Army Life in a Black Regiment

instance, the present writer had been a faithful student of the Scottish ballads, and had always envied Sir Walter the

ndred world of unwritten songs, as simple and indigenous as the Border Minstrelsy, m

their own soil these strange plants, which I had before seen as in museums alone. True, the individual songs rarely coincided; there was a line here, a chorus there,-just enough to fix the class, but this was unmistakable. It was

time, some monotonous refrain. Writing down in the darkness, as I best could,-perhaps with my hand in the safe covert of my pocket,-the words of the song, I have afterwards carried it to my tent, like some captured bird or insect, and then, after examination, put it by. Or, summoning one of the men at some period of leisure,-Corporal Robert S

ng insufficient, it is because I could get no nearer. I wished to avoid what seems to me the only error of Lowell's "Biglow Papers" in respect t

d the clatter of many feet. It was sung perhaps twice as often as any other. This was partly due to the fact

D YOUR

light, Brud

your

ight on Can

le Satan for

got notin' f

your

your

ight on Can

he simplest primitive type of "spiritual." The next in popularity was almost as elementary, and, like this,

OUND

ver, I'm b

go, bou

er, I'm bo

'em fare

Robert, I'm

to g

Lucy, I'm b

to g

re ye well." The ye was so detached that I t

ot make out the first words of the chorus, and called it the "Roman-dar," being reminded of some Romaic

OOM IN

is gone! my

gone into hea

t stay

m in dar,

, in de hea

t stay

y behind,

t stay

ader is

gels are

n de road! I'se

e road into he

t stay

n dar, ro

, in de hea

t stay

and shuffling, as if through some magic piper's bewitchment; for even those who a

and available for camp purposes with very little strain upon their symbolism. This, for instance, h

HAIL

valiant so

aliant sol

aliant sol

me bear

, Mary

Mary

Mary

me bear

he "Hail, Mary," might denote a Roman Catholic origin, as I had several men from St. Augustine who held in a dim way to that faith. It was a very rin

RMY CRO

my cro

y cros

h's army

y cros

oss de mi

y cros

ss de riv

y cros

ss de dan

y cros

oss de m

(Thrice.) O, Phara

y cros

the old men thought it meant the river of death. Perhaps it is an

n. "Done" is a Virginia shibboleth, quite distinct from the "been" which replaces it in South Carolina. Yet one of their best choruses, without any fixed words, was,

IN, KIN

n, kind

can hin

is a mi

man

g through Vir

man

n is a

man

his sword

man

sh done com

can hin

ore spicy to the ear, and more in keeping with the

ude is always the same, and, as a commentary on the life of the race, is infinitely pathetic. Nothing but patience for this life,-nothing but triumph in the ne

WORLD AL

our lamp trimmin

mp trimmin'

mp trimmin'

world mo

your l

ld most

l reward of patience is p

WANT TO

o rain to

I want t

o sun to

I want t

along, b

yes

no hard

yes

whips a-

yes

er on de

yes

along, m

yes

's no stor

yes

no trib

yes

ong, and timed well wi

E COMI

to go to

to go t

to go t

em at de

go to Canaan, (Thric

o to Canaan, (Thric

ember, (Thrice.) To mee

mation, yet the last line quite outdoes the

MORE

ank was a gr

t one more ri

e valiant s

ain't

ream will ne

ain't

my leff, and he c

t one more ri

ept, "Dat mean, if you go on de leff, go to 'struct

iritual conflict is i

HE DYIN

o go where

dying

one to de p

dying

springs dat

&

O my

&

stay in he

&

s to pray m

&

O my

,

s promised f

&

streams dat

dying

rought to bear. This book, with the books of Moses, constituted their Bible; all that la

N IN THE

un and n

n and ne

n and ne

poor sin

n in de

rise and

ern talk

poor sin

nin' and

in' and d

in' and d

poor shi

re. (Thrice.) Jesus

ees a-flami

poor shi

n in de

rise and

eern tal

oor shine

kerchief by a peculiar knot over her head, and made it a point of honor not to change a single garment till the day of her baptism, so that she was sure of being in physical readiness for the cleansing rite, whatever her spiritual mood might be.

detached and impersonal refrain gives it strikingly

CRY

holy,

eople dat is

e valley, and I

de people dat

ar, Cappen S

look a

young man, dere's

look a

dead, and G

look a

out a liar, and

look a

holy,

woman, and he

look a

nd de Romans

at, &c. Cry

sinner, you had

look a

a dark and d

look a

sinner, and I

look a

oly,

int description of the le

ER THE

s my old

in' at de h

time she'll

ome b

yin', I

ime waggin' o'

yin', I

home to he

t mournf

om door

ome God's

ome b

il'en, I

long t

il'en, I

get ho

forked

om tree

ome God's

ome b

ever, I d

long t

rs, I do

ome to heav

f future joys, and with fine flavor

LK 'EM

m easy roun

asy round

asy round

people may

round de hea

y till 'em jo

ater part of the song, and oft

O YES

be like de

s, L

e house on d

s, L

my house on

s, L

rain can b

s, L

nd lyrical, and with more v

BOW LO

Mary, bow

come and l

ry de k

il, over

de prom

sus co

ry, bow lo

sus co

l, my tru

il, over

low, Marth

come and l

y de key

n which external nature furnished the images most directly,-was this. With all my experience of thei

KNOW MO

-rise, I kno

s body

onlight, I walk

dis bod

veyard, I'll walk t

dis bod

grave and stret

s body

gment in de ev

ay dis b

your soul will

ay dis b

ms to me, since man first lived and suffered, was his infinit

ving throughout the whole. The Scriptural struggle between Jacob and the angel, which is only dimly expressed in the w

ESTLING

acob, Jacob, d

not let

cob, Jacob, da

not le

brudder wid a

not le

ster wid a t

not le

hang from a t

not let

ang from a tr

ill bless

' Jacob, J

but one, a funeral hymn for an infant, which is sun

BABY G

le baby

e baby g

e baby g

mb up Jaco

sh I'd b

I'd b

d been da

mb up Jaco

s, which is yet quit

ESUS W

been wid

l wid u

be wid u

us to t

Christmas time, when meditations on "de

RD, REME

ord, rem

rd, reme

me, until de

d, reme

to die like

n de

your arms and

id a free

h is a si

from doo

wn some, and he

ve some he

ord reme

rd, reme

gone till de

d, reme

way that it was quite hard to fancy it a religious pe

LY IN THE

e Rosa early

! early in

, How you do

! early in

udder early

usale

, How you do

usale

r Robert early

usale

m, How you

usale

awisa early

usale

, How you do

usale

songs of this class the name of ever

heir feet along, as they expressed it, was the following. There

IN THE WI

you. Go in d

erness, go in

you. Go in

upon d

upon d

upon d

pon de Lo

y de sins o

tin'. Go in

,

l'en go in

upon d

t North from Charleston. But the chorus alone was identical; the w

YOUR TRUMP

our trumpe

r trumpe

at trumpet t

new Je

st ting dat

de Lord whe

r trumpet,

a liar, and h

n't mind, he'

r trumpet,

lost in de

hand me de

r trumpet,

citations were often enriched. It rivals their text, "Paul may plant, and may polish wid water," w

N THE M

e mor

e mo

? Yes,

hear de tr

died when I

ld had de r

hear de tr

ter was fishi

de net and fo

hear de tr

er spade for t

chain for t

hear de tr

nin', In

? Yes,

ear de trum

nd the golden apple, and the silver pear, which are doubtless themselves but the vestiges of so

FARE

lievers, fa

ell, fare

l, by de gr

m goin

give me a

eep my he

try, by de

my wa

rated enthusiasm of the camp, was "The Ship of Zion," of which they h

THE SHIP

ong, com

t us g

y, hall

le ship

oo! Ha

le ship

lel

anded many

land as

, hallel

ink she w

ake us a

, hallel

ell 'em I'

oo! Ha

ll 'em I'm

lel

g, come a

P OF ZION. (S

od ole shi

od ole sh

od ole sh

kin' for de

de sailors, (Thri

ey's angels? (Thri

I be one? (Thrice

t a-sailin', sa

she'

mighty steady,

she'

reel nor totter

she'

away cold Jordan

she'

de captain, ca

kin' for de

OF ZION. (Th

l ship is

nn-s

s is de

nn-s

s are de

nn-s

ur bundl

nn-s

ou got yo

nn-s

orus is given with

, although I cannot find them in the Methodist hymn-books. Each, however, has its characteristic modifications, which

SWEE

music i

nning for

you lo

halle

I heard my

y soul, I

you lo

halle

d tell to s

Saviour I

you lo

halle

y burden lo

as not ceas

you lo

halle

. GOO

news! O,

rought de t

in' from

om out my so

in' from

salvation

s, O, go

in' from

to go to hea

, O, good

lks call us

s, O, go

now, we are

n' from d

THE HEAV

f my name as mu

y my nam

o believe I'm

in de heav

e? (Thrice.) For to k

a mighty b

rocks i

is my bo

'em out o

e? (Thrice.) For to k

dder, if you

u may pra

believe I'm a

in de heav

't you

on be free" was too dangerous an assertion; and though the chant was an old one, it was no doubt sung with redoubled emphasis during the new events. "De Lord will call us home," was evidently thou

E'LL SOO

soon

soon b

soon b

rd will ca

der, ho

der, ho

der, ho

done suff

hrice.) 'Fore de Lo

oad (Thrice.) Where

street (Thrice.) Wher

(Thrice.) 'Fore we

e (Thrice.) When

y (Thrice.) When de Lo

was composed by nobody knew whom,-though it was the most recent, doubtless, of all these "spirituals,"-and had been sung

ANY THO

peck o' c

e, no

eck o' co

tousa

lash for me, (Tw

t o' salt fo

ore,

dred lash fo

ore,

istress' c

e, no

stress' ca

tousa

hether they had always a conscious and definite origin in some leading mind, or whether they grew by gradual accretion, in an almost unconscious way. On this point I could get no information, though I asked many questions, until at last, one day when I was being rowed across from Beaufort to Ladies' I

raced out, not the poem alone, but

s; and I say, 'O, de ole nigger-driver!' Den anudder said, 'Fust ting my mammy tole me was, n

he chorus, as if it were an old acquaintance, though they evidently had n

THE D

le nigge

wine

my mammy

wine

out de nig

wine

iver seco

wine

for do h

wine

wn and spoi

ine a

." I heard but two songs among them, at any time, to which they would not, perhaps, have given this generic name. One

and wet Bec

enalty, none could say. I got the impression that, in either case, the event was posthumous, and that there wa

xposed. It still rained in the morning when I strolled to the edge of the camp, looking out for the men, and wondering how they had stood it. Presently they came striding along the road, at a great pace, with

AN JO

ll me Hang

o! O

ver hang

g, boy

l me Hangm

o! O

all hang

, boys,

ly in reference to the controversy about the pay-question, then just beginning, and to the more mercenary aims th

e, for instance, with one phrase in the popular camp-song of "Marching Along," which was entirely new to them until our quartermaster taught it to them, at my request. The words

de army, and b

lished version o

rted from the North. These took no hold upon the mass; and, on the other hand, they sang reluctantly, even on Sunday, the long and short metres of the hymn-books, always gladly yielding to the more potent excitement of their own "spirituals." By these they could sing themselves, as had their fathers before them, out of the contemplation of their own low estate, into the sublime scenery of the Apocalypse. I remember that this minor-keyed