolinas；　and　Georgia；　seem　to　have　lost　their　tunefulness；　as　some
fine　singing　birds　do　when　carried　from　their　native　shores。

The　descendants　of　those　who　drew　swords　for　James　and　Charles　at　Preston
Pans　and　Culloden　dwell　to…day　in　the　dales　and　valleys　of　the
Alleganies；　as　their　fathers　did　in　the　dales　and　valleys　of　the
Grampians；　but　their　voices　are　mute。

As　a　rule　the　Southerners　are　fond　of　music。　　They　are　fond　of　singing
and　listening　to　old…fashioned　ballads；　most　of　which　have　never　been
printed；　but　handed　down　from　one　generation　to　the　other；　like　the
'Volklieder'　of　Germany。　　They　sing　these　with　the　wild；　fervid
impressiveness　characteristic　of　the　ballad　singing　of　unlettered　people。
Very　many　play　tolerably　on　the　violin　and　banjo；　and　occasionally　one　is
found　whose　instrumentation　may　be　called　good。　　But　above　this　hight
they　never　soar。　　The　only　musician　produced　by　the　South　of　whom　the
rest　of　the　country　has　ever　heard；　is　Blind　Tom；　the　negro　idiot。　　No
composer；　no　song　writer　of　any　kind　has　appeared　within　the　borders　of
Dixie。

It　was　a　disappointment　to　me　that　even　the　stress　of　the　war；　the
passion　and　fierceness　with　which　the　Rebels　felt　and　fought；　could　not
stimulate　any　adherent　of　the　Stars　and　Bars　into　the　production　of　a
single　lyric　worthy　in　the　remotest　degree　of　the　magnitude　of　the
struggle；　and　the　depth　of　the　popular　feeling。　　Where　two　million
Scotch；　fighting　to　restore　the　fallen　fortunes　of　the　worse　than
worthless　Stuarts；　filled　the　world　with　immortal　music；　eleven　million
of　Southerners；　fighting　for　what　they　claimed　to　be　individual　freedom
and　national　life；　did　not　produce　any　original　verse；　or　a　bar　of　music
that　the　world　could　recognize　as　such。　　This　is　the　fact；　and　an
undeniable　one。　　Its　explanation　I　must　leave　to　abler　analysts
than　I　am。

Searching　for　peculiar　causes　we　find　but　two　that　make　the　South　differ
from　the　ancestral　home　of　these　people。　　These　two　were　Climate　and
Slavery。　　Climatic　effects　will　not　account　for　the　phenomenon；　because
we　see　that　the　peasantry　of　the　mountains　of　Spain　and　the　South　of
France　as　ignorant　as　these　people；　and　dwellers　in　a　still　more
enervating　atmosphere…are　very　fertile　in　musical　composition；　and　their
songs　are　to　the　Romanic　languages　what　the　Scotch　and　Irish　ballads　are
to　the　English。

Then　it　must　be　ascribed　to　the　incubus　of　Slavery　upon　the　intellect；
which　has　repressed　this　as　it　has　all　other　healthy　growths　in　the
South。　　Slavery　seems　to　benumb　all　the　faculties　except　the　passions。
The　fact　that　the　mountaineers　had　but　few　or　no　slaves；　does　not　seem　to
be　of　importance　in　the　case。　　They　lived　under　the　deadly　shadow　of　the
upas　tree；　and　suffered　the　consequences　of　its　stunting　their
development　in　all　directions；　as　the　ague…smitten　inhabitant　of　the
Roman　Campana　finds　every　sense　and　every　muscle　clogged　by　the　filtering
in　of　the　insidious　miasma。　　They　did　not　compose　songs　and　music；
because　they　did　not　have　the　intellectual　energy　for　that　work。

The　negros　displayed　all　the　musical　creativeness　of　that　section。
Their　wonderful　prolificness　in　wild；　rude　songs；　with　strangely
melodious　airs　that　burned　themselves　into　the　memory；　was　one　of　the
salient　characteristics　of　that　down…trodden　race。　　Like　the　Russian
serfs；　and　the　bondmen　of　all　ages　and　lands；　the　songs　they　made　and
sang　all　had　an　undertone　of　touching　plaintiveness；　born　of　ages　of　dumb
suffering。　　The　themes　were　exceedingly　simple；　and　the　range　of　subjects
limited。　　The　joys；　and　sorrows；　hopes　and　despairs　of　love's
gratification　or　disappointment；　of　struggles　for　freedom；　contests　with
malign　persons　and　influences；　of　rage；　hatred；　jealousy；　revenge；　such
as　form　the　motifs　for　the　majority　of　the　poetry　of　free　and　strong
races；　were　wholly　absent　from　their　lyrics。　　Religion；　hunger　and　toil
were　their　main　inspiration。　　They　sang　of　the　pleasures　of　idling　in　the
genial　sunshine；　the　delights　of　abundance　of　food；　the　eternal　happiness
that　awaited　them　in　the　heavenly　future；　where　the　slave…driver　ceased
from　troubling　and　the　weary　were　at　rest；　where　Time　rolled　around　in
endless　cycles　of　days　spent　in　basking；　harp　in　hand；　and　silken　clad；
in　golden　streets；　under　the　soft　effulgence　of　cloudless　skies；　glowing
with　warmth　and　kindness　emanating　from　the　Creator　himself。　　Had　their
masters　condescended　to　borrow　the　music　of　the　slaves；　they　would　have
found　none　whose　sentiments　were　suitable　for　the　ode　of　a　people
undergoing　the　pangs　of　what　was　hoped　to　be　the　birth　of　a　new　nation。

The　three　songs　most　popular　at　the　South；　and　generally　regarded　as
distinctively　Southern；　were　〃The　Bonnie　Blue　Flag；〃　　〃Maryland；　My
Maryland；〃　and　〃Stonewall　Jackson　Crossing　into　Maryland。〃　　The　first　of
these　was　the　greatest　favorite　by　long　odds。　　Women　sang；　men　whistled；
and　the　so…called　musicians　played　it　wherever　we　went。　　While　in　the
field　before　capture；　it　was　the　commonest　of　experiences　to　have　Rebel
women　sing　it　at　us　tauntingly　from　the　house　that　we　passed　or　near
which　we　stopped。　　If　ever　near　enough　a　Rebel　camp；　we　were　sure　to　hear
its　wailing　crescendo　rising　upon　the　air　from　the　lips　or　instruments　of
some　one　more　quartered　there。　　At　Richmond　it　rang　upon　us　constantly
from　some　source　or　another；　and　the　same　was　true　wherever　else　we　went
in　the　so…called　Confederacy。

All　familiar　with　Scotch　songs　will　readily　recognize　the　name　and　air　as
an　old　friend；　and　one　of　the　fierce　Jacobite　melodies　that　for　a　long
time　disturbed　the　tranquility　of　the　Brunswick　family　on　the　English
throne。　　The　new　words　supplied　by　the　Rebels　are　the　merest　doggerel；
and　fit　the　music　as　poorly　as　the　unchanged　name　of　the　song　fitted　to
its　new　use。　　The　flag　of　the　Rebellion　was　not　a　bonnie　blue　one；　but
had　quite　as　much　red　and　white　as　azure。　　It　did　not　have　a　single　star；
but　thirteen。

Near　in　popularity　was　〃Maryland；　My　Maryland。〃　　The　versification　of
this　was　of　a　much　higher　Order；　being　fairly　respectable。　　The　air　is
old；　and　a　familiar　one　to　all　college　students；　and　belongs　to　one　of
the　most　common　of　German　household　songs：

　　　　　　　　　　O；　Tannenbaum！　O；　Tannenbaum；　wie　tru　sind　deine　Blatter！
　　　　　　　　　　Da　gruenst　nicht　nur