THE LIBRARY OF THE OF LOS UNIVERSITY CALIFORNIA ANGELES THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE ]UITTLE DIFFICULTY FAMILY OF UNCLE SAM, BY TKUMAN TRUMBULL, A. M. WM. OLAND BOURNE, No. 12 CENTRE STREET OFFICE OF THE "SOLDIER'S FKIEND ;" THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY, 119 & 121 NASSAU STREET. 1868. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18(>9, Uy WM. OLAND BOURNE, In the Clerk's Oflice of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. EnwABn O. JKNKINR, PRINTK1! AND STKKKOTrPiSR, No. 2(1 North William St, TO ON SHIP AND SHOF^JE, ALL WHO LOVE FREEDOM AND UNION, THESE PAGES ARE DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. PS PREFACE, g t/j THE author of this volume has endeavored to give a *"* truthful impression of the Rebellion as it appeared to cc g the loyal public. He does not pretend to give a History of the War, J or to do justice to any one of the thousand noble men who volunteered to fight the monster-treason, and who, > with a hearty free will, dealt out sturdy blows until it lay writhing in its death-throes. He hopes that he has done injustice to none of those who bore fatigue, and O wounds, and insult, imprisonment, cold, hunger, and ^ death, in order that Union might be perpetual, and S Freedom made universal wherever the national emblem floats in the sunshine of heaven. T. T. 462397 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Jeft' sings Yankee Doodle 13 Floyd makes Fort Sumter handy 15 Old Jonathan looks at the weather , 16 Beauregard fires on the Star of the West 10 Scott comes to Washington with Mr. Lincoln 17 CHAPTER n. Wigfall makes a Speech 19 The Devil comes up 20 Fort Sumter fired on 20 Major Anderson carries Home his Flag 22 CHAPTER m. Scott and Abe on the taking of Fort Sumter 23 Ahe writes to Yankee Doodle 23 The echo of Fort Sumter's guns 24 The Squad arrives 24 Major Anderson takes the Old Flag to New York 24 CHAPTER IV. Abe's Letter in Dixie 26 Jeff heard of the Reinforcement of Pickens 27 Jeff sends for Alexander Stephens 30 Jeff writes to Old Virginia, who sends Mr. Lee 32 Who Robert Lee is 32 CHAPTER V. The Mayor of Wheeling strikes a blow 35 The trouble in Missouri 36 Booneville Battle 38 CHAPTER VI. AVhat Seward said 40 The Mudsills tread the Sacred Soil 41 Ellsworth's Death 41 Beauregard's Proclamation 42 Battle of Bull Run 44 Old Jonathan whistles Yankee Doodle 46 Fremont in Missouri 46 Battle of Wilson's Creek 46 (7) 8 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. Rebels Audit their Accounts 49 Floyd interrupts their Plans 50 Mallory's Dispatch 62 Messages from Polk and Drayton 54 Jeff cured by the Earl of Derby 55 Jeff enlists the Devil , 56 Jeff issues Confederate Notes 58 John Bull and the Stone Fleet 59 CHAPTER Vm. Abe's Meditations 61 Scott Resigns 63 Battle of Mill Spring 65 " Little Mac " in Washington 65 Jonathan Scolds 65 Abe orders a Movement 66 Banks goes out 68 Burnside turns up at Roanoke 63 CHAPTER IX. Sambo's Story 70 CHAPTER X. Jeff sits down to write his Inaugural 73 Jeff gets News from Tighlman 73 Jeff gets News from Fort Donelson 74 Jeff's Inaugural 75 Jeff Dreams of Pea Ridge 76 Jeff wakes with the Booming of Guns at Island No. 10 77 CHAPTER XI. The Monitor and the Mcrrimac 78 CHAPTER XH. Jonathan takes up his Fife 82 Welles has a Squadron ready , 83 Capture of New Orleans 84 CHAPTER Xin. The Rebels in New Orleans object to the Flag 83 Ben Butler arrives 89 Jeff 's Cabinet meet 91 CHAPTER XTV. Mac makes a Speech to his Army 93 Mac goes to Manassas 93 Ships for Yorktown 94 CHAPTER XV. Battle of Shiloh 96 New Madrid 97 Memphis 97 Jonathan sends Betsey Jane to Washington 97 Sanitary and Christian Commissions 99 CONTENTS. 9 CHAPTER XVI. Jonathan is worried . . -. 100 Jonathan goes to see Abe, 100 The Valley Campaign 101 Jonathan speaks his Mind 103 CHAPTER XVIT. Battle of Fair Oaks 106 J. E. B. Stuart's Raid 108 Seven Days of Blood 103 MalvemHill 109 CHAPTER xvm. Jonathan sends for Fireworks for his Fourth of July 112 Jonathan is down-hearted 113 Union as it was 114 Abraham meditates on Sambo 115 CHAPTER XIX. Jeft' plans an Invasion of the North 118 Halleck comes to Washington 118 Pope rides out to Bull Run 119 Jonathan takes a New Start 120 Mac takes the field 121 Lee crosses the Potomac 123 Maryland's response to Lee 123 Antietam 124 CHAPTER XX. Bragg's Campaign in Kentucky 125 Perryville 126 Bucll superseded 126 CHAPTER XXI. Jeff and Cabinet upon Foreign Affairs 127 Hopes centred in Johnny Bull 128 Prospects of Northern help 132 Foote's Peace Resolution 134 The Rebs on Emancipation 135 Confederate Seal 137 Winder brings News of Abe's Preliminary Emancipation Pro clamation 138 CHAPTER XXII. Abe and Jonathan on the Foe at Home 140 Abe visits Mac in his Camp 142 Stuart makes anolher Raid 144 Mac relieved by Burnside 144 Battle of Fredericksbnrg 145 Abe discouraged 148 Receives a Note from Jonathan 148 Lincoln's Order No. 1 .. 149 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXm. Battle of Murfreesboro' 151 Attack on Charleston 153 Jeff's Imps in East Tennessee 154 CHAPTER XXIV. Jeff's Dinner Party . 155 Bread Riots in Richmond ICO CHAPTER XXV. Burnside in Mud and Strife 102 Burnside is relieved by Jo Hooker 1C3 Chancellorsville 163 Lee rides to Pennsylvania 165 Hooker superseded by Meade 166 Battle of Gettysburg 168 CHAPTER XXVI. Vicksburg Campaigns 172 CHAPTER XXVH. Jeff has Ague chills 184 Seddon gives Him a Dose of Bark 184 Rebels troubled about Negro Soldiers l.5 Devil goes to New York 186 Stephens goes to Fort Monroe 187 Digression about the Griswold 189 Jeff hears of the Loss of Vicksburg. 190 New York P.iots 191 Jeff Addresses his Army 192 Jeff reads about Quantrell '. 193 CHAPTER XXVIII. Jonathan's Fourth of July, 18C3 195 Jonathan goes to Washington 196 Jonathan talks to Abe about Sambo and Copperheads 196 Abe tells the Story of John Bull's Rebel Rams 201 CHAPTER XXIX. Bnrnside goes to East Tennessee 203 Chickamauga 204 Abe sends Grant to Chattanooga 206 Siege of Knoxville 207 CHAPTER XXX. Rebs disgusted with Bragg 209 Foote exposes the Confederacy 209 Jeff sends for Quid 209 The Devil's Imps frightened from Anderson ville 211 The Devil sends them to Indiana 212 The Devil wants to be " Let alone " 213 CHAPTER XXXI. Bombardment of Charleston . 213 CONTENTS. 11 CHAPTER XXXH. Foote introduces a Resolution 217 Governor Vance in trouble 218 Straight's Escape from Libby 219 Kilpatrick's Raid 221 Dahlgren's Death 222 Richmond in a Panic 222 CHAPTER Jeff sends for Bragg 22-1 Abe sends for Grant 224 Sherman starts into Dixie 226 CHAPTER XXXTV. Jonathan and Betsey Jane visit Old Abe about the Prisoners 227 CHAPTER XXXV. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign 234 CHAPTER XXXVI. Wilderness Battles 242 Spottsylvania 244 Jonathan thinks Abe has too many Irons in the Fire 246 Red River Expedition 247 CHAPTER XXXVH. North Anna 248 Grant sends his Baggage to White House 249 Cold Harbor 250 Grant starts for the James 252 CHAPTER XXXVHI. Grant bits down at Petersburg 254 Early'sRaid 254 Monocacy 256 CHAPTER XXXIX, Kearsarge fights the Alabama 258 CHAPTER XL. Richmond was placid 263 CHAPTER XLI. Petersburg Mine 2C7 Farragut in Mobile Bay 268 The Albemarle 271 CHAPTER XLH. Washington was placid 272 Nomination of Little Mac 272 Stephens' Letter 272 Re-election of Mr. Lincoln. 275 The Liverpool Bazaar 276 CHAPTER XLHI. Sheridan in the Valley 278 Battle of Cedar Run 280 12 CONTENTS. CHAPTEK XLIV. Battle of Reames' Station 2ii FortFisher 285 Sherman depopulates Atlanta 287 CHAPTER XLV. Jeff makes Speeches in Georgia 28S Thomas goes back to Nashville 89 Corse at Alatoona 290 Banm at Resaca " 292 Sherman cuts his Communication 293 CHAPTER XLVI. The howls of the Georgians 298 Sherman's March to the Sea 298 Fort McAllister taken 301 Sherman's Christmas Gift 301 CHAPTER XLVIL Hood's Invasion of Tennessee 302 Theendof Hood 304 CHAPTER XLVm. The Rebels turn against Jeff '. 306 The Devil goes out of Sight ; 308 Hampton Roads Peace Negotiation 310 Jeff re-fires the Southern Ilean 311 Sherman's Carolina Campaign 312 CHAPTER XLIX. Joe Johnston supersedes Beauregard 315 Sherman finds a New Communication 317 Sherman visits Grant 321 CHAPTER L. Mobiletaken 323 Sheridan's Raid. 323 Grant turns his Last Leaf. 324 CHAPTER LI. Battle of Five Forks 325 Grant's Attack. 326 Jeff says his Prayers 327 Jeff takes the Train 328 CHAPTER LH. The last of Robert Lee 330 Theendof Joe 331 CHAPTER Lin. Jonathan hears the News 333 Betsey Jane's Meditations 334 CHAPTER LIV. Abe's Speech 335 CHAPTER LV. Jonathan's last Visit to Old Abe 337 THE CHAPTER I. ONCE on a time King Jeff sat down, Beside a brandy smash, sir, And said to Messrs. Cobb and Floyd, " It 's time to make a dash, sir. Our little plan," says he, " will fail If we should keep it longer ; We 've waited thirty years and more, 1 We never shall be stronger. " There 's not a dollar in the chest, (For, Floyd, you are so handy,) And Buck will sleep till we come down* On Yankee Doodle Dandy. Yankee Doodle, keep it up, Yankee Doodle Dandy ; We '11 keep you snoozing, Mr. Buck, Yankee Doodle Dandy." " But, sir," says Cobb, " what will you do, To keep the people quiet ; 1 " The secession of South Carolina is not an event of a day. It is not anything produced by Mr. Lincoln's election, or by the non-execu tion of the Fugitive Slave Law. It has been a matter which has been gathering head for thirty years." Mr. Rhett In South Carolina Con vention. 2 " By remaining in our places until 4th March, it is thought we can keep the hands of Mr. Buchanan tied," etc.Yulee, Jan. 7, 1861. MePherson's History, see page 173. (13) 14 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Won't they upset our little plan ?" " I'd like to see them try it. Why, sir ! the Southern heart is fired, You surely have forgotten ! They can't hear reason if they would, Their ears are stuffed -with cotton. " The people South are trained too well, Remember, Cobb, my hearty ; They dare not think like Northern men, They must support ' Our Party.' " " There 's Stephens !'" " Well ! I own that L Is sort of making faces ; But if we put him forward horse, He'll never lack the traces. " We've got the guns, 2 our powder 's dry, According to inspection ; Keep dark awhile be on the sly, Till after the election. Old Abe is sure to be returned, We fixed that in Convention ; 3 (But this to Democratic friends, Is better not to mention.) " ' Twill all work in to suit the plan, The Tariff and the niggers ; * Alex. H. Stephens was among those who voted against the ordi nance of secession in the State Convention of Georgia. 4 " Floyd was industriously engaged, up to the date of his resigna tion, in sending arms and munitions of war to the seceding States." New York Times, Jan. 19, 1SG1. 3 " The cloud was fully charged, and the juggling revolutionists, who held the wires and could at will di rect its lightnings, appeared at Charles-' ton, broke up the Democratic Convention assembled to nominate a candidate for the Presidency, and thua secured the election of Mr. Lincoln." See Rolfs Letter to Speed, May 31, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 15 And for our mercenary men, We '11 sprinkle a few figures. The Border States may balk awhile, But they must sell their corn, sir ; We '11 coax and then precipitate, And clap the irons on, sir." Then (with his finger to his nose), Says Jeff, " the South doth groan, sir, That all it wants from Northern men, Is to be ' let alone,' sir." So Floyd, he sent a Major down, To make Fort Sumter handy ; The Major took and kept the fort, 1 With Yankee Doodle Dandy. Lord Pickens, then, he raved a while, The Major didn't hear him ; So Beauregard built up a pile Of earth and cannon near Tn'm. The Major then looked out to see His orders fast come pouring ; But looked in vain at Washington Old Buck 2 was only snoring ! All through the South the rage ran high, And law was much impeded ; The plotters into session went, And said their State seceded. They trampled on the Stars and Stripes, But found the postage handy ; 3 And whistled Dixie, when they thought Of Yankee Doodle Dandy. 1 Major Anderson evacuated Fort Moultrie and occupied Fort Sumter, Dec. 26, 18GO. 2 James Buchanan. 3 The mails to the rebel States stopped 31st May, 1861. 16 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. They sound the bugle, beat the drum ; And call the boys to muster ; Jeff, on the sly, pulls all the -wires, And Wigfall does the bluster. Up in the North, Old Jonathan, 1 Spits out his quid, and wonders If "ary" storm is coming on, Or if it only thunders. Now by and by Sir Beauregard Gets stingy with the Major, And cuts off all his beef and lard, 2 He '11 rue it well, I wager. For Buck has had some awful dreams, And wakes up with a frown, sir ; And to the Major corn and wine, A ship-load sends straight down, sir.* Sir Beauregard looks very hard, And sees the ship a-coming ; " Ho ! he !" saith he, " that cannot be," And sends a ball a-humming. But whether shot struck ship or not, I 'm sure I cannot tell, sir ; But it went booming up the North, "Where it blew quite a spell, 'sir. And Gunnybags did shake his head And talk about " conceding ;" And ministers, to prove wrong right, Their Bibles sore were reading. 1 Born in 1776. ? Communication between the city and Fort Sumter prohibited March 7, 1861. 3 " Star of the West" left New York, January 5, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 17 And some proposed a remedy I'm quite ashamed to mention ; They called John Tyler into town, 1 To head a Peace Convention. Now from the East of Tennessee, Starts up our " Second Andy ;" 2 And " Treason " calls the little plot, On Yankee Doodle Dandy. Yankee Doodle, keep it up, Yankee Doodle Dandy ; "The traitors! they should be strung up," Says valiant Second Andy. And Mr. Secretary Dix, 3 In indignation mutters : " Those rebels down at New Orleans Are going to steal our cutters." Then speaks right out to Hemphill Jones, 4 " The times are growing hot, sir ; If any man hauls down our flag, Just shoot him on the spot, sir." Just then there came to Washington, Along with Abraham Lincoln, Old General Scott, who ne'er was caught A napping or a winking. Says he, " I hate a Traitor's face As much as I do 'pison ;' Give me a squad, or so, of men, 1 11 sweep the whole horizon." 1 February 5, 1861. 2 Andrew Johnson of Tennessee. 3 Secretary of the Treasury. 4 Col. Wm. Hemphill Jones, Treasury Agent. 18 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. "But first," says Abe, "there 's Major A.' Is getting rather lean, sir ; His tea is out, his bread is gone, His pork has ne'er a bean, sir. The people (bless them, they're all right,) Got leave of Governor Pickens To send a cabbage, now and then, And now a pair of chickens." " Oh, yes," says Scott, " that worries me, It 's plain as any steeple ; The traitors when they see the hemp,' Will dodge behind the people. They 've told them, sir, that Jonathan Is itching for a battle, And wants to tear their hearthstones up, And drive off all their cattle. " The South, I know, is honest still, The traitors, sir, have made her To work their most unholy will Good God ! how they 've betrayed her. And there 's Virginny, my old State ! (The General fell a-crying,) She '11 be a cat's-paw, sure as fate, Her Washington defying." "But, sir," says Abe, "the boy out there, There's no use to deny it, Don't thrive upon his Charleston fare, It isn't healthy diet. To cheer him up, I '11 send straight down A little keg of brandy, 1 11 never see the fellow starve, By Yankee Doodle Dandy." CHAPTER II. SIR BEATJREGARD, lie looketh hard, And thinks he spies a fleet ; And up jumps Pryor, all on fire, " This time 1 1 '11 not retreat" Says he, " In Old Virginny's name, I 'm going to send a big ball." Then up jumps one to make a speech (I think his name is Wigfall) ; And grasping a palmetto-tree To keep himself quite steady, " Now, boys," says he, " the hour 's at hand, And everything is ready. In yonder fort there 's seventy men, By this time lean and lanky ; Car'lina, sirs, regrets that you Must flog the scurvy Yankee. " I see the chivalry are here, And full seven thousand strong, sir ; I '11 give three hours to take the fort You '11 hardly be so long, sir. You see that hateful striped rag, That 's hung so long defying ; Who '11 be the first to nail our flag "Where that curs'd thing is flying ?" 1 See the Porter and Pryor Correspondence. (19) 20 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. He said, and turned himself about, And went into safe quarters That is to say, beyond the range Of Yankee guns and mortars. And then the Devil, he came up, And all his imps did call ; And sat them down, to gaze upon The opening of the ball Then Beauregard, he gave the word, He better had been dumb, sir, For, oh! they "shot their granny" when They fired upon Fort Sumter. 1 For the first gun they charged that day, They aimed it very ill, sir ; The shot went clear up Boston Bay ! And lodged in Bunker TTill, sir ! Now Major A. was sitting down To eat a little snack, sir ? When, bang ! there came a thundering knock, It made the timbers crack, sir. " Don't open yet, my gallant lads, (I wish I 'd a potato,) They 've been to breakfast, I '11 be bound, And can afford to wait, O. " But while they 're waiting there outside, Our compliments to bandy ; 1 The rebels opened fire from Fort Moultrie at half-past four A.M., April 12, 1861. 2 " We took breakfast at half-past six o'clock leisurely and calmly, after which the command was divided into three reliefs." Tribune Account. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. . 21 Turn out the band, and play the tune, Called 'Yankee Doodle Dandy.' " And as they play, the old flag swells Upon the startled air, sir ; And every stripe floats brave and free, And every star is there, sir. The shots come booming thick and fast, " I pray thee do not lag, sir," A soldier said, "they've grazed the staff, They 're aiming at the flag, 1 sir." Up rose the Major, calm and pale, As one a great blow stuns ; Nor spoke he, but looked at his men And pointed to the guns. They man the guns, they toil like one Who with a single hand, sir, "Would keep a pack of wolves at bay, So fight they for their land, sir. Those seventy men, I need not tell Their title-deeds to glory ; For every heart, I know full well, Is throbbing with the story. Nor how they gulped emotion down, Nor looked at one another, As shot by shot around them fell, Each fired by a brother ! Nor how the Devil sat on shore, His spirits growing higher, 1 " The aim of the enemy was principally directed at our flag-staff, from which proudly waved the Stars and Stripes. After two days' incessant living it was rfiot away." Tribune, April 19, 1861. 22 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. As red hot hail poured in upon Fort Sumter, when " on fire." 1 Nor how he chuckled to himself, " Dear me ! I 'm of no use, sir, To fellows, who like these can aim, Straight at a flag of truce, sir." Nor how he left his imps " at cards," 2 And in disgust did go, sir, From Cummings Point, straight as a line, To cool off down below, sir. Nor how these seventy weary men, Beleaguered in this manner, By fire, and " full seven thousand strong," Took down their Spangled Banner. It was a " glorious bloodless " strife, ('Tis so, the traitors say, sir,) They 'd better lost there every life, Than what they lost that day, sir ; For when the Major took a ship, And from Car'lina started, And carried off the Stars and Stripes, Her glory had departed ! But Jeff who sat in proud estate A self-appointed grandee, He told them, " they had fixed the fate, Of Yankee Doodle Dandy." 1 " When the building caught fire, the enemy commenced firing hot ehot." (From Minutes of an officer in Fort Sumter.) Tribune, April 19, 1861. 2 ' Our troops were so cool that during the action some of the boys at Cummings Point amused themselves with a game of cards." Eebel Account. CHAPTEE III. Now, Honest Abe at Washington Was sweeping out the place, sir, When, like a shot, in bolted Scott, With fury in his face, sir. " Now, here 's," says he, " a pretty row, The traitors we must bag, sir, For, sure as fate, the rebel pack Have fired upon the flag, sir ! " " What flag ? " says Abe, a-sitting down, " You don't mean that at Pickens ? Why Slemmer's not so sad a clown, As let Bragg play the dickens ? " " No, no ! " says Scott, and waxing hot, He gave his sword a thump, sir. " Ah ! then," says Abe, " the chaps have got A tartar in Fort Sumter." " Well, well," says Scott, " that 's true or not, I know what they will get, sir : For Abe, I want my squad of men, Before the sun is set, sir." Then Abe, he took a pen and ink, (For he is mighty handy,) And wrote a letter quick as wink, 1 To Yankee Doodle Dandy. 1 April 15, 1861, President Lincoln called for 75,000 men to bnppress the Rebellion. (23) 24 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Now when the echo of the guns Went rolling up the North, sir, It stretched from Gotham clear to Maine, And to the West went forth, sir. And every man throughout the land, Did feel a sudden thrill, sir, And every man did silent stand And every pulse was still, sir. Then with one great convulsive bound The nation's heart did beat, sir, And every throb did nerve an arm, The traitor foe to meet, sir. From California, through the West, To Maine, so bleak and sandy, One single thought did fire the breast, Of Yankee Doodle Dandy. When Abram's letter came to town, They read it out in meeting, And ere the sun was half way down A thousand drums were beating. That night, as Scott was going to bed In not the best of cheer, sir, In at the door Abe put his head, Says he, " The squad is here, sir." l Meanwhile, the Major up the bay, Brings home the " striped rag," sir, He finds the town has blossomed out, Like peach trees, with the flag, sir. 1 Six hundred men of the Pennsylvania militia (Col. Cake) were the first volunteers who arrived in Washington. They came in on April 18, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 25 The Major's heart beats quick and fast, He sees as well as " Andy " That Sumter's guns have waked at last Old Yankee Doodle Dandy. For Jonathan has risen in haste, His powder-horn to fill, sir : (It is the same his gran'sir used On famous Bunker Hill, sir.) He calls his sons to leave the plough, The old sword buckles on, sir, And side by side with steady tramp They march to Washington, sir. Long years agone, at Lexington, Their fathers showed the way, sir, To freedom ; now at Baltimore, 1 They celebrate the day, sir. Sound the alarm ! ho ! minute men ! To arms ! the brave are falling ; The land is cursed by treason!s rule, The oppressed for aid are calling. 1 April 19, the 6th Massachusetts and 7th Pennsylvania militia had a fight with a mob in Baltimore. CHAPTEE IV. ABE'S letter was to Dixie sent, " They laughed beyond expression " ' When to Montgomery it went, Into their secret session. " Ha ! ha S " says Toombs, says he " good joke ! " (The laugh was not so hearty,) "Why, sir," says Keitt, "the scamp would poke His nose into our party." " Ho ! ho ! " says Rhett, " we 11 make him sweat, The ' ape ' can only boast, sir, For when he counts upon the North, He counts without his host, sir. For Bennett there will stand us true, And Wall Street will not fail, sir, The Democrats will nothing do Except to go our bail, sir. " New York 's too cute to go it blind, She lives by Southern trade, sir, To go to war is not her mind, With Southern debts unpaid, sir. When she speaks out Old Abe will cringe, And mind his P's and Q's, sir, This talk of war, you '11 see, will hinge On what Neiv York will do, sir." 1 " A quotation from President Lincoln's Proclamation was met by shouts of derisive laughter." Charleston Mercury, April SO. 1861 . THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 27 Then up pops Orr ; says he " He ! he ! That 's good I do declare, sir ; When Abram tries to ' take the forts' By Jove ! how he will stare, sir. Those greedy chaps will never fight, They cannot waste the time, sir, When Abram's army comes to light, I'll buy it with a dime, sir." " Haw ! haw ! " says Cobb, who fairly laughed Out louder than the rest, " Go plant in peace, my friends," says he, " Virginia bares her breast." Just here, in rushed young master Pryor, He looked somewhat alarmed, sir, Says he " By Jeff! the North's on fire, And every man is armed, sir ! " I heard," said he, " by telegraph, (The mail has just come on, sir) That there are fifty thousand men Encamped in Washington, sir." " Pshaw ! weren't they stopped in Baltimore ? " Said Barn well, and he frowned, sir ; " Stopped ! ! a-hem, yes,"" What then ? " " Wiry then they traveled round, sir. " They 've come like locusts on the land, And ships upon the sea, sir, Have brought Old Gunnybags himself, As quick as quick could be, sir. And Wall Street, sir, has sent the chest, And now it 's there quite handy ; With ne'er a Floyd to keep it safe For Yankee Doodle Dandy. 28 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " New York has joined the hue and cry, Our friends have sunk like lead, sir, The Union rage has run so high They dare not show their heads, sir. "Why, some who swore to stand by us Are innocent as babes, sir, Now, when they 've led us in this muss, Turn round and shout for Abe, sir." ' " Tut, tut, my boy, that 's bogus news, Else were our plot imperiled ; " " I swear 'tis true," says Pryor " look ! here 's A copy of the Herald ! " At this came in an orderly, " A telegraph dispatch,' 2 sir ; " " Bless me ! " said Jeff, " this Yankee trick, It will be hard to match, sir." He read, and tore his hair in spite, " We are, in fact, invaded, Pickens was reinforced last night, 3 And Charleston is blockaded." They locked the door, they whispered low, They stayed all day and night, sir, But what they did, no man doth know, It never came to light, sir. But some suppose they took a vote And settled it by lot, That Robinson 4 should go at once And buy off Gen. Scott. 1 See Report of mass meeting in Union Square, April 20, 1861. 2 Dispatches from Port Slemmer, captured by the rebels, gave Davis the first intimation of his defeat ; no wonder the rebel chief was sick and went to bed. Evening Post. s April 12, 1861. 4 Judge Robinson, of Virginia, who offered Gen. Scott a commission as eommander-in-chief of rebel army. SeeN. T. Times, April 20, 1801. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 29 But one tiling sure is known to all, Jeff took an ague fit, sir, And did a doctors' council call, Upon the case to sit, sir. They found the symptoms very bad, His body politic, Was broken out in angry spots, Internally was sick. The doctors sighed, and shook their heads, And, " It is plain to see, sir, A desperate case like this," they said, " Needs desperate remedy, sir." Then Jeff, he rose in trembling haste, He saw his end was near, sir ; Says he " If I must die, at least I will not die of fear, sir. Bring me my sword, and, Walker, stay, 1 Call all the boys together : And send my pirates out to sea, 2 Before it 's stormy weather. " There 's Houston, 3 if he sees us down, Most terribly wiH vex us, Tell Twiggs 4 to tip the fellow's crown, Or drive him out of Texas. And Hicks, 5 confound these crooked sticks, That never will fit in, sir, 1 Walker, rebel Secretary of War. 2 Jeff Davis offers to issue letters of marque. April 17, 1861. 3 Governor of Texas. 4 Twiggs, by his treachery as a United States officer, purchased a commission in the rebel army. 6 Hicks, Governor of Maryland, refused to call a convention to take Maryland out of the Union. 30 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. This one turns up in Maryland ; Our troubles to begin, sir. " Send on in haste to Tennessee A hint of blood and arson, Tell Harris ' if he 'd favor me, He '11 burn that printing parson* And quick to Memphis a dispatch Or stay, give me a quill, O, A private hint about his ditch, I '11 write to General Pillow. " Call out the mob along the shore, Straight up from New Orleans : And ask McGoffin, s (stupid bore !) What Old Kentucky means. Bid Bully Wise some plan devise To stop that brawling ' Andy/ Or by the powers that be, we 're done By Yankee Doodle Dandy. " Bid Mann and Yancey to set out, (Such news may thrones convulse, sir) To see what Johnny Bull's about, And feel Napoleon's pulse, sir. Since our own friends and brothers fail, We 're forced to this decision ; We '11 fight the Yankees and prevail, With foreign recognition." So said, King Jeff grew faint and ill, And sent for Mister Stephens, 1 Gov. Harris, of Tennessee. * Brownlow, of Tennessee. 3 Governor of Kentucky. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 31 He didn't come, but seized a quill And wrote the best of reasons : Says he, " King Jeff, I 'd like to please, And not to disappoint, sir, But I am suffering from disease, My liver 's out of joint, sir. " There 's lots of fellows, stout and trim, Up in Virginia waiting ; Just change the venue, draft them in, They '11 snap at any baiting. Take my advice, now, Jeff, for once, And keep the South in order, And let Virginia (poor old dunce !) Meet Abram on the border." Jeff takes the hint, a clever one, " Our way," said he, " is clear, sir, We '11 pen old Abe in Washington, And strike him in the rear, sir. You 're quick at figures, Toombs, just make A little calculation How many chivalry 'twill take To smash this Yankee nation." " Ahem," said Toombs, " a fraction, sir, And that a decimal, Could hardly, sir, express a sum So infinitesimal. 1 Don't enter into the details, Or the occasion 's lost, sir, The Southron wills, his dash prevails, While Yankees count the cost, sir." 1 See Southern bluster generally. 32 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Well then," says Jeff, " I '11 make a draft, The people, they must pay, sir, 1 11 date the note at deuce take it Where is the C. S. A. sir?" " Eichmond ? " " But then Virginia lags, The reason I divine, sir, Her mettle 's high ! /know the tune Will wheel her into line, sir." So said, Jeff took a scented sheet, A gilt-edged, tinted note, And nibbed his quill, and fine, and neat, And carefully, he wrote : " Mother of Presidents," said he, " Our fate is in your hand, O, 'Tis ours to fight for liberty, Virginia's to command, O." Virginia blushed, and said 'twas sweet To be appreciated ; And Jeff's proposal, it was meet, Should be at least debated. She could not but reciprocate His well-bred courtesie, sir ; la fact, she nibbled at the bait And sent Jeff Mr. Lee, 1 sir. Now Lee was bred in Washington, On governmental pap, sir ; And lived with Scott, and made his punch, And now and then a map, sir. ' Tis said, one day he saw a plan Old Abe and Scott combined, 1 Robert Lee commissioned Commander in-Chief of Confederate forces in Virginia on the 10th May, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 33 Had made, without his (Lee's) advice, And in a miff resigned. But others say, Lee not in spite, But rather more in sorrow, Said fervently his prayers one night Turned traitor on the morrow. For conscience' sake, not for renown, He 'd Coriolanus be, sir ; And so march back against the town With all the chivalrie, sir. Thus Jeff and Mr. Lee do meet, In mutual admiration ; And take together counsel sweet, To circumvent the nation : " Down the Potomac's wooded bank Our batteries we '11 mask, sir," Says Lee ; " to pen the mud-sills up "Will be an easy task, sir. " Letcher, 1 you know, has been at work ; Virginia doth regard, With favor, Jeff, what he hath done At Gosport navy yard. 2 And Harper's Ferry 3 is redeemed, The forty knaves 4 are fled, sir ; We sent three thousand to the chase, They shot two 'blue coats' dead, sir." " Oh, yes !" sighed Jeff, " that 's plain enough, So far as it does go, 1 Governor of Virginia. 2 April 15, 1861. 3 Captured April 18, 1861. < The United States garrison. 2* 34 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. But there 's some Massachusetts stuff Inside our Fort Monroe. 1 But Lee, I 'm sure, that you will do To see these matters right, sir ; I '11 pack my traps, and follow you To Richmond, by to-night, sir,' 2 1 General Butler's head quarters at Fort Monroe, May 18, 1861. 4 Jeff Davis arrives in Richmond, June 29, 1861. CHAPTE.E V. WHILE Jefferson and Kobert Lee Hold traitorous communion, The Mayor, 1 out in "Wheeling, struck A blow, sir, for the Union. Knave Letcher wrote him of the fact (Embossed with rebel gildings) Of Old Virginia's Traitor Act,* And said, the public buildings He had in charge must be all seized, In Old Virginia's name, sir. " I have," said Sweeney, " seized them all, And I shall hold the same, sir, For ABEAM LINCOLN, President Of these United States." Thus Sweeney spoke his sentiments, And from his act there dates, A split, which soon a chasm grew, And Old Virginia rent, The western half struck out a new And separate government ; The people liked the good old flag, 'Twas just the one they needed ; At Letcher's heels they would not drag From Letcher they " seceded." 1 Andrew Sweeney. 2 Act of Secession, passed June 17, 1SC1. (35) 36 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. In vain the Gov'nor would " coerce," The patriots held their own, Until, when Abe sent out a force, He found a State full grown ; Then skirmish there, and skirmish here, 1 For Eosecrans and Mac, sir, "With gallant Western volunteers, Got on the rebels' track, sir. They pressed so hard, so valiantly, So full of righteous ire These "Western boys the rebs at length Concluded to retire. They quite forgot to take their guns, Or e'en their dead to bury ; They vanished from Kanawha vale, 2 And so lost Harper's Ferry. Out in Missouri strife was rife, Could anybody wonder When loyal men and traitors met, They 'd rend the State asunder ? The Governor, 3 a traitor vile, Began to organise, sir, State troops, but loyal men the while, To guard against surprise, sir, 1 The rebels, 1,500 strong, were defeated at Pnillipi on the 3d June, 1861, by the Union troops under Colonels Kelly and Lander. At Rich Mountain, on the llth July, Eosecrans, with the 8th, 10th and 13th Indiana, and 10th Ohio, made a circuit of the rebel camp and attacked jn the rear. Pegram surrendered on the 12th July at Beverly. The rebel General Garnett killed on the 18th at Carrick's Ford. 2 General Cox announced, on the 20th July, that the Ka.nawha Valley was. clear of rebel troops. 3 Claiborn Jackson. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 37 Began to drill right earnestly. 1 So when the Governor seized, Their arsenal at Liberty, The Home Guards were displeased. They drilled the more, till Captain Lyon, With Sigel and with Blair, . Led out the boys to rebel camp, 2 And had a skirmish there. They captured all the traitor crew, They tore their tents all down ; But what should General Harney do, When he came into town, But make a bargain with old Price 3 If he (Price) would preserve, In order Old Missouri, why ! His (Harney's) troops should serve. As strictly ornamental ; thus To rebel satisfaction, He would repress the loyal tide, Then swelling into action. Bold Lyon frowned, the Home Guards cheered I And Harney went away, sir, 4 By Abe's command ; then it appeared There 'd be some wilder play, sir. Said rebel Governor and Price, To Lyon and to Blair, 5 " If you will heed our kind advice, You '11 take especial care 1 Home Guards. 2 Camp Jackson, near St. Louis, on the 10th May, 1861. 3 'On the 21st May, 18C1. 4 Succeeded by Lyon on the 4th June, 1861. 5 On the 4th January, 1861. 38 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. To move your troops outside and wait, And let us rebs alone, sir, To keep the peace inside the State " The Guards set up a groan, sir. And Lyon said, his Government, So long as lie had eyes To see how things were being bent, Should never compromise, Or bargain with a traitor clan The rights, sir, of the nation. Then Jackson hurried up his plan, And wrote his Proclamation. 1 He called for fifty tltousand, then, To drive invaders home ; (He didn't mean McCullough's men, Who from the South had come, "With all the vagabonds at hand To " help Missouri out," sir ; But only Lyon's little band, Of patriots so stout, sir. 2 ) They didn't wait, these Guards so bold, They started in the morn ; They headed for their capital Their Governor was gone. 3 They followed. On a little bluff, 4 They met a battery, sir 1 Issued June 12, 1861. 2 Four regiments of volunteers, a few recruits from neighboring States, and a few United States regulars. 8 Lyon, on the 13th June, had possession of Jefferson city twenty- four hours after Jackson left. 4 On the 17th June, eight miles helow Booneville. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 39 Four thousand rebs as ugly stuff As one could wish to see, sir. Some Union ball, some Union shell, And then a loyal charge ! The nest of traitors quickly fell, And Jackson, now at large, With Price, so suddenly made sick, 1 Before them disappeared ; And then in Booneville, for their Blaiir And Lyon, how they cheered ! The rebels ran to concentrate, Grew stronger as they ran, sir, And here and there, throughout the State, A bitter war began, sir. The time was past with specious pleas The loyal to inveigle ; They pinned their faith to Uncle Sam, And went to fight with Sigel. 2 1 Price was too sick to command in person. a Battle of Carthage on the 5th July. Sigel had 1,500 men ; Price, 4,COO. CHAPTER VI. IN '61, the fourth of March, To "Washington there came, A prophet most infallible, And Seward was his name ; " This poison in the blood," he said, " Secession thing accursed, Has come at last unto a head In sixty days 'twill burst." Said Dr. Cameron, said he, " ' Tis possible, by chance, it May come too near a vital part I '11 sharpen up my lancet." Says Betsey Jane, 1 " Which way you fix The thing, there '11 be no stint, sir, Of shedding blood ; ' twill be for good To scrape a little lint, sir." " Dear me," says Abe, " you take my breath, (He 's sometimes pretty curt, sir,) You '11 fright the nation unto death, Why, nobody is hurt, sir." " Not hurt," says Greeley, " more 's the shame, Your cavalry are shod, sir ; Nobody hurt ! then where 's the blame ? Turn out and try the squad, sir. 1 Jonathan's daughter. (40) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 41 " The rebels vile must bite the dust, ' Tis cowardly to loiter." " Well then," sighed Abe, "what must be must, Turn out and reconnoiter." That night old Mansfield stroked his beard, And let his supper spoil And ere the dawn had turned to morn, 1 Had trod the sacred soil And Ellsworth ! Ah! what chilled the land And dimmed the sun that day ? With vengeful hearts his stricken band Their dead chief bore away ; And Lincoln looked in silence sad, And mused upon his blindness, Who dreamed last night, the simple lad, " To kiU the foe with kindness." 2 The tidings flew through Bebeldom, Jeff Davis laughed aloud, And sent the gentle Beauregard, To tell it to the crowd ; Now G. T. B. (like Washington, Who could not tell a lie, sir,) Found stubborn facts were in his way, When he began to try, sir. " But facts," said he, " to men like me, Are seldom worth the mention, And for the rest, I think I'll test The merits of invention." 1 May 24, 1801. 2 " Show the enemy that you are inen as well as soldiers, * * * * * * * I wan t toJdll them with kindness." (Ellsworth's last speech to his Regiment before crossing the Potomac.) 42 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " My Countrymen," 1 said he, " the knave Called Lincoln, hath this day, sirs, Your border crossed with his foul crew, To spoil, and burn, and slay, sirs. " I, G. T. Beauregard am here, To lead you on to battle ; By all Virginia holds most dear, Drive back these Northern cattle ! ' Beauty and Booty ' is their cry 2 To arms ! ye Southern braves, Strike for your honor, and your homes, Strike for your wives and slaves !" " Dear me !" said Satan to his imps, " This fellow does surpass us, We've followed hard this Beauregard From Charleston to Manassas. Live and learn, imps ! here 's a skill That's quite above your level Hats off! a fiery bumper fill, To him who beats the Devil !" Virginians fired with frenzy, rushed Their services to proffer, And answered gentle Beauregard, They'd take him at his offer. But while they talked death to the " Yanks," And took their rout for granted, The mud-sills stuck to sacred soil, In fact, got sort o' planted. 1 See Beauregard Proclamation, dated ManaSsas, June 5, 1801 . 2 See the same. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 43 They blossomed out at Arlington, And rooted in the West, sir, And waxing fat and fearless, grew As boastful as the rest, sir ! ' Twixt wrong and right wa' n't much to choose, If one could judge by bluster, I some suspect, it was a ruse To give us time to muster. For just as some began to say "We 'd take it out hi talking, McDowell bade the drummers play, And set the squad a walking. 1 Now Beauregard has longish ears, 2 That reach across the border, And in McDowell's tent he hears Him give the forward order. " My men," said he, " the news is good, The sheep come to the slaughter, Go, mask your cannon in the wood, The Yanks are good as caught, sir ; They think to take us by surprise," He laughed both long and loud, sir, While swift the lightning message flies To bring Jo Johnston's crowd, sir. Now Scott and Abe in Washington, Their fears essayed to smother, When word was brought the squad had gone They looked at one another. 1 July 20, 1861. 2 It is said a lady in Washington sent Beauregard intelligence of McDowell's movements. 44 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Abe shook his head and Scott turned pale, " The troops are quite untrained, sir." "They're brave" said Abe ; "the cause is just, That's hah* the battle gained, sir." " The Jialf won't do" Scott glared around, And Abram tried to laugh, sir Click ! click ! they started at the sound, It was the telegraph, sir. " The troops fight gallantly," it read, (At 4 o'clock 'twas dated), " They drive the foe at every point, With ardor unabated." " Now Scott," said Abe, " it 's going to clear, That message comes in handy ; Turn out the band, I'd like to hear Old Yankee Doodle Dandy ;" And all the people cheered and wept And grasped each other's hand, sir, And tidings of the vict'ry swept, On lightning through the land, sir. But somehow, as the music rolled 'Twas followed by an echo, And men to men in whispers told McDowell had a check, oh ! A rumor, born of rebel spite A check ! the thought was scouted, But all the long and weary night Men dreamed, and hoped, and doubted. That heavy night the skies were lead, The rain in torrents fell, sir, THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 45 Good Heavens ! that daylight when it broke Should such a story tell, sir ; For Panic seized upon the troops, Just as the field was won, sir, And those who fought most valiantly Most valiantly did run, sir. The men who fought nine hours so well, Could be no " coward crew," sir ; But whence their rout, 'tis hard to tell, For no one ever knew, sir. Jeff Davis said, " The Lord had come, And fought upon their side," sir ; " If that be so," said General Jo, "The honors well divide, sir." So Jeff promoted Beauregard, Gave Jo a better living, And to the "God of battles" gave A general Thanksgiving. 1 The Devil walking o'er the field, And counting out his dead, sir, Called to his imps, " A splendid yield, Nice Sunday's work," he said, sir. Said General Scott, " "Well, Abe my man. We '11 make another tack, sir ; This comes of trying Greeley's plan, I'll send for little Mac, sir." 2 " Don't start on Sunday," Abram said, " And Scott, how many fell, sir ? 1 Thanksgiving in Kebcldom July 28, 1861. s McClellan arrived July 26, 1861. 46 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Poor boys !" lie meekly bowed his head And learned his lesson well, sir. Said Jonathan, " Tho' worst is worst, I won't be called a noodle," He lifts his banner from the dust, And whistles Yankee Doodle. He wrote to Abe, " That Southern wind Blows hard against our shore, sir, My boys will take the train to-night, Three hundred thousand more, sir." Before the echo of the guns At Bull Bun died away, sir, Fremont to Old Missouri went, 1 The tide of war to stay, sir, 'Twas surging high, the foe had pressed And Sigel had retreated. 2 The rebs before they 'd made the test Declared the Yanks " defeated." Now Lyon smarted at the word, The twenty thousand foe Were pushing on, so he had heard, His little band should throw Themselves upon him in his camp, And ere the morning broke, 3 To Wilson Creek, with steady tramp They went, and dealt their stroke. 1 Up to this time the West had taken care of itself. Lyon had or ganized his little band himself. His entire force did not exceed 7,000. The rebel troops still increasing were about 30,000. In vain Lyon begged for aid from Washington. 2 After the battle of Carthage. 3 August 10, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 47 A bold, brave stroke for Liberty, And in the sharp, quick strife, He led the last decisive charge, And sacrificed his life ; And not in vain the heroes fought, They stayed the rebel wave, And won the thanks of this free land, That Lyon died to save. McCullough slipped to Arkansas, Away from Yankee shooting ; Fremont proclaimed his martial law, And both began recruiting. The rebels did the best at this, There 's nothing could be stranger, But then, you see, their capital Was not in any danger. Abe needed all his troops out East, Where Mac was organizing ; The need of men so much increased, It was in fact surprising How long Fi*emont kept up a show, And held the rebs at bay, sir ; What shifts they made to cheat the foe Brave Mulligan might say, 1 sir. But somehow Abe was not well pleased, There must be something wrong When traitors under Fremont's care, Had grown so very strong. 1 At Lexington on the 20th September, 1861, an army of 25,000 rebels, after eight days' siege, and three days of hard fight, succeeded in cap turing 2,700, under Mulligan, whose provisions, water and ammuni tion had entirely given out. 48 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The fact was simply that the times Prolific, sir, of treason, Had 'mongst a multitude of wants, A dreadful want of reason. Thus, when Fremont went out at length, With his bold body guard, An order came from Washington, That did his march retard ; And Hunter l nipped his brave campaign Eight in the very bud, sir, And marched his army back again To wait for winter's mud, sir. 2 When looking back those times we see, We cannot help but wonder, If rebels in so great degree Heaped blunder upon blunder. Well, Halleck went to straighten things, 3 And put the traitors down, Where w6 must leave him for a space, To look in Richmond town. 1 Hunter superseded Fremont on November 3, 1861. 2 " Months after an army under Curtis, pursuing the same plan, marched over the same ground to obtain Little Eock. It was mid-win ter, and the troops toiled through mud and storm. They met the foe at Pea Ridge." Abbots History, page 29. 3 Nov. 10, 1861, Halleck placed in command of department of the West. CHAPTER VII. IN Richmond there was blustering A fabulous amount, sir, And Jeff & Co. in secret went To audit their account, sir. They shut the door, else they might hear Outside the wounded groan ; The guard they placed as sentinel Was whittling Yankee bone. 1 " Our plans," said Jeff, " begin at length In beauty to unfold, sir, Manassas' field has proved our strength, How are we off for gold, sir ? " Said Memminger, 2 " I do infer, Our banks are somewhat rotten, And in the end, we must depend For basis, sir, on cotton." Said Robert Toombs, " There's something looms Up like an apparition, All luminous with golden light, I mean our Eecognition." 1 " The bones of the legs were taken for drum sticks ; ear-rings and finger-rings were carved ont pf Yankee bones, to send as souvenirs to the female rebels. Yankee skulls were mounted for goblets and punch bowls."^ Senate Report, April 30, 1862. 9 Rebel Secretary of the Treasury n (49) 50 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Aha ! " said Walker, " you may talk, 'Tis but a film of fancy, Or I divine we 'd have a line From our commissioner Yancey." ' Said Jeff, " You know the foreign post Is now somewhat unhandy, Since the blockade Old Abe has laid For Yankee Doodle Dandy. Those diplomats have all been paid, Our envoys can't be idle, Negotiations must be made, I '11 Mason send, and Slidell." E'en while he spoke, a voice outside His eloquence destroyed, sir, A clatter, as when thieves do ride, And in rushed Mr. Floyd, sir. " Give me," said he, all out of breath, " A little drop of brandy ! For oh ! I 'm whipped * well nigh to death By Yankee Doodle Dandy." " Now Floyd," said Jeff, " no joking here, You disarrange our plans, sir, You mean to say you 've stolen a march From General Bosecrans, sir. There ! there ! retire ! go to the West, Where war is just begun, sir, And bear in mind, however pressed, The chivalry don't run, sir." 1 " Very soon after the establishment of the government at Montgom ery, three commissioners were sent to Europe. The mission, we now fear, was premature. "Charleston Mercury, Oct. 26, 18C1. * September 10th, Carnifex Ferry ; November 14th, McCoy's Mills ; and November 20tb, Gauley Bridge. TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 51 " Oh, yes, I know ! we 11 never fly Before the oppressor's might, sir, But, zounds, who was it raised the lie That Yankees wouldn't fight, sir ? " " In some respects," said Jeff, " are we Mistaken, I 'm afraid, sir, These hirelings, they will fight or flee According as they 're paid, sir." " When Twiggs surrendered his command No soldier in the lot, sir, Would take our gold, but overland Keported to Old Scott, sir. 1 I 'm told they came in, sir, on foot, Commanded by a sergeant, The roll complete, one man o'ercome With too much of the ardent, " Dropped by the way, they left him drunk 'Twas somewhere down hi Texas. In two weeks tune, with cursed spunk, (That specially doth vex us, It's so opposed to theory,) The fellow torn and dirtied, Limped in, alarmed for fear Old Abe Would think he had deserted." " But," added Floyd, " we have the blood, They 're base born and the scum, sir, They 've got a fighting fever now, They '11 in ffie end succumb, sir ; 'Tis pity though, 'tis fallacy About our whipping ten 1 The troops left in Texas, without a commander, by the treason of Twiggs, arrived in New York April 11, 1861. 62 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. To one, O Jefferson ! can we Supply the drain of men ? " Says Jeff, " One thing is hard to see Our soldiers, how they eat, sir, Here's Lee already writes to me, He 's short of bread and meat, sir." " "Why ! didn't they capture at Bull Bun Enough to last a year, sir ? " " Ahem, 'twas stated so, 'twas done To please the people's ear, sir." Said Mallory, " A way I see, You spoke just now of gold, sir, My pirates free will plough the sea, They are both brave and bold, sir. The Sumter 1 is invincible, She '11 lay, sir, an embargo, Protected by the British flag, On every Yankee cargo. " I 've a despatch here in my hand, I 've not had time to read, sirs, The contents 1 11 examine now, If you are all agreed, sirs." He broke the seal the cypher scanned, Said he, " The Yankee banner Is floating free, sir, from the mast Of privateer Savannah. 2 " She met the Perry on her track, And felt herself quite cranky, i Ran the blockade out of New Orleans harbor June 29, 1861. s Captured June 15, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 53 She caught a tartar, sir ; in fact, Was captured by the Yankee." The Petrel too, that stout gunboat, As spunky as a ship, sir, Of all her timbers that's afloat, You 'd scarcely find a chip, sir." " Whew ! " said Jeff, " and (hat 's your best ! It is n't, sir, reliable ; It can at least, sir, be suppressed, Our editors are buyable." Said Mallory, " Don't bite your lips, But hdf the story 's told, sir, The Sumter 's taken seventy ships, And quite her iveight in gold, sir." " Ah ! that indeed will do to tett, The people must have fun, sir, Just publish that, with what befell The Yankees at Bull Kun, sir." Said Benjamin, the Jew, said he, " 'Twill do, sir, by Gehenna, To speak of Schenck and Butler, too, At Bethel ' and Vienna." 2 " Stay ! a postscript ' naval fight,' And ' Barren is checkmated.' ' Forts Hatteras and Clark last night * Were both evacuated.' " " Oh, dear ! " said Memminger, " 't is clear, These cowardly invaders Have laid a trap to catch, I fear, Our valuable blockaders." Big Bethel, June 10, 1861. Vienna, June 17, 1861. 3 August 29, 1361. 54 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. A knock upon the outer door, "A messenger from Polk, sir." Jeff scanned the missive o'er and o'er, At last the seal he broke, sir : " Dear Jeff, Missouri's lost, at least, I take it, sir, for Granted. ; Belmont ' is captured, and our guns Are spiked, sir, or transplanted. " And here 's from Drayton, here 's a treat, It's something emphasized, sir, Dupont and Sherman, with a fleet, Port Royal have surprised, sir." 2 Jeff strove in vain to catch his breath, His hair he wildly tore, sir, Then pale as " Bull Bun Yank " in death, He fell upon the floor, sir. They lifted him, the case was bad, All rebeldom did sigh, sir, The doctors came, and said Jeff had " Neuralgia in the eye," sir. They sent for Johnstone in a trice, He said the remedy, sir, (If they would follow his advice,) Was Fabian Policy, sir. " I differ from you quite," said Lee, (The wisest man extant, sir,) " I would apply, if I were he, A counter irritant, sir." " "When doctors disagree," said Bragg, " Why, leave the case alone, sir, 1 November 7, 1861, by Gen. Grant. 2 December 8, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 55 'Tis safe to wait to-morrow's news." Jeff gave a feeble groan, sir. To-morrow came. Said Bragg, " I 've learned Our plans are unfulfilled, sir, As far as Old Kentuck's concerned, For Zollicoffer 's killed, 1 sir." King Jeff arose ; said he, " 'Tis time, My duty 1 11 not shirk, sir, Mere idleness is now a crime, Let every man to work, sir." " I own last night by press of news My nerves did much disturb me ; I owe this morn a perfect cure Unto the Earl of Derby. Bead this my friend. The London Times (For us so interested) Says Derby (who the Gov'ment primes,) To Johnny Bull suggested, 2 " That ships out bound should signals make To those they met from home, sir, That ' War with Brother Jonathan Most probably would come, sir.' " Those chaps at last begin to see They '11 profit by our winning, The tide will turn, 'tis clear to me That this is the beginning. " You see that lucky Trent affair Has opened Johnny's eyes, sir, January 19, 1853, at Mill Spring, Kentucky. December 14, 1861. 56 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. We 're all right now, 'tis glorious. Old Mason, if he tries, sir, Can never do a better thing, So far as toe 're concerned, sir, Than Wilkes did for him by the by, To show how things haw turned, sir, " They 're sending troops to Canada ; I'm told the British band, Just as the transports left the docks, Played out our ' Dixie's Land ;' His ' Yankee Doodle ' Abe will find, Is left quite in the lurch, sir, For Johnny Bull will not submit To Yankee Eight of Search, sir. " The South will ne 'er be subjugated, What though her sons are killed? With pride and scorn still unabated She '11 have her daughters drilled ; And, if more yet of blood and life The insatiate Lincoln craves, sir, We '11 still defy him in the strife, For then vie 'tt arm our slaves, sir. " And after that," (Jeff raised his voice To such an angry pitch, sir, Said he^) " why then well go ourselves And die in the last ditch, sir. Excuse me now, dear Captain Bragg, I hope I'm not uncivil, But I will lower the Yankee flag If I enlist the Devil I!" 1 1 " Onr people were greatly surprised on Saturday morning to see the Black Flag waving over the Depot of the Va. and Tenn. E. R. We are THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 57 That night a stranger came to town Lank and long and wary, He said that Jeff had sent him down To be a commissary Of prisons, sir, for " 1 know beans" (He used his tongue quite glibly), "I'm fertile, sir, in ways and means, And I'll begin at Libby." From this time on, till weary months Have grown to weary years, sir, One long shrill wail of agony Doth fill the nation's ear, sir ; Though fierce the clangor of the field, And battle shrieks and groans, From Anderson, and Belle Isle, still Comes up this undertone. Said Jeff, " I don't sleep well at night, My dreams are much disturbed, sir, The people can't see things aright, Their growlings must be curbed, sir. ' No wood,' ' no brooms,' * no leather,' ' lead,' ' No salt !' have they forgotten, How long ago it was they said They 'd every thing in cotton f " Those Tennesseeans bother me, The fools are stiff as pokers," Says Polk, 1 "An easy remedy, Would be some hempen chokers." for displaying that flag throughout the whole South." LyncKburg Republican. 1 Bishop Polk, General commanding in Tennessee. 8* 58 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " First catch your hare," ' said Jefferson, " These rascally low scamps, sir, In crowds across the hills have gone, Into the Yankee camps, sir. " The woods are full of fleeing men, All heading for Kentucky ; The loss of so much muscle, sir, Is deucedly unlucky. I '11 blood-hounds 2 send along the line, They 've dared to vex us thus, sir, They 11 see ! the hunting will be fine, I '11 stop the exodus, sir." Says Cobb, " "We 've got the people's cash, They '11 hardly live on air, sir, They may do something rather rash, Unless we speak them fair, sir ; I would advise you to supply A circulating medium, 'Twill serve to hush that silly cry, And interrupt their tedium." So agents went throughout the land, And lots of cotton seized, sir, Jeff gave for it his note of hand, And all the rebels pleased, sir ; For principal and the increase It"C. S. A." did bind, sir, See Mrs. Glass' Cookery. a Note." We the undersigned will pay five dollars per pair for fifty pairs of well bred hounds, and fifty dollars for one pair of thorough bred blood-hounds, that will take the track of a man. The purposes for which these dogs are wanted is to chase the infernal cowardly bush whackers of East Tennessee and Kentucky to their dens and capturo them. Signed, p. N. MC'NAIB. H. H. HARRIS. Bowling Green Courier, THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 59 To pay in six months after peace J "With Uncle Sam was signed, sir. Jeff rubbed his hands, " We 've sprung a mine, This cotton will be sold, sir, To Johnny Bull, who, I divine Is ready with the gold, sir." But Johnny Bull is sly and wise, He bargained for free trade, sir, And sent his ships of merchandise To run Old Abe's blockade, sir. Of shoes and blankets, he foresaw There 'd be no intermission Of wear and tear, he said, "In war One must have ammunition. Ill be consistent too," said he, " To principles of old, sir, I hate this horrid slavery, I always did love gold, sir." So Johnny Bull to Abraham wrote, In rather saucy tones. It seems, in Charleston Harbor, Abe Had dumped a load of stones. 2 The act, the like was ne'er before, Created a sensation, It did, as Johnny loudly swore, Impede his navigation. John said, "Abe had no right to do So violent a deed, sir." 1 See Confederate Notes. 2 Stone Fleet sunk 20th December 1861. 60 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Abe read his little missive through, And smiled as he did read, sir. Said he, " If pigs get in my field, Or if a burrowing mole, sir, Gnaws at my trees, I shall not yield My right to stop his hole, sir. " If Johnny Bull don't like the way Our house-keeping goes on, sir, Just tell him, Seward, he can stay Where Englishmen are born, sir." But Seward wrote, " The stones are few, And scarcely worth the mention, Since John had made the passage through Before his intervention." ' Then John, who always, sir, is great In small retaliation, Proclaimed an order of the State Forbidding exportation Of fire-arms and gunpowder, Of brimstone, lead, and nitre, Then set to building rebel ships, With conscience made much lighter. 1 See Correspondence on the Stone Fleet. CHAPTER VIII. . Now all this time, Abe sore amazed The country tried to mend, And dimly in the future gazed, And sought, but found no end. Said he, " Things are so jumbled up It 's hard to find the clew, sir ; But Yankee Doodle has the job, And we shall worry through, sir. " There 's Butler down in Fort Monroe, 1 I don't like his intrusion ; He 's lugging in our friend Sambo, Just to increase confusion. And Fremont's worse, he wants to lead, 9 Sounds Freedom's trumpet tone ; I wish they 'd do their own hard work, And let the LORD'S alone. " And Johnny Bull thinks we are down, And slyly plans a gore ; .And shakes at us his horned head, And gives a biggish roar. And Wilkes has cut all our red tape, 3 It should have served to bridle 1 General Butler in May declared escaped slaves to be contraband of war and entitled to freedom. See his letter of May 27, 1861. 2 See Fremont's proclamation of August freeing the slaves of Missouri. s Captain Wilkes took Mason and Slidell from the " Trent," Novem* ber 8, 1861. (61) 62 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. His wrath at treason, in the shape Of Mason, sir, and SlidelL" " Why ! what 's the matter now ?" said Scott, "It is that Slidell pack, sir? "Well, hang the traitors, since they're caught." Says Abe, "7'11 send them back, sir. One war 's enough, Scott, at a time It ain't that England 's strong, sir She 's got the law upon her side, We can't fight in the wrong, sir. " And then there 's Sherman in the West, His views are dreadful hazy ; My fears I haven't yet confessed The papers say he 's crazy. I sent to him, the other day, To make some estimates, sir, What troops he 'd need to drive the rebs Out of the Western States, sir ; And Sherman actually said, He 'd call them very lucky If sixty thousand men could drive The rebels from Kentucky. And as to putting matters through, And finishing the fight, sir, The sixty thousand would not do, Two hundred thousand might, sir." " I always knew," said General Scott, " The war. was going to spread, sir ; I don't believe, as Seward thought, 'Twill come to any head, sir. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 63 The poison scatters through the land North, South and West all o'er ; If we do break our Union band, We '11 break it into four." " It shdl not break," said Abraham, " The rebs can't have their swing, sir ; Old Jonathan will not submit To any such a thing, sir. That Bull Run business, Scott, I fear, The rebs has greatly nattered ; But when we 've fairly made a move, They '11 easily be scattered." "Well, Abe," said Scott, "McClellan's here, In tactics he is skilled, sir ; The city 's safe, the way is clear, The troops are now well drilled, sir. I 'm old, and tired out with work, To vertigo inclined, sir ; This war, I do not like to shirk, But, Abe, I have resigned, sir.". 1 Now little Mac all through the fall Had organized his army ; 'Twas nearly ready. All at once, With something of alarm, he Discovered that the mighty West Was almost unprotected ; There was, in fact, a state of things He never had suspected. 1 General Scott resigned 1st November, 18C1. 64 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 'Twould never do for him to make Initiative movement Until the West had undergone A radical improvement. They had been fighting quite too soon- A terrible disorder, In fact, a very chaos, reigned Along the Western border. So Mac told Halleck what was wrong, 1 He was, indeed, quite sure " Fremont had been indulged too long In rash expenditure. His contracts must be overhauled, And it was to be shown, sir, His troops had legally been raised," So little had been known, sir, About the Western volunteers, And their neglected plight, One thing alone was very clear, Thai they knew how to fight. 'Tis true Fremont had gone to work And built a fleet of boats, sir, For Uncle Sam at Cairo, where The iron-clads did float, sir. The Western boys Mac rendezvoused With Foote and Grant at hand, sir ; And down at Louisville there stood Don BuelTs brave command, sir. Their skirmishes were very thick In Old Kentuck ; the rattle 1 Letter to Halleck, November 11, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 65 Of musketry ere long was trained At Mill Spring to a battle ;* "Where Thomas led the willing boys Out to their first real fight, sir ; And when the traitor host came on They shrank not at the sight, sir, But veteran-like, stood to the foe Stood brave and steadily ; And from the chaos of the blow Worked out a victory. The rebels mustered in their men The Mississippi river They closed at Island Number Ten The West was in a quiver. Fort Pillow sprang up, then they were No longer in the dark, sir, When Beauregard, upon his map, At Vicksburg made a mark, sir. And this while Mac in Washington Paraded in full feather, And sat for his daguerreotype, And waited for bad weather, Till JONATHAN in wrath did speak ; Said he, " A pretty sight, sir, This dallying from week to week My boys came out to fight, sir. " Old Abe, I am ashamed of you, It 's like you were demented, When all the country 's in a stew A-sitting down contented, 1 January 19, 18G2. 66 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. A-holding back the boys that fret Their span new guns to prove, sir, Until your army 's grown so big, They say it cannot move, sir. " The rebs have been all wide awake, While you and Mac have dosed, sir ; They boast they can your city take, They have the river closed, sir. 1 The sight is sad to contemplate We 've sent our sons to chase The rebel horde you smile and wait, Ignoring the disgrace. " What do we care for grand reviews, 2 And epaulets and feathers, And patent tents and patent shoes 3 Impervious to all weathers ? The West is roused to such a pitch, Delay it will not brook, sir, If you don't move this general hitch We 'U fight on our own hook, sir." Said Abe to Mac, "We 'd better try it ; What is your bulletin, sir ?" " On the Potomac all is quiet," The General did begin, sir. 1 Flag-officer Craven reported the Potomac river effectually block aded by rebel batteries, October 22, 1861. 3 November 26, 1861. "The review was a grand display, nearly 100,000 men, a grand display of power ; but it passed away like the reviews which had preceded it, and quiet once more settled on the Potomac. 1 'Headley. 3 " McClellan is beset with all kinds of inventors, contractors, etc. He mostly indorses their suggestions, and on this authority the most extravagant orders are given to the War Department." Gaurawski's Diary, 1861. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 67 " Oh ! yes, I know, but, sirs, the rebs You need not try to bund them, They '11 never come when waited for, You'd better go and find them. " This quietness don't suit the boys, It looks too much like fear, sir, They 'd rather have a little noise, "When traitors are so near, sir." McClellan stood with folded arms ( He was a handsome man, sir, ) "I'm not quite ready yet," he said, Said he, "I have a plan, sir." The blood flew up in Abram's face, He rose, pushed back his chair, Took up his hat, with rapid pace Walked straight out down the stair. That night Mac got a little note, "This is your troops to warn, sir," ('Twas thus that Abram Lincoln wrote,) l "They'll move to-morrow morn, sir." Now little Mac twirled his moustache, And then began to scold, Said he, " Old Abe is growing rash And difficult to hold ; We 're all so comfortable here, I never would have thought, sirs, He 'd have the heart to drive us clear Out of our winter quarters." " Besides, I'm very far from well To give me time to rally, 1 President Lincoln's order No. 1, dated 27th January, 1862. 68 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And write my speech, so it will tell, I'll send Banks down the valley." So down the valley Banks did go, And left McClellan sick, sir ; Bight gallantly his troops went out, They came back double quick, sir. McClellan went to bed and sent For homoeopathic doctors ; While General Burnside sailing went To give the rebs a shock, sirs ; Three weeks and more, his fleet storm tossed Found fighting was no joke, Then just as Abe pronounced them lost, Turned up at Roanoke. Now Henry "Wise, of John Brown fame, At Roanoke commanded, But lying ill when Burnside came And all his cannon landed, He couldn't hang the General As he had hung John Brown, sir, Nor could reb gunboats keep his fleet From taking Newbern town, sir. 1 Thus Burnside went, to prove no boast What Abram did report, sir, He sailed along the rebel coast And "re-possessed ffie forts," sir. Old Jonathan cried out, "Well done!" And Sambo shouted " Glory ! " Which in this place, as Abe would say, Reminds me of a story. > March 14th, 1S62. CHAPTEE IX. WHEN first the rebs began to shoot At Yankee Doodle Dandy, They counted Sambo in " to boot," They said " He 'd work in handy." While master led the chivalry At home he 'd keep the pot on, Would cure the bacon, grind the corn, And cultivate the cotton. " The mud-sills, on the other hand, Unless ubiquitous, sir, Would have no tillers of the land ; The Yanks iniquitous, sir, Would reap destruction close at home, The while they sowed abroad Supported by no Patriarch's rule, And governed by no God. " The servile race was trained so well, In case of a disaster Why, Sam would hasten to the field, And battie for his master." Well, Sambo toiled and Sambo dreamed, And nothing Sambo spoke, sir, Till Yankee guns and bay'nets gleamed, And sleeping Sambo woke, sir. (69) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Ole Missus," rising in the morn. And very much belated, Declared the house felt all forlorn And strange ! no breakfast waited. For Sambo Cook the night before, All suddenly inspired, Had closed outside his cabin door, In Sunday clothes attired With Dinah and the little ones, Had taken, in the damp, And cold, and dark, the road that runs Into the Yankee camp. Abe's generals saw the tide set in, It wasn't to their notion ; Same did with their small brooms begin To sweep back, sir, the ocean. Said they, "Our well digested plan, Our duty strict defines, These fugitives, sirs, never can, Come thus within our lines." ' Ben Butler down in Fort Monroe Held Sambo out his hand, sir, Said he, " You 're free to come or go, My worthy Contraband," sir. And some cried out that Mac 2 was right, And some hurrahed for Ben, sir, 1 See General Order No. 33, Department of Washington, July IT, 1861. Halleck's proclamation of February 23, 1862. General Buoll's letter of March 6th, 1862, to Hon. J. R. Underwood. General Hooker's letter, March 26, 1862. General McClellan's letter to President Lin coln, July 7th, 1862. 2 Extract from General McClellan'g letter to President Lincoln, July 7th, 1862, Camp near Harrison's Landing: " Neither confiscation of THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 71 Some said that Sambo was & fright, That black folks were not men, sir, But beasts of burden ; (it was clear As any point in law, sir,) That Sambo shortly would appear The chief man in the war, sir. Some didn't fight for Sambo's cause, But just to save the nation ; The Constitution and the laws Had well defined his station. Old Hunter swore the slaves had souls, And perfect right to freedom, Were stretching out towards this goal, Would fight, and he would lead them. And Lincoln, in a groping way, Surmised 'twould trouble save, sir, If Congress would the rebels pay To liberate the slaves, 1 sir. Then sent a Governor Stanley down The stubborn rebs to rule, sir, Who ordered straight in Newbern town, To close the colored schools, sir.' 2 Old Jonathan pricked up his ear, Said he, " What is this clatter, About the black man that I hear ? It is a serious matter, For us who happen to be white Our brother's skin to mark, sir ; property, political executions of persons, territorial organization of states, nor forcible abolition of slavery, should be contemplated for a moment." 1 See message of Gth March, 1862. 3 2Sth May, 1S62. 72 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The difference is in the light, We 're aR black in the dark, sir. " Suppose that Sambo isn't wise, Admit him dull or duller. Stupidity 's a charge that lies Against no special color. I 've known some white folks quite obtuse ; If Sambo is a fool, sir, We needn't such strange terror show At sight of colored schools, sir." So Jonathan in Congress made A little resolution, That is to say a sort of trade Within the Constitution ; He bargained for a certain sum, That Sambo in D. C. sir, (Quoth he, " The rest will have to come,") Hereafter should be free, sir. 1 1 Bill abolishing slavery in District of Columbia passed April 16th, 18* CHAPTER X. 'TWAS late one February night, Beside a candle small, Jeff Davis set him down to write His speech Inaugural. 1 The streets were dark, black as his ink, (They'd used up all their gas, sir,) "When suddenly, by his door chink He saw a lantern pass, sir. "A light ! 'tis news, ho ! there, outside, What tidings do you carry ?" " Hush, hush, from Tflghman, sir, I ride, He bade me ne'er to tarry Until I came, as come you see, (I've killed my horse to boot, sir,) To tell King Jeff, in Fort Henry Old Abe has put his Foote, 1 sir. " Another orderly 's behind, I heard his horse hoofs clatter ; Ah ! here he is, I fear you'll find There's something worse the matter." " Come in ! come in ! Put out the light, Or somebody will see, sir." " O me ! we're in a sorry plight," Cried out the orderly, sir. 1 See Inaugural, February 22, 1862. 1 Fort Henry taken February 6, 18C2. 4 (73) 74 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. "You're faint," says Jeff, and poured MTU out Three finger widths of brandy, " Now drink, my man, A total rout, To Yankee Doodle Dandy." " King Jeff, I'd drink your pretty toast Until I were dead drunk, sir, But Yankees fight while we do boast, They are choke full of spunk, sir. " From Nashville, sir, I come direct, I left an awful panic, Bull Run was play, sir, I suspect To this, this rout Satanic. The city's sacked, our troops did throw Their whisky, corn and bacon Upon the streets, to cheat the foe, For .... Donaldson is taken" 1 " ' Tis false," said Jeff, "but yesterday A message came up here, sir, Our boys were ' Driving Grant away And peppering his rear, sir.' And Pillow said, ' The day was ours,' And after Tn'm did Floyd, sir, Dispatch ('tis scarce a dozen hours) 'The gun boats were destroyed,' sir." " All that was true tiH afternoon, The Yankees did return, sir, His cruel fate then all too soon Did General Buckner learn, sir." " And Floyd, his name why do you miss ?" " He did not like to stay, sir ; i February 15, 1862. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 75 While Buckner asked an armistice At dawn he stole away, sir. " Twelve thousand men, and guns three-score, All to the Yankees lost, sir, But paid, King Jeff, with Yankee gore, And at a fearful cost, sir." "Enough. !" said Jeff, "your tale is told " Ho ! guards, give him his ration, But with the town let him not hold The least communication." Jeff locked the door, and snuffed his light, And sighed, and took a dram, sir, Sat down, and then began to write To all appearance calm, sir : " My friends," wrote he, " the foe must sink Under enormous debt, sirs, Through darkest clouds there is this blink ; We have no need to fret, sirs. 1 " 'Tis true we 've had full many a trial, And loss in gold and blood, sir, But they have taught us self denial And done us all much good, sir. The people wiser too have grown. Their purposes are firmer ; The gallant men to arms have flown, The women do not murmur ; "But have their sons and daughters for Great deeds of valor trained, sirs. 1 See Davis' Inaugural of Fclmary 22, 1862. 76 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. We 're sdf-siffporting, too ; this war Alone we have maintained, sirs ; We've asked no aid, but when we've won, And our success complete, sirs, All nations will cry out 'Well done!' And/or our trade compete, sirs." So far King Jeff with ease did go, When, hist ! his window rattles Just as he writes, " All this we owe Unto the God of battles." The beating of his pulses turns To distant booming guns, The hot blood in his arteries burns Like molten lava runs. Exhausted nature can no more, She will have a respite, sir, Jeff nods his candle splutters o'er, And lo ! it is daylight, sir. Down dropped his pen, his nerves did fail, And sound asleep he fell, sir, And dreamed, O horror ! such a tale, Of Pea Eidge, 1 and of Hell, sir. Of demons armed with tomahawks, Of dead men scalped in fight, sir, Of desperate charge, and battle shocks, Of day thrice turned to night, sir, In clouds of sickening sulphur smoke, Of horrid sights to see ! Of shrieking, till the dying choke With groans and blasphemy. ***** 1 Fought on the 6th, 7th and 8th of March, 1862. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Jeff woke, but still the distant guns Were booming in his ear, He called aloud. "Ho! orderly, "What is this noise I hear ?" " That noise, King Jeff, the town has rent, And puzzled many men, sir, Some say it is the bombardment Of Island Number Ten, 1 sir." Jeff scowled, and frowned, and tried his best To look incredulous. "Those Tanks," he said, "give one no rest, They keep a constant fuss. The more we kill they more increase, And oh ! so bold they've grown, And all we asked was to have peace, And to be let done" Thus, while Jeff scolded to himself, And boasted to his army That things in Dixie, on the whole, Were working to a charm, he Heard ever more the booming guns At Island Number Ten, 2 sir, And read of strange and daring deeds, Of Pope and his brave men, sir. 1 Bombardment commenced March 16, 18C2. 2 The bombardment was kept up twenty-three days. CHAPTEE XI. " Now what do ye in Hampton Roads, 1 My gallant sailor boys ?" " Oh ! sir, in Norfolk Navy Yard There is a wondrous noise, They 're plating our old Merrimack And giving her a ' snout,' sir ; We 're here to drive the old ark back, If once she should come out, sir." What's that black mass that's floating down Between two rebel steamers ? Both fore and aft defiantly She carries rebel streamers ; Straight out across the silent bay, The hearse-like monster glides, sir, Silent as death she cleaves her way Like Death, resistless rides, sir. Now, clear for action Cumberland ! Straight down on you she steers ; She speaks ! Your gunners fearless stand And answer her with cheers ! A broadside give ! Good God ! her roof Turns off your shot like rain, sir, Unchecked, unhurt, to cannon proof, She strikes the ship amain, sir. March 8, 1862. (78) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 79 Crash, through the plank and timbers riven She drives her iron snout, Then rakes the deck with heavy guns, And still the heroes shout, Nor flinch those doomed men, nor quail Before the horrid slaughter, But man their guns defiantly, Till throttled by the water ! And so it sunk, brave Cumberland ! Down with its dead and dying ; Down with its last dry gun still manned, 1 And with the flag still flying ! Unsatisfied the monster turns Success the boast engenders, " She '11 sink the whole of Abram's fleet," The Congress soon surrenders. The Minnesota runs aground, Bight in the monster's track ; The rebel captain looks around, " 'Tis late, we can come back To-morrow morn of this our prize The Devil can't us rob, sir ; "We 11 take a nap, and early rise, And finish up the job, sir." So with the sun on Saturday, 2 The black ark hove in sight ; The stranded Minnesota lay All ready for the fight ; 1 "Standing knee-deep in water, Matthew Lenney fired the only gun that was still dry, and in another moment the Cumberland went down." Sonnets History. 2 March 9, 1862. 80 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. For Worden, with his Monitor, Was lying on her lee ; " I '11 fight the monster," Worden said, " God speed the right," said he. Said Buck, 1 the reb, "By Jeff, what 's that A-prowling round our prize, sir ? It 's something bigger than a rat, The deuce confound my eyes, sir It is a cheese-box on a raft, Some stupid Yankee trick ; Just send a ball into the craft, And sink her double quick." 'Twas easier said than done the ball Don't into her just go, sir, But glances, in the bay doth fall And in return to show, sir, That little things will have their day, The " cheese-box " does run out Th' eleven-inch gun, and fires away Eight at the rebel's snout. And round and round the Merrimack The little " cheese-box " spun, And then whene'er she spies a crack, Bang goes th' eleven-inch gun. The monster tries to run her down, Ha, ha ! she 's got her match, sir ; She turns her nose up on the raft, And does n't leave a scratch, sir. She only lifts to Worden's view A vulnerable side, sir, 1 Franklin Buchanan, renegade naval officer. . THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 81 When crash ! the gallant gunners, too, The unarmed spot have spied, sir. Eight through the wooden hull, so true, Thateleven-incK ball goes handy ; The splinters whistled as they flew Old Yankee Doodle Dandy. And thus the haughty Merrimack, And renegade commander, While making haste to get safe back, Began to understand, sir, That there 's a Power above can foil The best hopes man can build, sir ; That plans the Devil cannot spoil, May still be unfulfilled, sir. 4* CHAPTEE XII. OLD JONATHAN took up Ms fife, He 'd just heard from the West, sir, About Forts Henry, Donelson, Columbus and the rest, sir. " So much," said he to Abraham, " Has come of one brave move, sir ; Another stroke, and Dixie's might Will all a bubble prove, sir. " We 11 teach the traitors, Abe, my man, Their idle threats to bandy ;" And boastful Jonathan began His Yankee Doodle Dandy. And while he played, Grant hurried up To find the enemy, sir ; And Abe sent valiant Andy down, To bring back Tennessee, sir. And news from General Halleck came That out in Arkansaw, sir, The flag was floating, and that Price Was cut up by the war, sir, With Curtis hanging on his rear, His rapid flight delaying. Then came a rumor of Pea Ridge ! And Jonathan stopped playing. (82) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 83 He laid his fife aside in pain, He saw a red, red tide, sir, Was setting in ; his boasts were vain. O'er all the country wide, sir, He knew the gathering waves of war Surged in a wild unrest ; He braced himself, and stood erect The coming storm to breast. Abe did n't look so far ahead, He fixed his partial sight On Gideon, and talked about The Monitor's brave fight. Said he, " Fremont's idea of boats A lot of trouble saves, sir ; I think my fleets will ride upon Old Jonathan's war waves, sir." Said Gideon, that very day, " I have a squadron handy, And gallant tars to lead the way For Yankee Doodle Dandy. The steam is up, the flag afloat, And Farragut on board, sir ; And Porter waits, with mortar fleet, For you to give the word, sir." "The boys out West," said Abe, "do fret About their shut up river." 1 " The very thing," said Wells ; " I '11 let My tars the West deliver ; But there 's some forts, by rebels manned, And iron-clad gunboats, sir ; The Mississippi. 84 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And rebel rams, and heavy chains Across the river's throat, sir." " Oh ! yes," said Wells, " and big fire rafts ; Perhaps we overrate them , But if they sail such wicked craft, My Porter soon will mate them." So down to New Orleans they sail, And slowly up the stream, sir ; The rebs had got the news by mail, And of a victory dream, sir. Bold Porter slips along the shore, Half hidden by the trees ; Up to the two strong rebel forts, He works by slow degrees. He wakes the traitors by his shell, Two thousand the first day, sir ; Growled Hollins, as they bursting fell, " There 's two at that can play, sir." Then out he towed into the tide, His fire-ship all ablaze, sir ; "Down to the fleet," said he, "'twill ride, Those skulking chaps amaze, sir." Down, down ! the frightful oreature moved, The vessels stood for fight, sir ; It floated free, all harmless proved, And drifted out of sight, sir. Said Porter, " There '11 be more anon, Put grapnels in your boats, And ropes, and buckets, in the morn Be ready, what e'er floats. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 85 " What 's yonder liglit, with lurid gleam ? " "A raft within a mile, sir." She nears ! The "Westfield, with a scream, Steers for the burning pile, sir. 'Mid crashing timbers, flying sparks, The staunch old vessel goes, sir, And on the fearful mass of fire The Captain turns the hose, sir. A moment more, the fleet of boats Have grappled ! " Now the oars, sirs." And see ! the baffled monster floats, Towed slowly to the shore, sirs. Seven days they did bombard the forts, Seven days the forts replied, And Porter would have banged away Till all his men had died ; But Farragut looks on the lads, As faint and worn they lie, sir, 1 Says he, "111 slip my anchors, and These stubborn forts run by, sir." 'Twas two o'clock that April morn, 2 Beneath the star-lit sky The forts sleep tranquil, and the ships And gunboats silent lie ; Up from the Hartford's mizzen peak The signal lanterns shine, sir, 1 " When relieved from their toil, the men instantly dropped down upon the decks, and fell soundly asleep, in the midst of an uproar well nigh sufficient to have waked the dead." Abbof s History. 2 23rd April. 86 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Ship after ship in answer speak, And fall quick into line, sir. Now, up the stream ! The Hartford leads. Eight in the gates of hell, sir, She takes the flag! Oh! bravest deed, To break the accursed spell, sir, Of Treason and her vaunted skill ; And prodigies of might, And rebel hate, and desperate will, Prove futile 'gainst the right Up ! past the broken cable, up ! Abreast the rebel forts, "A broadside now 1 " cried Farragut, " Straight at their frowning ports." Five hundred cannon, thundering, Unto the fleet replied, sir, And shot and shell in torrents fling Still, safe the vessels ride, sir. Up ! 'mid the drifting fire boats, Where hot shot crashing falls Thro' wooden hulls, the fleet still floats One, 1 riddled quite with balls Drops out of line, and one 2 in flames, The flag ship runs aground, sir, Before a rebel ram ; 3 she backs, And fights, and comes off sound, sir. Five gunboats Captain Boggs 4 sent down Beneath the turbid water, 1 The Ithaca. 2 The Hartford. 3 The Manassas. 4 In command of the Varnna. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 87 The rebels drive a famous ram To stop the wholesale slaughter The staunch Varuna reeled and broke Beneath the horrid blow, sir, And carried in a wreath of smoke Her flying flag below, sir. They passed the forts, the fleet's brave crew Have crushed the rebel power, And Farragut's church pennant flew Within the very hour. " Give not the glory of the deed To living or to dead, sirs, Let every heart its duty read, Give thanks to God," l he said, sirs. 1 See General Order of April 26th, 1862. CHAPTEE XIII. IN New Orleans, the rebs amazed Declared it wHs a pity, 'Twas infamous in short, quite crazed, They vowed they 'd burn the city ; They swore, these rebs of noble birth Of chivalry begotten, They 'd ne'er submit, they 'd strew the earth With ashes of their cotton. So, while the fleet lay off the town, They raved on without stint, sir ; Grim Farragut a flag sent down To hoist upon the mint, sir ; The Mayor l whined about " their rights," And said such open dealings Would not be pleasant in their sight, In fact, would hurt their feelings. And when the sailors went on board One, Mumford, took the flag, sir, Tore out the Stars with ruthless hand And in the mud did drag, sir. Now Farragut, the records say, Did not retaliate, sirs. Quoth he, " Ben Butler's on the way, We can afford to wait, sirs." 1 Mayor Munroe. (88) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 89 Ben's army came the first of May, The chivalry subsided, The women in their own sweet way Ben's soldiery derided, They pouted, sneered, and venom spit, Turned up their pretty noses, The troops, well disciplined, submit Until Ben interposes. Said he, " Politeness is all lost Upon a worthless jade, sirs, As you have learned here to your cost, They think you are afraid, sirs. Hereafter, let no soldier bear Such unprovoked abuse, sirs, Take every such insulting fair Straight to the calaboose, sirs." The rebels raised a hue and cry, Which as it rolled increased, From rebeldom abroad did fly, And Butler was a ' beast,' A ' brute,' a ' knave,' a ' base born fool !' A ' thief, come down to steal,' sir, And Beauregard, the ready tool, Wrote out a new ' appeal,' sir. Said Ben, " They're skilled in throwing dirt O me ! it is a pity To waste such talent, when we need It here to clean the city ; 'Tis foul almost as rebel tongues, Such garbage as one meets Ugh ! Boys, bring out the malcontents And make them sweep the streets." 90 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Now Mumford still did walk the street And led a swaggering crew, sir, Who swore Ben should not justice mete, Or dreadful things they'd do, sir. Ben sent a sergeant from his camp, And being always partial To law and order, took the scamp Before a full Court Martial. The court decreed death was too good, But hanging recommended ; Ben made a gallows of stout wood And Muinford was suspended. Jeff Davis howled and talked about The usages of war, sirs, And martyred Mumford hung without The shadow of a law, sirs ; Said, " Ben was outlawed," held him up To general execration, As an excrescence hideous Of a besotted nation. Ben took the compliment and kept A hearty appetite, sir, And under Jeff's outlawry slept Quite soundly every night, sir. The Consuls next took up the theme And quoted rules of war, And bullied Ben, until they found He knew somewhat of law. They held " Their Governments at home," Bight up to Butler's view, sir, Ben cocked his eye, said he, "You're good, My friends, at crying Boo !" sir. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 91 Jeff's Cabinet in Richmond met Affrighted by the shock, Said one, " This does my temper fret, We must the Yankees block." Said Benjamin, " My noble state, My Crescent City dear Has fallen but has met her fate With her escutcheon clear. " No tame submission on her brow, She still defies Abe's power, Bride force done hath laid her low, And only for the hour." Said Mallory, (the while he wrote,) " You sentimental ranters, Just sign this little business note ' I 'm writing to the planters. " I have advised them, as a friend, To burn each cotton bale, sir, That when the Yankee traders send They'll find not one for sale, sir ; You see that Seward's advertised At New Orleans a port, sir, 1 And all the diplomats advised From every foreign Court, sir. "Now let the conquest barren be When vessels come to trade, Why let them only ashes see, Or our enslavement's made. 2 Let Europe grumble at the waste The barbarous North hath wrought, sir, 1 The Port of New Orleans opened for trade May 3, 1862. 2 Charleston Mercury May 14, 1862. 92 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The market will not suit her taste, She 11 feel that she is caught, sir." " She '11 be, or I am very green," (I quote now, sir, from Slidell,) "No tame spectator of the scene, She will not long be idle." Twas ever thus in each mishap To their Confederation, The rebels turned to Johnny Bull In hope of consolation. CHAPTER XIV. MAC read aloud his little speech 1 And all his men did cheer, sir, He said he'd held them back to teach (As shortly would appear, sir,) How best to deal the sharp death blow To this gigantic treason ; And if he had been rather dow 'Twas with sufficient reason. Said he, " The hour is now at hand, In you my trust I place, sirs, And with the rebels (if they stand,) I '11 bring you/ace to face, sirs ; Then to Manassas, with a shout, The army went with Mac, sir, They found the rebels just stepped out, So turned them back to back, sir. Says Mac, " That Johnston is a fox, My witt, sir, does not falter, But mud my transportation blocks, It's best my plans to alter. To float on the Potomac's breast Is easier than to walk down, My heavy guns, and all the rest, I'll ship forthwith to Yorktown." 1 Sec McClellan's address to his Arn:y, March 14, 18C2. -'-' 94 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Then followed. On tlie sorry sight It will not do to brood, sir ; One hundred thousand went to fight Five thousand with Magruder. "When Mac was ready to begin Upon the thirtieth day, sir, The rebels with a wicked grin Walked quietly away, sir. 1 "Now up, my children, brave and true," Said Mac, " I do intend, sir, These craven traitors to pursue, Unto the bitter end, sir." Oh ! patriots, wrestling with the wrong ; Oh ! heroes, all sublime ; Oh ! General, valorous and strong, Not now the appointed time. "What boots your willing sacrifice, Your heart's blood flowing free ? Alas ! ye cannot pay the price God asks for victory. From Williamsburg to Richmond town Te drove the stubborn foe ; Then all unwillingly sat down, Te could " no farther go." The fiat had gone forth, but oh ! Old Jonathan at home, sir, Did sound afar the glad huzza ! He thought the end had come, sir ; And Jeff and crew looked very blue And cursed their hapless fate, sir, 1 Yorktown evacuated May 3rd, 1802. TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 95 And sent their wives and children to A distant rebel State, sir. 1 Through bolts and bars the tidings wing ; In Libby, patriots grim, sir, Spring to their feet, as one they sing Aloud their battle hymn, 1 sir. In Belle Isle too, imprisoned men, Half starved, with hope elated, Grew patient in then* noisome den, And for McClellan waited. They wait till blighted hopes all go, They wait McClellan's plan ; They wait till hearts beat faint and low, Until then- cheeks are wan ; Until their ghastly skeletons, The boon no longer crave, And find their freedom while they wait Down in a nameless grave. 1 See Pollard, L 323-325 ; H. 28-34. The panic in Richmond was excessive. Congress adjourned on the 21st April. The rebel officials packed their archives for transportation to Columbia, and sent their families South. 2 " Glory Hallelujah !" The soul stirring battle-hymn of the Repub lic, written by Mrs. Dr. Howes. CHAPTEE XV. WHTLE Mac was carrying out his plan On the Peninsula, sir, And Farragut his cruise began There came up from afar sir, A sound that' filled the nation's ear, It came from Shiloh's field, sir, "Where Grant surprised, (so rebels say,) To furious onslaught yields, sir. 1 For Beauregard had sworn that night, That in the Tennessee, sir, His horse should drink ; the stream in sight, His oath fulfilled may be, sir ; Grant's men are huddled up behind, His guns are still before, If Beauregard don't change his mind They '11 die upon the shore. But, somehow, Grant did never know When he was fairly beaten ; When morning broke, and Buell came They both rose up to meet, then, The foe, who flushed with victory, The desperate conflict led, sir, And fought, till rebels ran away And left three thousand dead, sir. 1 April 6, 1862. (96) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 97 That very day New Madrid Isle ' Succumbed to Captain Foote, sir, And Pope cut off the rebs' retreat And took their guns to boot, sir. For Bissel's wonderful canal That morning navigated, Revealed to stubborn Island Ten How Yankees had checkmated. Then Foote steamed down the muddy stream, To fight the rebel rams, All plated o'er above, below, Just like some iron clams, Or terrapins with steel clad snouts ; But Foote has iron walls, sir, The rebel craft he quickly routs, And sinks the monsters all, sir. And on the day that Mumford swings 2 By Butler's stern command, sir, Our army Yankee Doodle sings And down at Memphis lands, sir ; With battles here and battles there, War through the land was flying, And maimed and wounded everywhere, And everywhere the dying. Said Jonathan to Betsey Jane, " Go put your bonnet on, And be all ready for the train, That goes to Washington ; Our boys are crippled, bruised, in pain They draw their weary breath, 1 April 7. * April 7, 18C2. 5 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Go, nurse them back to hope again, Or comfort them in death. " Tell them their gallant deeds are known To all the neighbors round ; That every battle field has grown To be familiar ground ; That little ones leave off their play To hear the thrilling story, The old men bow themselves to pray And give to God the glory." " Now Jonathan," said Betsey Jane, " Our Uncle Sam is kind, sir, Nor do the gallant boys complain, But oh ! it 's in my mind, sir, That wounded men can hardly take Their rations as they come, sir, We 'd better some small parcels make Of ' something good from home, sir.' " Said Jonathan, " For ready wit, Give me the womankind, sir ; " He fumbled in the bureau drawer, It was his purse to find, sir ; " To think," said he, " it 's lying here Just like a miser's gold, When in the field these boys, so dear, Are hungry or are cold." So bag and bundle, box and bales, Went lumbering to the front, sir, Till ready transportation fails. Says Jonathan, " I won't, sir, THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 99 Submit to this ; the remedy Is easier than it seems, sir." He sent to market speedily, And bought himself the teams, sir. Where'er the cannon ploughed the ground, Or soldier bore the flag on, Old Jonathan's " Commissions " l found A place to dump his wagon. Where'er one sank in agony, Oft 'neath the leaden rain, Came Betsey Jane, with gentle hand To soothe away the pain. As to and fro the Devil runs, He hot displeasure feels, When at the side of dying ones A good man praying kneels. " That ever I should live to see On battle-fields such sights, sir ; These grasping Yankees interfere E'en with the Devil's rights, sir." 1 Sanitary Commission, organized June, 1861. Christian Commis sion, organized January, 1862. CHAPTEE XVI. THE Scripture saith, " Offence must conic, But wo to the offender !" Of spades and mud the boys wrote home, The subject soon grew tender. 'Twas getting on towards harvest time, The farmers with a shrug, sir, Did hint, if digging was the rhyme, Potatoes could be dug, sir. Old Jonathan is worried out, And growls in his displeasure ; And Mac's sound wit begins to doubt : He says, that life and treasure Are wasted by his strategy ; That somebody 's to blame, sir ; He 11 talk to Abe ; and speedily To Washington he came, sir. He finds old Abe is sore perplexed, And Stanton in a rage ; For Stonewall had been up and vexed Our Banks. He tried to cage His little army, but it seems There 's two ways to defeat, sir ; And Banks brought off his men and teams In masterly retreat, sir. (100) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 101 Mac had been crying out for help McDowell must come down, sir, By steam, the rebs were " awful " strong, 'Twixt him and Kichmond town, sir. " Of course I '11 fight," said Little Mac, " Without McDowell's force ; I '11 close right here my sad career, Or vindicate my course." 1 Abe sent McDowell down by land, But just before he started Bold Stonewall moved out his command, And Mac's bright hopes departed. He got another note from Abe, Before the day was ended ;* The order for McDowell's move Had been, Abe said, suspended. Banks was at Strasburg with his troops, Six thousand men all told, sir ; Fremont at Franklin o'er the ridge, 3 Then Stonewall Jackson bold, sir, A bird's-eye view took of the case, " At Fredericksburg," quoth he, " McDowell plans a southward race, Mac wants his company. " I think I Tl veto that device," He gathered up his ranks ; 1 "But in any event, I shall fight with all the skill, caution and de termination which I possess, and I trust that the result may either ohtain for me the permanent confidence of my Government, or that it may close my career." McClelland Dispatch, May 21, 1862. 2 May 24, 18C2. 3 Shenandoah mountains, seventy miles from Banks. 102 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And from New Market, in a trice, Went out to settle Banks. He swept off Kenly, 1 hastened on, To get on Banks' rear, sir, And cut him off from "Winchester ; 'Twas growing very clear, sir, That Banks was in a dangerous place ; But Banks was far from blind, sir ; He started at a rapid pace, And Stonewall soon did find, sir, There was n't much to gain from him Who could so quickly rally, And chase, and race, and fight his way Straight down the fatal valley. Banks with his brave six thousand men, Brings off his guns and teams In spite of twenty thousand rebs And interposing streams. He crosses the Potomac, 2 and Bold Stonewall says his prayer On t'other side, quite satisfied With glory for his share. McDowell's force and Fremont's troops Hi a stroke has neutralized, sir ; And he 's advised in Washington Old Abe is paralyzed, sir. 'Tis true, he has hot work at best, Tn beating his retreat ; He trembles, as he hurries, lest 3 Fremont and Shields should meet i At Front Royal. 2 On the 26th May, J862, at Williamsport, Md. 3 He rested but a single day, and had divine service performed in his camp, and started hack the 29th May. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 103 And fall upon him. But they don't It 's too late to complain, sir ; But, oh ! the many mysteries Of that ill-starred campaign, sir ; Abe Lincoln said, "Though it might read As glorious in the books, That Banks should make such wondrous speed, He didn't like the looks." Said Stanton, " I shall telegraph The capital 's in danger, We have n't troops enough, by half, To check that Jackson ranger." Said Jonathan, " The troops will come, There is no doubt of that) sir ; Although you can't use what you have, And that 's the truth out flat, sir. " You 've quite too many heads, Old Abe, Too many politicians ; Among them all you 're but a babe. I have my strong suspicions You 're being used for party ends." Says Lincoln, " How is that, sir ?" Says Jonathan, " When mice abound, It 's wise to keep a cat, sir. " There 's mice and rats a-gnawing at The vitals of this nation ; Upon her blood they 're growing fat. This scum of God's creation Would dance and grin, though any day A battle should come off, in The country's death, so ' it would pay ' In contract for the coffin. 104 TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " And Lincoln, other rats are they Who ' rally round the flag,' sir, And let our treasures slip away, And guard the empty bag, sir ; And some who stand quite at the head And talk of Revolution, And would put treason snug to bed Within the CONSTITUTION. " And Abe, you 're trying to keep in Beneath that coverlid, sir, With stretching it is worn so thin It 's long now since it hid, sir, The country's sore ; the gaping rent The rebels made with ball, sir, You cannot mend, although you 've sent Old Hunter to the wall, sir." ' " What can I do ? " said Honest Abe, " You 're drifting fast to leeward." Said Jonathan, " Your pilots wise (I don't refer to Seward,) Are letting drift the ship of state In sight of Bunker's steeple ; Drift, Abraham, as sure as fate, Away behind the people ! " You 've got to march, sir, at the head Of this determined nation, Or you had better far be dead Down at Manassas Station." " I 'd give my life, if that would do," Said Abram, with a glance, sir, 1 Hunter's proclamation of emancipation, repudiated by the Presi dent May 19, 1862. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 105 So sorrowful" but still I Tl tend The rebs a final chance, sir. 1 " The nation's crazed with wars alarms, I 'd sound a parley now, sir, Perhaps the rebs will ground their arms If lean show them how, sir; As things now stand 'tis best for all To arbitrate by law, sir. To pay for slaves, dear Jonathan, Is cheaper much than war, sir." Growled Jonathan, " I wonder if Old Abe and sense have parted ? " Then choking down his little miff, He said, " He 's chicken hearted ; 1 11 go back home, and nudge the folks, We 11 keep it in the dark, sir, 'Twill take an awful sight of steam To tow Abe to the mark, sir." 1 See Lincoln's message to Congress, March 6, 1863. 5* CHAPTER XVII. MEANTIME the rain came down and made A river of the plain, sir, Destroyed the bridges, and so cut Mac's army into twain, sir ; The rebs who never have " a plan," And never, sir, are lazy, Caught up their guns, in columns ran Bight down upon Old Casey. 1 Mac sound asleep on 'tother side Hears something of a rattle, And his balloon sends up to get The tidings of the battle. " 'Twas clear," he said, " that Casey had Made most disgraceful fight, sir,* And well nigh caused my ruin," he To Washington did write, sir. Next day he rode upon the field His generals had won, sir ; Ten thousand dead and wounded lay Beneath that Sabbath sun, sir. And foremost in the battle-ground And trampled in the dust, sir, Were General Casey's soldiers found Dead, with the bayonet thrust, sir ! 1 Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862. a See McClellan's dispatches. (106) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 107 Mac didn't follow up the foe, And fight him man to man, sir, He could not then to Richmond go, 1 For why ? he had " a plan" sir. His troops were tired, and besides, Not half were o'er the streams, He '11 move them when the flood subsides, And liberates his teams. Day after day the army lies Right in the broiling heat, Day after day a hundred dies, 'Twas worse than a defeat, They say Mac's plans were very deep, They 're deep enough in blood, sir, And one would think just now they sleep Deep in a bed of mud, sir. The " troops were where he wanted them," Mac said in his dispatch, But recently he counted them He thought they were no match, In numbers for secesh ; he said, His plans he would mature, If Abe would send him ten brigades, To make the victory sure. Now Abe between two fires exposed, Sat still and vacillated : 1 " When the enemy hafl retreated after the battle of Fair Oaks, what military reason was there for not immediately following them to Richmond ?"" I know of none." * * * " I do believe that if the General had crossed the Chickahominy with the residue of the army, and made a general attack with his whole force, we could have carried Richmond." Testimony of General Sumner. 108 THE NEW YANKEE DOOLLE. To Peter pay by robbing Paul He couldn't choose, so waited. " I 'd send to Mac, but then," thought he, " The capital might fall, sir, Then Jonathan is pushing me I '11 send Mac down McCall," l sir. But while Mac sowed his men in mud, Expecting them to grow ; Jeb Stuart took a little turn 2 His cavalry to show. All round about McClellan's camp He rode a Gilpin race, sir ; Said Mac, " I find this ground is damp, I think I '11 change my base, sir." He Casey sent to pack his trunks, 3 All ready for the move, Poor Mac ! the rebs won't give him time, But most harassing prove ; Bold Stonewall hurls his columns down, And Lee from Richmond rides, sir, To end the war and victory crown, With humbled Yankee pride, sir. Seven days of onslaught and of rout, Seven days of untold slaughter, Sevan dreadful days of death, dealt out By bay'net, gun, and mortar. F,ach morn the rebels massed their troops, Each morn McClellan stood, 1 IicCall's division of 11,000 men. McClellan' & army was then over 100,000 men. * On the 15th of June, 1862, 3 Gen. Casey appointed 23d Juno to superintend the removal or stores, etc., from White House, prior to McClellan's change of base. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 109 Fought manfully until the night, Then fell back through the wood. On ! wearied men, the James is nigh, Where Abram's boats are lying ; Their guns all shotted, and on high An untrailed flag is flying ; Oh ! patriots, why/rtn victory Should ye be falling back, sirs ? An echo comes responsively " Three cheers for Little Mac, sirs." Mac placed his cannon on a hill And went away to wait, 1 . Then Lee came up with ready will ; Magruder was not late, He only stopped to deal his men Out whisky and gunpowder, Then up the hill with horrid yell To meet a roar still louder. For Mac's great guns roared out like fiends And mowed the rebs in rows, Magruder staggers, rallies, and Straight up the hill he goes. Not far, Old Simmer 2 is at bay, His cannon cut down deep And merciless, as wears the day The hill grows slippery steep. 1 " Gen. McClellan had deemed it necessary to go down to Harrison's Landing to determine on the point to which the troops were to retire." 2 " I therefore found myself, by virtue of my seniority of rank, in com mand of the army, without having been invested formally with that command or having received any instructions in relation to it." Tes timony of Gen. Svmner before Congressional Committee. 110 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " 'Tis madness sheer," at last cries Lee, "'Tis folly to attack; Hell might be stormed as easily Go, call Magruder back." Back rolled the seething sullen tide Of that great human sea, And left its dead strewn far and wide And, Little Mac breathed free. Breathed free ! why not ? his troops had won Another hard fought fight. 1 And he was safe once more, but still Before he slept that night, To make quite sure, he bade his troops To fall some seven miles back, Then on his gunboat, duty done, To bed went Little Mac. His worn out men dispirited To Harrison's retreated ; They hardly knew if they had been Triumphant or defeated ; One thing pressed home with certainty, Their toil it scarcely lightened, They 'd learned these last few bloody days Their General was frightened. 2 'Twas here Count This and Baron That, And Prince the other thing, 1 See McClellan's dispatches of that date. 2 Gen. McClellan posted the troops in the morning, and then went off to his headquarters and we did not see anything more of him." Testimony of Gen. Heintzelman before Committee on Conduct of the War. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Slipped from McClellan's staff in haste, And for the North took wing. They 'd come to learn the art of war From our immortal chief ; They 'd read him through but Abe had still To turn another leaf. CHAPTER XVIII. OLD Jonathan had waited long, His boys he still could trust, sir, Thought he, Old Abe is getting strong, And Mac is more than bluster. He '& worked up close to Richmond's walls, What if he has been slow, sir ? He 's sure, hurrah ! for Mac, he 's got But five miles more to go, sir. 1 11 send to town, next week 's the Fourth We '11 joyful celebrate, sir, The Stars and Stripes ere that, will float In every rebel State, sir ; So Jonathan sent up to town, And ordered lots of rockets And fireworks to be sent straight down He didn't spare his pockets. The rockets came, but Jonathan Had somehow lost his spirit, There was a sudden lull of news, Said Jonathan, " I fear it Portends a storm, 'tis very strange, The telegraph's unbroken. ' Good news flies fast,' this silence doth No victory betoken." > July 4, 1862. (112) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 113 Hour after hour they watched the wires, At last the message came, Old Jonathan's strong faith ne'er tires, They heard him but exclaim, " Just God!" "Just God!" then turning straight, " Good folks," said he, " don't weep, sirs ; God's time ain't come ; be still and wait, The fireworks they will keep, sirs." But Jonathan to Abram wrote : " 'Tis hard not to complain, sir, The news such wantonness denote ; My boys ! dead all in vain, sir ; Dismay and doubt are gathering fast, And hope almost departed, The future will be like the past, I own I ain down hearted." Said Abraham, " "We '11 live and learn, And every error mend, sir ; To-morrow a new leaf 1 11 turn, 1 11 straight for Halleck send, sir ; l Dear Jonathan, 'twill never do To give up to depression ; Just send me down a quota new To crush out this secession." Stout Jonathan called on his boys, He found them not so willing ; For some held back, and made a noise About the wholesale killing ; Some swore at Stanton, and hurrahed With the McClellan party, 1 Halleck appointed Gencral-in- Chief on July 11, 18fi2. ' 114 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And some cried shame, and while they sparred The rebs were waxing hearty. And British sympathizers were All barking in accord, sir j 1 For in perverted garbled guise The news had gone abroad, sir ; And hints that looked like threats came back Across the briny water, That Johnny Bull his brains did rack To " stop the horrid slaughter." And Jonathan had some bad boys, Unfriendly to the cause, sir ; They rallied now, and raised a cry Of " Union as it was," sir. 2 They said the war perverted was If Sambo lost his collar ; They would n't " give another man, And not another dollar." Said Jonathan, " My lads, look here, You set of wretched shirks ! Tour miserable rebel souls You 'd bolster with such quirks. 'Tis such as you more mischief do Than Stonewall on the border. To block your, game, you coward crew, A speedy draft I '11 order." 9th July, 1862. Public meetings in England called on the Govern ment to mediate, and, if necessary, to acknowledge the independence of the South. a At New York a meeting was held at Cooper Institute, respon sive to a call addressed to those who desired the Union as it icas. Speeches by J. Brooks, Fernando Wood, Wickiiff, of Ky., and others. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 115 Then Congress, just to show the rebs This spunky Yankee nation Ain't scared at trifles, made by law An Act of Confiscation. 1 The very day the Bill was passed, (I don't know that he waited,) Three thousand slaves, at Vicksburg held, Ben Butler confiscated. 2 And volunteers sprang into life, The quota far above, sir ; Said Jonathan, " We '11 end this strife If Abe takes off his gloves, sir." He sent a message then to Abe, That all means coming handy To throttle treason, must be used By Yankee Doodle Dandy. So Abraham sits down and dreams Said he, "Thus far I can go When Jonathan tells me of means, He must refer to Sambo. Well, if my generals like the plan, One thing is pretty clear, sir, If Sambo wants to be a man / shall not interfere, sir. " With what I want, and what I feel, I must not hold communion, The object paramount to me, Is to restore the Union. 3 1 Passed the Senate 12th July, 1S62. 2 General Butler confiscated 3,000 slaves employed on the Vicksbnrg Canal. 8 See President Lincoln's reply to Horace Greeley, August 22, ISfil. 116 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. If I can compass best the end By freeing all the slaves, sir, I '11 free them all; if slavery- Will help the cause to save, sir, " 1 11 save the cause with slavery ; Or if by war's coercion A part be freed, and Union saved, Why, then, I '11 free a portion. Poor Sambo's fate doth trouble me, It 's heavy on my soul, sir, But just as far as I can see, It 's out of my control, sir." CHAPTER XIX. MEANWHILE Mac's army on the James So worn and decimated, Sat down to wonder who to blame, And reinforcements waited. " I 've fifty thousand men," Mac said, " I 've counted them all o'er, sir ;" Abe figured up the lists, and made Out thirty thousand more, sir. Jeff quickly counted up his cost ; Said he, " I well divine, sir, The Yanks have played their trump and lost ; Now Lee call out in line, sir, Your invalids those skulking ones Into the ranks must go, sir ; Each man who can support a gun, Whether he will or no, sir. " If ever we 're to strike a blow, 'Tis now when Abe 's surprised, sir, By Mac's defeat ; his army lies So much demoralized, sir, That Mac must spend a month or two In getting it in order. Besides, we '11 strike beyond his reach, I mean, we 11 cross the border. (IK) 118 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " The war, so far on our own soil, A dreadful price is costing ; The drain, in fact, as all can see, Is perfectly exhausting. Kentucky lies beneath the heel Of despot Abe, now quaking ; Her garners bursting full of grain, Are ready for our taking. " I '11 change my programme, Mr. Lee, Since you the change advise, sir ; We '11 take the war to Africa, Take Abram by surprise, sir." The rebs with Jeff do sympathize, His army soon quadruples ; For wrong will always energize The Devil has no scruples. Now Halleck straight from Corinth come, Soon finds out Lee's intention. To meet the case he sent for Pope, Then ordered a suspension Of Mac's great plan. " Your men we need To keep the rebels down, sir," He wrote to Mac ; " so make all speed And bring your troops to town, sir." 1 Now Mac could fight or run away Could talk with any man ; But when it came just to obey, It was n't in his plan. To Halleck's order much opposed He still his plan advised, sir ; 1 Halleck ordered the evacuation of the Peainsula, August 3, 1862. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 119 And wrote for reinforcements, or He would be sacrificed, 1 sir. " Good Heavens !" roared Stanton, in a rage, " With Lee upon our border With full one hundred thousand men, Mac disobeys this order ! Pope's forty thousand men are all Between Lee and the town, sir?" " Tut, tut !" said Abe, " he '11 surely come, The transports have gone down, sir. " It 's but ten days since Halleck wrote, 2 He '11 start now by and by, sir. Do keep the peace, or his key-note Old Jonathan will cry, sir ; Pope 's active, and he will hold out And keep himself from harm, sir, 'Till Mac comes up, for pity's sake Don't Jonathan alarm, sir." Out rode Pope headlong, on his head, (" Headquarters in the saddle,") His novel horsemanship soon led Him into a skedaddle. Lee's tattered veterans, like a blast, Sweep everything aside, They cross the Bapidan. In vain Pope tries to stem the tide. He struggles, and with longing eye Looks out for Little Mac, sir. 3 1 On the 4th August McClellan protested against the withdrawal of his army from the Peninsula, as a fatal measure. 2 Evacuation of Harrison's Landing completed August 16, 1862. 3 Gen. McOlellan's army commenced arriving at Alexandria, Va., August 22, 18teJ. 120 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. He spies at length Old Heintzelman And Porter at his back, sir. 1 Then over sanguine, Pope cries out, " They 're coming all ! I see, sir, We 've got the rebs," he telegraphs To Abe, "a victory, sir." The telegram came quick to town, But Pope came most as fast. The Second Bull Run battle turned Out very like tlje last ; Pope left his cannon and his dead Upon the battle field, And back to Centreville he led His troops all scorched and peeled. 8 Said Jonathan to Betsey Jane, " There is a dreadful stint Of things they need in hospital They 're sending out for lint. 3 Just call the children in from play And lay aside your sewing, . We 've been asleep until to-day, &nd treason has been growing. " Whatever hand can find to do, Or tongue can find to say, To help the cause the task anew Commences from to day ; 1 Heintzelman and Porter reinforced Pope at Warrenton Junction on August 26, 1862. a On August 30, 1862. 8 Surgeon-General Hammond telegraphed to Governor Andrew for lint and bandages. It is calculated that enough of the latter was sent to swathe the whole army, d la mummy. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 121 Henceforth we falter not, we swear By those we love that bleed, sirs, To crush this hellish treason out In spite of our poor leaders." 'Tis said McClellan's officers, His wounded pride to plaster, Their prophesies of evil found Fulfilled in Pope's disaster. Some would n't serve except with Mac, One wrote ('twas strange he dared, sir,) Pope might get out of his own scrape, For anything he cared, sir. 1 Pope came out of his scrape (long since His blunders were retrieved, sir ;) Of his command, what there was left, He asked to be relieved, sir. 2 And Abraham what could he do, On all sides thus check-mated ? To Mac the army would be true, So Mac he reinstated. 8 Old Stanton growled and Halleck winced, And some said a court-martial Was Mac's desert ; but Abraham flinched And thought himself impartial. Said he, " The greatest general Mac may be or may not, sir, At all events, the army thinks He is the best I 've got, sir." 1 Bonner's History, page 157. 2 September 3, 1862. 3 Gen. McClellan took the field, Sept. 7, 1862. 6 122 TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Mac's troops were scattered far and wide, He got them well in hand, sir. While Lee upon the other side One anxious moment stands, sir ; " To cross, or not to cross," said he, " That is the mooted query, 1 11 dare ! my men are full of pluck, But then they 're dreadful weary. " There are no soldiers on the route, The big militia rabble That Abraham has trotted out Will make a homeward scrabble At sight of our brave boys in grey ; Their unprotected cattle We '11 gather up and drive away, And with the land do battle. " Each blade of grass that fire can touch Is ripe for the occasion, We '11 teach the Pennsylvania Dutch The beauties of invasion ; They have no negroes in the State, Their grain can all be spilled, sir, There 's many ways to confiscate, Their cattle can be killed, sir. " The Central Railroad can be cut, And bridges can be dropped, And Washington left in the cold, With reinforcements stopped ; With fire in front and fire in rear, As can be in a trice, sir, We 'd have, as surely would appear, The Yankees in a vice, sir." THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 123 So Lee rode out in bold array Across Potomac's river, He told his men he went to stay, The wretched to deliver ; That Maryland was crushed to earth, Although the truth to grant, he Of pigs and poultry saw no dearth, But then her rights were scanty. He wrote and printed as he went A proclamation grand, *ir ; He said his army had been sent To succor Maryland, sir ;' He told the people they were bound, Degraded and oppressed, That he had travelled that way round To see their wrongs redressed. " My Maryland," most strange to say, Responded to Lee's call, sir, In rather a cool sort of way. She wa'n't oppressed at all, sir, She didn't like this sort of talk ; That he was quite mistaken ; And from the State he 'd better walk, And let alone her bacon. Militia men were out to ride, They didn't like secession, Their bread wa'n't buttered on that side ; In fact, Abe had possession Of all their hearts, and they would fight The Union to maintain, sir, Issued 8th September, from Frederick, Maryland. 124 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. That now they had set Lee aright He might ride back again, sir. But Lee went on ; they closed behind Militia volunteers, sir, And veterans with Bull Run begrimed, Till Lee begins to fear, sir, Some interference may take place With Tn's communication, He turns about Good heavens ! to face Th' entire Yankee nation. Down on the rebs McClellan swoops, Lee fights him, at Antietam j 1 His troops were brave, but then you see, The boys were there to meet them. Brave men ! the country cries, huzza ! Lee's troopers homeward go, sir, And Abram asks of Stanton, if He thinks McClellan sknv, sir. The rebs went sad from Maryland, But made themselves quite merry With what Stonewall, and his bold band Took out of Harper's Ferry. 2 Old Jonathan " begrudged " the loss, 'Twas anything but small, sir ; 'Twas " shiftless," traitorous, a crime, That such a place should fall, sir. September 17, 1862. a Harper's Terry surrendered to rebel Gen. Jackson, Sept. 15, 1862. 10,500 men surrendered with forty-seven pieces of artillery and a vast amount of stores. CHAPTER XX. As Lee crossed into Maryland Bragg, equally as lucky, Did start to lead his ragged band Across oppressed Kentucky. 1 His plan, to strike Ohio's line, And grab at Cincinnati, Enticed by smell of well-cured swine And other things as fatty Was just as good a plan as Lee's, Both founded on delusion, For Old Kentuck, who 'd learned to see, Resented the intrusion. When Bragg proclaimed that he had come 5 According to their wish, he Found out they cheered for Abraham, And brought out their militia. Bragg, not so mild a man as Lee, At this grew desperate, sir, He couldn't rule, "Well then," said he, "111 plunder the old State, sir." His men rob here, and they rob there, All unopposed the while, sir, 1 Mumfordsville, Ky., surrendered to Bragg September 17, 1862. " General Bragg issued his proclamation September 18, 1862. (125) 126 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And gather up a plunder train Extending forty miles, sir. Bragg starts in haste for Louisville To get a-head of Buell, A day too late, the scamp has met A disappointment cruel, Militia swarm about the place, With regulars to lead them ; The rebs begin a backward race With Buell now to speed them. They have a brush at Perryville 1 With BuelTs cavalry, sir, And both sides claimed, and do claim still, A splendid victory, sir ; One thing is certain, Bragg got off 2 With all his plunder train, sir, And Abram gave a nervous cough It went against his grain, sir, To have two Generals at once Protested as too slow, sir ; And Rosecrans some ready wit At Corinth once did show, sir, 3 So Rosecrans took Buell's troops 4 Which somebody had drilled, sir, With promises we soon shall see How well they were fulfilled, sir. 1 October 8, 1862. 2 Bragg entered Tennessee without opposition on November 22, 1862. 3 Battle of Corinth commenced October 3, 1862 ; rebels numbered 33,000, TCosecrans's forces not over 20,000. The rebs were defeated and pursued forty miles in force and sixty miles with cavalry. 4 November 30, 1862. CHAPTER XXI. WHILE Mac sits down, as sit he will, Exhausted by exertion, And Uncle Sam foots up the bill, "We '11, just for our diversion, Run guard across the picket line, And where Mac will not come, sir We 11 go across the battle field And chase the rebels Home, sir. Jeff Davis sits upon his throne In a splint-bottomed chair, sir, His eyes have dim and hollow grown And streaked is his hair, sir ; Around him group the rebels wise Who make his Cabinet, The men who ways and means devise In solemn conclave met. "The news at home is all we wish, That is to say, it's better," Said Jeff, " and as to things abroad I've got a foreign letter. It seems that our affairs have made A palpable sensation, In fact, I think the train is laid To recognise our nation." (127) 128 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. "But things go slow on t' other side, We run while they but walk, sir ; In Parliament, the other day, They had a little talk, sir, Our side, Old Gregory, and such, Have stakes upon the winning ; The talk did not amount to much, 'Twas good for a beginning. " Lord Brougham got up and made a speech, 1 He said ' There was no law, sir, In all the land, that he could reach, To meddle with our war, sir ; Most dreadful crimes were perpetrated, The conflict ought to cease, The state of things he deprecated, And would do much for peace. " ' That slavery was horrid, he Had long ago confessed, sir ; But still the Northern remedy He thought was not the best, sir ; The whites would suffer by the war More than the negroes had, sir ; The strife was very mischievous, In every phase was bad, sir.' " Then Mr. Lindsley 8 rose and said, * That it was his intention, By most unselfish motive led, To urge an intervention ; He thought the States Confederate Deserved his approbation, 1 In the House of Lords, June, 1862. 8 July 18, 1862. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 129 'Twas difficult to overrate Their grim determination. " * Their independence (great, applause} So far they had maintained ; And he considered that their cause Was just as good as gained.' Said Mr. Gregory, 'The South On her side is for right ; The North, moved only by revenge, Has nothing else in sight.' " Quoth Palmerston, ' I hope the House "Will vote itself content To leave the subject in dispute Unto the Government.' So Gregory deferred the task, 'Twas useless, he foresaw, sir ; And Lindsley did permission ask His motion to withdraw, sir." Said Jeff, "Why don't Old Mason try The dodge so poplar here, Get up mass meetings, raise a cry, And pay the crowd to cheer?" " They tried that, Jeff, in Manchester, The craven-hearted crowd there, Starving for lack of cotton, sir, Beared out for Abe so loud there " That little Vic in London heard, And wiped her weeping eyes, And bade her Lords (a thing absurd) A little plan devise ; 6* 130 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. A plan that never could have sprung In any other head, sir : It was to stop their foolish mouths By filling them with bread, sir." Said Eegan, "What Floyd prophesied Has happened true, indeed ; As well depend on England as Upon a broken reed. Her forfeiting our confidence Is not so much through knavery ; Her hands are tied, to all intents, She daren't support our slavery. " How would it do if Mason should, In short, insinuate, sir, That things were ripe (an idea good) For a Protectorate, sir? Eepublics (on that point agreed) Have proved to be but failures ; A Monarchy (by her own creed) Would cure our chronic ailures. " Well that might have a little weight With England ; but there 's France, sir ; Her power to help us is too great To risk upon that chance, sir. Besides, we dar'n't in good faith yet Propose this wise solution ; The people still have strength to fret And foment revolution." Said Jeff, " What can be Nap's intent, Old 'Thouvenal was dry?' 1 1 A letter to the Mobile Register, of 13th March, says " The Southern THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 131 So SHdell wrote, the day he went, His sentiments to try. 'Tis very strange, events turn out For this Confederation, So different in all respects From wisest calculation." Said Benjamin, " These foreign powers Are watching General Lee, sir ; Their blood is not so hot as ours, They wait a victory, sir. To make them sure our cause is just "We must make Abram bleed, sir ; They don't take principles on trust, We 're right if we succeed, sir. " Napoleon has eagle eyes, He looks for our resources ; And I '11 be bound he 's weighing now Both ours and Abram's forces. Whichever way the things may turn, His plan will cost much labor ; He still has many things to learn If he 's to be our neighbor. Munroe's old doctrine troubles him ; In case our cause is lost, sir, Why, Mexico 's a Tartar grim ; He '11 find out to his cost, sir, That Jonathan, if he whips us, No idle words will bandy ; O'er all this continent he 11 play His Yankee Doodle Dandy." Commissioners are greatly dispirited at the reception which M. Thou, veiial gave Mr. SHdell." 132 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Good heavens ! one would think," cried Jeff, You were a Union man, sir WE WHIPPED ! and our cause LOST. Why zounds ! There is no power that can, sir, Subdue the South. Our cause is won ! The enemy at bay, sir, With grave dissensions in his camp, Grows weaker every day, sir." Said Walker, " Drafts are very close, And rations very small, sir, And fever raging, and no dose Of quinine, none at all, sir." Said Mallory, " And the blockade Is growing very tight, sir ; It 's dreadful risk, I 've heard it said, To run it day or night, sir. " The Florida 1 has just got in By dint of desperate zeal, sir. And lies all bruised and battered in The harbor of Mobile, sir. Our privateers do well enough, They've cleared th s Atlantic route, sir; And captured lots of Yankee stuff, But then it 's all kept out, sir." "Well, well," said Jeff, "our friends abroad At every foreign court, (I won't include the Czar's,) you know, Will never grudge a port. John Bull has more at stake than we, He '11 help us in this scrape, sir ; 1 September 4, 1862, THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 133 Look at the splendid ships he sends All fitted in fine shape, sir, " With guns and ammunition, manned By British sailors bold, sir ; He 's something new upon the stocks ; Whenever we 've the gold, sir, He '11 send us navies, fleets of rams, (But this is not to mention,) My information comes direct That this is his intention. " Earl Kussell did a clever thing, 1 The Yankees have their master, And Seward will have need of skill To make a soothing plaster For Abraham's sensibility, And Jonathan's back bone, sir, When Semmes the Alabama sails A privateer full grown, sir." Said Memminger, " In my strong box Our money safe doth lie, sir ; Nice printed notes, a mine of wealth, If there was aught to buy, sir. I need a coat, and so do you, And Jeff I 'm not in fun, sir, What Benjamin has said is true, And something must be done, sir. " Our friends up North are rising now," Said Jeff, " there 's help at hand, sir, 1 When minister Adams complained of the building of the Florida at Liverpool Lord Russel said that she was being built for the Italians. 134 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. There 's many a foe in Abram's camp, And many a secret band, sir, At work for us, to undermine The sanguine Yankee nation, We '11 make, when all our plans combine, A startling demonstration. " They don't just like to show their hand Until they have good hold, sir, They hesitate to take a stand, Success will make them bold, sir ; This negro question soon will give A chance for an attack, sir, They 11 use to purpose for our cause' Abe's Habeas Corpus Act, sir." Said Memminger, " I read last night That Foote sly as a mouse, sir, Had made, if I have read aright, And pressed it on the House, sir, A motion, it comes in so well If you are so agreed, sir, 'Tis printed in the Daily Whig, 1 11 from the paper read, sir. " ' Resolved, that Providence Divine Continuing to bless Our arms, for several months now past With eminent success ; That the Confederate Government With strength on the increase, sir, Would be most fully justified In fixing terms of peace, sir.' " THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 135 " That 's good ! " in chorus roared the whole Of this vile traitorous clan, sir. " So true ! " cried Reagan (postmaster) ; " Foote is a useful man, sir ; But ice all know there 's much to do Before our troubles end, sir ; Contingencies to struggle through, And broken plans to mend, sir. "There 's still one other thing to try Our desperate cause to save, sir, 'Twill golden commendations buy Emancipate the slave, sir." "EMANCIPATE ! " roared out King Jeff, "Knock out our corner stone ! " "EMANCIPATE ! " cried Memminger, In a lugubrious tone. "Emancipate! why that's the cause Of all our tribulation, The ground of our secession was The ghost emancipation." " Well, well, the ghost will be a fact, Or I 'm not wise at all, sir, 'Tis policy for us to act, And Yankee Abe forestall, sir. " We can't make other people's eyes ; The eyes, Jeff, of the masses, Don't see things of a proper size We must provide them glasses ; They don't like slavery 'tis clear, There 's something in a name, sir, Just change it, Jeff, the thing itself Will always be the same, sir. 136 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Whoever in this mortal strife First writes the one word 'FREE' Upon their flag, of Johnny Bull Will have the sympathy. Old Abe stands in the Yankees' light ; The phantom Constitution Will soon be laid another fight Will banish that illusion." "If I thought that" said Jeff, "I'd play My card upon the instant, But, bless my soul ! what could I say To make it seem consistent ? " " Why, you forget, we always said That England might rely Upon our honor, that the slave We 'd free, sir, by and by. " That 't wa'n't expedient at first, The thought to entertain* But deference to England's views Our people does constrain, To sacrifice the right divine. And Jeff, look, here's a pen, sir, To see how such a thing would read, Just write a specimen, sir." Jeff half in earnest, in a trice Took up a brownish sheet, And wrote according to advice, And logically neat ; The while his fellow traitors sat In mocking speculation, Of how Old Abe would look upon Jeff's Freedom Proclamation. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 137 Jeff finished and threw down his quill, He looked somewhat excited ; Said he, " How feeble is man's will ; We mortals how short-sighted ! "What none could guess one year ago This paper doth reveal, Our desperate shift, here, Benjamin, Put on the official seal." [The seal was something just got up In " Congress," lately met, sir ; A grey-back in the foreground stood A-charging bayonet, sir ; Behind, a woman and a child Just coming out of church, With hands upraised, as if the reb Had left them in the lurch. The background was a sun rampant Just over a plantation ; A wreath around the whole, composed Of products of the nation ; Of sugar-cane, tobacco, rice And cotton in profusion ; The margin bore the gay device " Our Homes and Constitution.'] As Benjamin took up the wax And lit a tallow candle, There was a movement at the door, A turning of the handle. A voice called, " Jeff, do let me in, My entrance do not hinder ; With none to send, I came myself ; It 's I, sir General Winder." 1 1 Commandant of Department of Richmond. 138 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Come in," said Jeff, " what is the news ? Is 't something from the front, sir ?" Old Winder turns the quid he chews, And gives an awkward grunt, sir. Said he, " King Jeff, the slaves in town Have got some news, I swear, sir ; In groups they 're walking up and down With most mysterious air, sir. " They look exactly as they did Sometime in April last ; They got before us then the news The District BUI was passed. I cannot, for the life of me, Get hold of any clue, sir ; But here 's a note from Ould, just come, I 've brought, King Jeff, for you, sir." Jeff tore it open, quickly scanned, And passed it to another ; Dead silence fell upon the band As each essayed to smother His deep emotion, as he reads The " Clownish Yankee nation Has made, once more, the better speed, And won 'The proclamation.' " Ould wrote " The truce-boat had come in With papers which he reckoned King Jeff might like to see ; they were All dated twenty-second" 1 He called attention to the fact There was a proclamation 1 September 22, a preliminary Proclamation of Emancipation was Issued. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 139 Just issued by the despot Abe, Of full emancipation. Jeff raised his luckless document, The candle still was lighted ; He put the paper in the blaze, And one more scheme was blighted. He watched the blackened ashes fall, The puffing smoke ascend, sir ; Said he, " So Abe's bright hopes will fall, His proclamation end, sir." " What 's to be done, King Jeff," said one, (Despairingly he spoke, sir,) " To burst Old Abraham's big gun And make it end in smoke, sir ?" " We '11 think of that anon ; meanwhile I'll send the papers out, sirs ; 'Twill be diversion to the crowd, A thing to talk about, sirs." The rebel press 1 in spasms went And spread the hot infection ; Declared " Abe's pen had made a bid For servile insurrection ; That Butler was a holy saint Compared with his vile master ; But such a fiendish programme would Bring Abraham disaster." Eichmond Whig, October 1, 1862. CHAPTEE XXII. Bur Abe, unterrified, at home Was busy calculating The cost, with Jonathan, and both Were quietly debating The ways and means, for both agreed The war was just begun, sir ; So steadily they set to work To do what must be done, sir. Said Jonathan, " The foe at home, Bight in the family, sir, Must be attended to, Old Abe, And that, too, speedily, sir. Some foreigners who 've come ashore Among our honest folks, Make awful discord ; John Bull roars, And Johnnie Crapeau croaks. " They claim protection from our laws, And act as rebel spies ; Discourage those who go to fight, And send abroad vile lies. These cunning copperheads can dodge The law ; it is a fact, sir. You '11 have to set aside for them The Habeas Corpus Act, 1 sir." 1 Set aside October 34, in cases of those who aid and abet rebellion and discourage enlistments. (140) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 141 " One thing," said Abe, " this Government (And I must make that clear, sir,) Will not allow a traitorous crew With it to interfere, sir. The only place for them to stand (There 's surely no delusion) Is with the rebs, with Lee, and not Upon the Constitution." At this the copperheads hissed well, And talked of despotism ; And prophesied in Abram's camp A speedy, dreadful schism. " With traitors North, and traitors South," Said Abe, " I am surrounded ; New York and Kichmond, in my mind, Get terribly confounded. " A big job, Jonathan, this war, Is plainly bound to be ; And what would be our wisest plan I 'm sure I cannot see ; I only know with hand and brain We '11 toil day after day, sir ; And at the Union" you and I With faith will peg away, sir." So Abram sent to Mac to know If he was almost rested. "Large bodies, Abe," said Mac, "move slow; But I have just requested Some extra rations, when they come, With shoes, and guns, from town, sir, 1 11 make a move, some horses first Will have to be sent down, sir." 142 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Abe sent the horses, guns and shoes, McClellan still was idle ; Old Jonathan did patience lose, His wrath was hard to bridle. He wrote to Lincoln just to say That " Mac had got the cramp ;" So Abe one bright October day 1 Stepped over to the camp. Said he, "I've happened in to see If you have any news, sir, Of Lee this morning ; by-the-by, Your men have got their shoes, sir, I s'pose they'll start at once, now, Mac ; It's rather late I know, sir, To catch Lee's army, for his track Was washed out long ago, sir. " They say his transportation was Impeded by the rains, And that you might have hurried up, 4 And captured all his trains." "I'd like to know," cried Mac, "when Lee's Light wagons heavy run, sir, How you could well expect of me To move my heavy guns, sir ?" "Oh, well," said Abe, "I didn't know, Of course, you must be right But, seems to me, your cavalry Might keep the foe in sight. 1 October 2, 1862, Mr. Lincoln visited the Army of the Potomac at Harper's Ferry. 2 After the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 143 There's Stanton in another rage, He says you let them go, sir, And Jonathan wrote me a page About your being slow, sir. " His patience 's almost at an end ; You'll save yourself much sorrow, 'Tis my advice, as I 'm your friend, You 'd better start to morrow." Said Mac, " Tis not at all my fault, We sadly need some pegs, sir, For tents, I telegraphed for them, A week ago, to Meigs, sir. " I don't know how it is the fact I hardly like to mention, But seems to me, they're all agreed To pay but slight attention ; To what / need." " Tut, tut," said Abe, (He felt his choler rising,) " What I, alone, have sent you makes An aggregate surprising." Then Abe went home, and sent for Meigs, And to his satisfaction, Found Little Mac had no excuse At all for his inaction, Then took his pen and in a word, He ordered Mac to move ; Now orders sometimes are absurd And ineffective prove. Mac did n't budge he lay so still, That Lee, as rebels said, 144 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Sent out Jeb Stuart on a raid, 1 To see if Mac was dead. Jeb rode and plundered far and wide, And made a little map, sir, Of Mac's position, as he lay A-taking of his nap, sir. He burned the depots, tore up rails, And lots of horses stole ; And guns and clothing, stopped the mails, Went back and called his roll Said he, " I've traversed Maryland, And all our pockets filled ; Destroyed a half a million's worth, And not a man is killed. . The best of sleepers must awake ; The end, sir, of October, Mac rubbed his eyes, and then he spoke, His words were few and sober ; He gave his orders for a move, With wonderful precision, And crossed the river, 2 just as Abe Had come to a decision. When Mac had reached the other side, And skirmishing began, Up Burnside came and made a bow, And said he was the man, Sent down to lead the " Army Grand." Now, Mac perhaps, was grieved, * October 10, 1862. a Army of the Potomac entered Virginia east of the Blue Eidge 35th of October, 1862. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 145 But I've no doubt of his command, He felt himself relieved. 1 Said General Lee to Jefferson, " This new man may be prying, "We 'd better some precautions take In case he comes a-spying ; Just send me in, sir, from the West, 4 Where they 're not worth, I'm told, sir, The salt they 're spoiling, some brigades This Burnside may be bold, sir." So Lee lay ready waiting, till He quite began to wonder, Of course he did n't know (who did ?) About the pontoon blunder. Said he, "With nothing else to do, While Sumner makes pretenses, 3 I'll beautify this tiresome view, By building some defences. The pontoons came up just as Lee Had manned his rifle-pits, sir ; Each rifleman has steady aim, And every bullet hits, sir. The pontoons lay upon the shore, To launch them Burnside, tried ; The storm of bullets dashing o'er His bravery defied. 1 November 5, 1S62. a West Virginia, where the rebels were destroying salt works. * General Sumner threatened to burn Fredericksburg, November 20, 1862. 7 146 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Now who will cross that stream of death, The rifle-pits to try, sir ?" Cried Hendershott, the drummer-boy, "I'm ready, though I die, sir." Then leaped into a boat. " My lad, Give way to older hands, sir." The boy hung on behind the boat, And was the first to land, sir. Slow, dreadful work ; at last the stream Is crossed, 1 the foe in sight, sir, Secure beyond the sullen town, 1 Entrenched upon the heights, sir. Now, up the slopes, where cannon deal Out canister and grape, Good heavens ! from such a storm of fire Can anything escape ? They stagger back, they charge again, They waver, reel and fall Recharge, until the carnage might The stoutest heart appal. All day they press, as if their death Were emulous to meet ; But never foe at Malvern Hill Won such a dread defeat Night fell, the battered army lay, Some sunk in dreamless sleep ; But eyes there were that o'er that day Hot bitter tears did weep. 1 Union troops crossed the river llth of December, 1862. 8 Fredericksburg, Va. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 147 Twelve thousand men, who in the morn, Were glad in buoyant Hie, Now " missing " lying mangled torn, Or martyred in the strife. How sped the hours on yonder slopes ? Did any dream of home, To flickering, fluttering, fainting hearts, Did any succor come ? Drop down the curtain, let our gaze Be clouded by the night ; Ah me 1 but there are those who live "Who saw and bore the sight. The army lay two days in camp Expecting General Lee, sir ; Lee didn't come, he was content With Fabian policy, sir. Then Burnside wrote to Abraham, "We couldn't stand the fire ; Lee won't come out and fight us fair, And so we must retire." Abe read the note, and with a groan, He handed it to Chase. 1 Said he, " This will not help your Loan," Then tried the worst to face ; And wondered how Old Jonathan Would bear the chilling news ; " If 1 were gone," thought he, " they might A better leader choose. " But then things do not go by chance In this strange world of ours ; 1 Chase, Secretary of the Treasury 148 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And. Eight will not be crushed by "Wrong- There is a Billing Power. I 'm but a way through which to work God's plan : I cannot alter ; I can be patient. HE is wise, His purpose will not falter." But Abram's Cabinet declared They felt aggrieved ; in fine, Old Jonathan was finding fault, They 'd better all resign j 1 Things didn't please him as for that Nobody could be pleased, sir ; The odium would fall on them, They 'd like to be released, sir. " Why, as to Name" said honest Abe, " That isn't hard to bear, sir ; Old Jonathan is bowed to earth With sorrow and with care, sir. If he can have the heart to blame, Perhaps 'twill do him good, sir ; And I don't mind, it 's all the same, He 11 quickly change his mood, sir." Just here a note from Jonathan Was put in Abram's hand : "I write in haste, dear Abe," it ran, " That you may understand A Nor'-west storm is setting in, You may rough weather find, sir ; 1 Secretaries Seward and Chase tendered their resignations Decem ber 18th, in consequence of the action of some Republican senator concerning the fight on the Rappahannock. They were subsequently withdrawn. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 149 But just stand steady at the helm, And scud before the wind, sir. " Nail to the mast the starry flag, Look out each rotten plank, sir ; Don't touch at any foreign port, And never drop an anchor. Don't swerve a hair's breadth from your course, Whatever blasts may come, sir ; You 've got the chart now safe aboard, Let drive the vessel home, sir." " Ah ! that reminds me now," said Abe, " Here, Seward, take a chair, sir ; Pull out that lower table-drawer, The chart is lying there, sir." Abe tried his hand (he was to do "What never could be altered) " It must not tremble," Abram said, " Or men may say I faltered. " They had fair warning I would strike, The rebs would have it so, sir', Now come what will, I keep my word Alike with friend and foe, sir. Because the South wants to be blind, Shall we hold back the sun ?" Abe took his pen, sat down and signed His Order No. ONE. 1 " Now that will do," said Abraham, " And we shall know anon, sir, 1 Emancipation Proclamation, issued January 1, 1863, in the form of Order No. 1. 150 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. How it will work ; at any rate, Our harpoon 's in the monster. We must take care, that we steer straight What would this stroke avail, sir, If he should swamp our ship of state With one flop of his tail, sir." CHAPTEE XXIII. SAYS Rosecrans to his brave men, " Unfurl the starry flag, For Abe is watching how we play Our little game of Bragg. " Up rose a hundred thousand men, 1 " Att ready, now are we," sir ; The rebs to Murfreesboro run, In Western Tennessee, sir. Down in the cedar glades they lurk " Lie low, till they are near," Said Bragg, " then up and deal them out A gift for the New Year." 9 They fought that drear December day, That day with blood so red, sir, That day our boys at Vicksburg spent In burying their dead, sir. 3 That night the awful closing year, Bore upward to their God Seven thousand souls, whose bodies lay All broken on the sod. Seven thousand men, that Rosecrans Led gaily in the morn ; 1 Left Nashville on December 26, 1862. * Battle of Murfreesboro commenced December 31, 18C2. 3 Sherman attacked the works at Vicksburg on the 27th, 28th, and 29th. \Va9 repulsed with a loss of between 4,000 and 5,000. (151) 152 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The rest were driven slowly back 1 With banners stained and torn. Cried Kosecrans, " What shall we do ?" "Alas! we must make speed To Nashville," said his officers ; " And so you are agreed," Old Kosey said, " to make retreat ? " " Oh yes, sir, to our sorrow." " Welljj^rs^, my lads, we'll up and meet The rebs again to morrow." McCook went out at early dawn, 5 Took back the ground they 'd lost, sir, Then Bragg awoke, and furious on He lead the rebel host, sir ; Now Rosecrans upon a hill Had placed his guns in rows, And plunging down through rebel ranks The shot deep ploughing goes. 'Twas fearful din, the shock of arms, The shout, the groan, the cheer, Pierce through and through the cedar groves Till little birds in fear, Flutter and fall all paralyzed, And timid hares confounded Grow tame, run in upon the field And nestle 'mong the wounded. 'T was fiercely hot, Old Eosey's will They cannot hope to alter ; 1 Nearly four miles, with the loss of 28 pieces of Artillery. * January 2, 1S63. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 153 His cannon belch out fire until The rebels pause and falter ; They turn, surge back, and turn again, And down the hill they flee, sir, And Rosey sends to speed them quick Across the Tennessee, sir. Then, while he waited there to watch The raiders and guerrillas, Old Rosey turned his swords to ploughs, His army into tillers ; Quoth he, "We'll have, our next campaign, A vegetable diet ; This soil should good potatoes grow, At any rate I'll try it." Meanwhile, Sir Beauregard he makes Another proclamation, 1 (The usual form his terror takes,) That he has information The brutal foe ere long will come, The attack will soon be made, sirs, And to protect their wives and homes He calls for men and spades, sirs. Now Gideon "Welles and Abraham Their monitors had sent, To Charleston Harbor, for to try A wise experiment, The fleet had thirty-four great guns, Three hundred in the forts, sir, To silence these Dupont went out 9 It was n't pleasant sport, sir. > February 18, 1863. 2 Attack made April 7, 1863. The action lasted 30 minutes. 154 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Dupont was worsted and the rebs Thereby were so elated They would have burst, but they were used To being so inflated. But while they crowed in ecstacy, Bold Grierson hot haste made, sir, 1 And swept clean through their Dixie Land Upon his famous raid, sir. And Morgan's troopers rob and slay Like other chivalrie, sir, While Jeff sends up his imps to play In Eastern Tennessee, sir. They pinch the children fathers kill, And flog the grey-haired mother, And loose their hounds among the hills, To hunt the fleeing brother. Theft, murder, aye, and crimes too foul To breathe in mortal ear They perpetrate, and Jeff will howl In agony of fear, When in the retribution land, He hears the devil say, sir, " Here comes the prince of our brave band Of chivalry in grey, sir." Left La Grange April 17, 1863. CHAPTEE XXIV. IN Eichmond one bright April day Jeff gave a dinner party To Orr and Wigfall, Foote and Clay, And Pryor (just as hearty As when he went with flag of truce And drank the Major's brandy l Way down in Sumter, to the tune Of Yankee Doodle Dandy.) And Stephens came, but could n't stay He said he felt quite sick, sir. At sight of food, his liver lay As heavy as a brick, sir. He took his hat, and went away With a decided shiver, He didn't know, I 'm free to say, His conscience from his liver. " Now, gentlemen," said Jeff, " you '11 find This is a splendid roast Of Yankee beef, caught on a raid, Let 's give old Jeb a toast ; Says Wigfall, " This is better fare, Than dining on mule meat, sirs, 1 Pryor acting on the staff of Beauregard, went to propose condi tions to Major Anderson. During the interview Pryor helped himself to a glass of something which he mistook for brandy. The doctor and a dose of ipecac (and some say a stomach pump,) were summoned to enable Pryor to survive the effects of the dram, which the doctor pro nounced poison." See Tribune, April 19, 1861. (155) 156 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. They say Port Hudson garrison, Think mice and rats a treat, sirs." " Ah, well ! " said Jeff, " our soldiers dine On glory every day, But taste this sparkling champagne wine," " Oh ! yes," said Clement Clay ; " This wine has run Old Abe's blockade." " Not so," said Jeff, " it came, sir, From New York friends, a present made, By well ! we 11 call no names, sir. " They wish us well, and by the by, Peace movements are begun ; Our friends have found their voice at last, And Abram's course is run. The mighty rabble of New York, Has caught the infectious cry, sir, Raised by the Hoosiers of the West, Ere long they will defy, sir, " The dungeons which had been their doom But one short year ago ; Vallandigham in Congress now, The white flag dares to show. This party new will not consent The South to subjugate, sir, We 've but in one more shock of arms, Our course to vindicate, sir." Said Mr. Foote, " I '11 introduce ' In Congress resolutions, On January 28, 18f>3, Henry S. Foote introduced resolutions, offer ing an alliance offensive and defensive with such of the Northwest States as would lay down their arms, etc., etc. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 157 That this confederation deems, It would be no intrusion If these North Western States lay down Their arms, and ask admission, We 'd grant them Mississippi trade, On only one condition. " That they unite with us in war, In fierce undying hate, sir, Of everything, that ever saw The curs'd New England States, sir." " I 'd die in peace," said Jeff, " if I Could only once behold, The South and West in one firm tie, The North ' out in the odd.' " " Our organ, Jeff," said Mr. Orr, " I mean the Daily News, Is coming out a little strong, I 'm fearful we shall lose What we have gained, if Jonathan Our intercourse should guess, sir ; He 's fit for any deed ; he might The Daily News suppress, sir." " No fears," said Jeff, " Old Jonathan Is busy with the negroes, Fernando Wood 's a Union man, For anything that he knows ; He has enough to do, to feed His mercenary Hessians, And furnish powder to his Grant, At least that 's my impression." 158 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Said Wigfall, " What is Grant about ? " (Now WigfaU in the Senate, Was apt to let grave secrets out, Somewhat as Gordon Bennett Among the paper folks,) said he, " That Grant I know of old, sirs, The bull dog 's got us by the throat, He '11 never lose his hold, sirs." " Oh, Grant," said Jeff, " doth exercise, The muscles of his men, sirs, He '11 find canals will not surprise Another Island Ten, sirs ; But gentlemen, give me an ear, There 's Hunter in Car'lina, ' That he means mischief is quite clear, Or I am no diviner." " He 's arming slaves." " Well, Jeff," said Orr, " You know they '11 never fight, sir, Just tell our boys to carry whips, They '11 run quick at the sight, sir Skedaddle like Old Abram's fleet At Charleston, on blockade, When Beauregard in handsome style That proclamation made." 2 Said Clay, " I see that an exchange Of pris'ners is effected ; The thing will work well for our cause, If skillfully directed ; 1 Hunter orders negroes to be drafted March 6th, 1863. 2 The rebel gunboats attacked the fleet, the inner line of blocka- ders were dispersed for a few hours. Beauregard and Ingraham is sued proclamations that the blockade was legally raised January 31st, 1803. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 159 I noticed as I came along Some soldiers just come in, sir : We have not got their match, King Jeff, So sleek, and fat, and trim, sir." " I 've given orders, sir," said Jeff, " To Ould, who has approved, The plan to send off all the sick That can be safely moved ; You see, I have a tender heart, And so the thought did come, sir, That these poor fellows at Belle Isle Would rather die at home, sir. " I hear from Memminger, the Yanks Do counterfeit our notes," Said Orr, " That spurious currency Quite undetected floats All through the States Confederate ;" And Memminger, he said, " It, Unless soon stopped, ere many days Would undermine our credit." "I '11 introduce," said Foote, "a bill, The evil is immense, sir, The bill must make it once for all, A capital offence, sir. 1 To have, to hold, to circulate, To look at such a note, I'll draft the bill this very night And press it to a vote." 1 Rebel Congress passed a bill making it a death penalty for Union soldiers to have in their possession counterfeit rebel notes. 160 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Said Wigfall, "There 's a scarcity, We feel it little here, sir, (I '11 take a glass of that old port, It does one's spirit cheer, sir,) The soldiers' wives and families Most bitterly complain, You know, our commissariat Has taken all their grain." Said Jeff, " We pay for what we take, If the supply doth fail, sir, Why let them plant a greater crop, I 'm sick of idle tales, sir ; They growl at this and growl at that, No matter what you do, And all this talk of scarcity I tell you is not true. " There 's plenty in the land, I know, Within the reach of all, Hark ! don't you hear outside a noise, Did any body call?" A tramp of feet rushed past the door, A noise of women's tongues, sir, And fierce, loud cries, in shrillest tones, In through the window rung, sir. " Good Heavens!" cried Wigfall, "here'sariot 1 Of women at the stores, They 're smashing in the windows, Jeff, And breaking down the doors ; They 've got the bacon and the corn, They 're crying out for salt, sir ; 1 April 5, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 161 Ah! here's the soldiers charging down There now ! they make a halt, sir, " Right opposite ! the Mayor 's out, He 's got the Riot Act ! My goodness, Jeff, it is no use, The city will be sacked. They 're armed with hatchets and with knives, They're crying out for bread ;" Jeff rose and called his orderly, "Send Letcher here," he said. Jeff's company slipped out in haste, And quickly disappeared, And as by magic, Jeff's full board Immediately was cleared. When Letcher came, the clever twain (The riot had subsided,) Sat down and wrote a " true account," And to the Press confided. Next day, the Whig* declared the row As every body guesses, "Was groundless, that the female mob Were hunting for silk dresses ! And not for food ; that they were fat, Well fed, and that their pranks, sir, Were instigated, as was proved, Directly by the Yanks, sir. Richmond Whig, April 6tb, 1S63. CHAPTER XXV. WHILE Rosey plants in Tennessee, And fights, and scouts, and raids, sir, The army in Virginia Has caught, I am afraid, sir, The old disease of strife and mud. At any rate it lies In winter quarters, till the sun Shines out in April skies. The troops were worn with useless toil, Some said demoralized ; I only know that they were men, And who could be surprised, If sad experience had taught A lesson of despair, sir ; " We 're cut and slaughtered by brigades," Said they, " and who does care, sir ?" But Burnside cared, and so did Abe ; " To run the big machine," By pouring oil upon the springs They tried, but soon 'twas seen That General this, and General that, Were dreadfully out of joint, sir, And here and there, the colonels spat Said Burnside, " I '11 appoint, sir, (162) THE NEW YANKEE DOO-DLE. 1G3 Some officers, who 11 keep their fight To spend upon the foe." It would n't do, the ghost of Mac Went stalking to and fro All through the camp, it won't be laid ; Quoth Burnside, " I divine, sir, This sort of work is not my trade, So, Abe, I shall resign, sir !" ' Said Fighting Joe, "I'm not afraid Of ghosts, or living men, Or roaring rebs." " Then go," Abe said, " And fall upon their den." He crossed the Rappahannock, 2 thence Marched to the "Wilderness, Said Jonathan, " In Fighting Joe Lee '11 find his match, I guess." Jo made a splendid fight, 5 for he Did nothing else so well ; " He whipped the rebs," so much is clear, Then happened what befell So oft in former victories To those who won a fight, And kept a way for a retreat Jo crossed back in the night. If any grumbled, 't was n't the boys Who lay among the slain, In yonder burning woods, 4 until The fire did ease their pain. 1 Burnside superseded by Hooker, January 26th, 1863. 2 Army of the Potomac commenced crossing the Rappahannock, April -29th, 1863. 3 Battle of Ohancellorsville, May 2nd, 18G3. 4 A number of wounded were consumed by the burning of the woods, in the rear of Charlottesville, the fire was caused by shells. 164 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. It wa' n't the dead, that piled in heaps Lay festering in the sun. Perhaps 't was Lee ; they say he weeps, That Stonewall's ! course is run. Abe told Old Jonathan the news, And all about the plan, That Stoneman went in back of Lee Before the fight began, To cut the rebels from their base, If Hooker could have known, sir, Communication had been cut, "I wish he 'd cut his own, sir." Growled Jonathan ; " I do n't like raids, They 're well enough for rebs." " We want to show them we can match," Said Abe, " that one of Jeb's." " Well, well," said Jonathan, " there 's Straight * He 's made a pretty trail, sir, Fetched up at last in Georgia State, Inside a rebel jail, sir." " But Grierson 3 did a handsome thing ;" . Said Abe, "that little trip, he Did dreadful damage to the rebs, Way down in Mississippi." " I 'm thinking, sir," said Jonathan, " Indeed, I 'm much afraid, sir, Lee 's been so still for two whole weeks, He'll hatch another raid, sir." 1 General Jackson wounded May 2nd. Died on 10th of May, 1863. * Colonel Straight and whole command captured near Rome, Geor gia, on the 3rd May, 1803. 3 Left La Grange, Tennessee, 17th April, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 165 And Jonathan was right, for Lee Impatiently had waited, And moved his troops the very day Ohio nominated, For Governor, Vallandigham, It was the eleventh of June, sir, Lee's troopers ride with guidons gay, His band plays Dixie tune, sir. Straight out across " My Maryland," They ride to Pennsylvania, The Yankee Dutch a second time Take the militia mania. And quick as Lee his charger goads, So quickly do they muster, And all along the turnpike roads, Eise heavy clouds of dust, sir. Tramp ! tramp ! from Jersey and New York, And gallant old Ohio, Came regiments and whole brigades, The rebels to defy, O; For Abraham had " called " again, And Jonathan was ready, And solid masses of new men Tramped on, determined, steady. Till Lee, who came to bring the war Into the Northern States, sir, Astonished listens from afar, And thinks the earth doth quake, sir; He 's brought the war to Northern soil, He shrinks now from the test, The very ground seems to recoil And spurn him from its breast. 166 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. "With troops behind and troops before. And gathering on all sides, Lee halts, and stands at Gettysburg, The issue there abides. Now, if he wins alack ! who knows, Perhaps on Bunker Hill, sir, He '11 call his roll, at any rate, We know he has the will, sir. But if he fails to crush in fight The Yankees now at hand, he May once for all take up his flight From Yankee Doodle Dandy. No more invasion of the North, No more of rebel brag, sir, For bow he must, however loth, To Jonathan's old flag, sir. And where is fighting Jo ? asleep ? Across Potomac's river ? To think what might have been, doth creep Upon us till we shiver. Jo moved at last, and placed his men 'Twixt Washington and Lee, Then gave them up to General Meade, 1 The why, no one could see. Now for a ride to Hagerstown, To Frederick a race, (Where Barbara Freitchie waved the flag In Stonewall Jackson's face. ) 1 General Hooker superseded by General Meade, June 28th, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 167 A dash at Carlisle, where the Dutch Sigh after Little Mac, sir, Then down in famous Gettysburg 1 The rebs their muskets stack, sir. Meade hurries up the loyal host, And skirmishing begins, The rebs are checked, they charge again And neither party wins, For night-fall halts the advancing foe, The armies sink to rest, Lee in the shelter of the wood, Meade posted on the crest Of Cemetery Hill. The bluffs All bristling on each side, With guns, down pointing to the town, The morning sun abide. The cold white marble o'er the graves, Doth catch a glimpse of dawn, Bright bayonets throw back the first Faint blush of coming morn. The light grows stronger, and the sun Looks out upon the tombs, The birds have now their song begun, When flash ! a cannon booms ! The rebels send a greeting up, Meade throws an answer back, And all along the line, his troops Stand waiting the attack. At length, a heavy cannonade, Foretells the coming strife ; Battle of Gettysburg commenced July 1, 1863, and lasted three days. 168 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Then comes a momentary pause, When groans and shrieks are rife. Then from the woods, three columns deep Sweep forty thousand men, Determined, desperate, is their aught Of help in mortal ken ? They wrestle, sway, advance, and reel, Surge up against a rock, Foe pressed to foe, steel clashing steel, Shock answering to shock ; Brave Sickles falls and Hancock's down, But Sedgwick's in the breach ; The rebel line ebbs slowly back Beyond the cannon's reach. Another night upon the field, Another sunlit morn, Breaks peacefully upon the earth, By war all gashed and torn ; With day the strife swells up anew, Again the cannon's roar, Again the fierce grey tide is dashed On adamantine shore. The devil rides astride a gun, A Whitworth, British make, sir, "I never had," cried he, "such fun, My sides do fairly ache, sir." He cheers, at every desperate charge His imps the music swell ; And far above the cannonade Bolls up the rebel yell ! THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 169 They charge, and grapple, hand to hand, And death for death they mete, Till dead men thick as autumn leaves Are trampled 'neath their feet. In vain bold Ewell hounds them on, They wrestle all in vain, No single inch disputed ground The rebel columns gain. Fresh patriots rally to the strife And enfilade the foe. They hurl them back, Hurra ! Hurra ! ! They stagger 'neath the blow. Mash ! crash ! shell, shrapnel, shot, and grape Their murderous journey speed, And all along the line of fire The enemy recede. Then silence on the field of death, If silence we can call The horrid lull, war's bated breath, Whose utterances fall More heavily on heart and brain Than clang of clashing steel, For he's unmanned among the slain Who has the time to feel. Three heavy hours of silence dread A pall upon all hearts Meade watches ; with defeat, Lee stung To desperation starts In one last struggle of despair ; His guns against the hill, One hundred strong he brings to bear, And instantly they fill 8 170 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The air "with missiles, as a storm Of hail from summer sky, So unexpectedly they fall Upon the sward, where lie Meade's wearied officers, and death Springs on them unawares Right on, through graves and living men The shot relentless tears. The driving storm sweeps bare the hill, It does n't frighten Meade ; His batteries, with deafening roar, An answering challenge speed. Said General Lee, " The Yankee fire It seems to me is slack, Now up, my men, the foe doth tire, He 11 yield at our attack." On ! on ! they rush those men in grey, In bravery and folly, They near the patriots' rifle pits, When, flash! a dreadful volley They falter, close their ranks, and press Right up to meet their doom ; They sweep swift through the rifle pits But hark ! the deafening boom Of Meade's great guns sounds out their knell, And crash ! a storm of grape, And that intrepid charge of grey Is crushed all out of shape. The wretched men swept by the blast Are blinded and confounded, They turn, and so does Lee, at last, And leaves his dead and wounded. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Meade didn't push him very hard, And Abe had grown so used, sir, To half done work he didn't stop To feel himself abused, sir. " It might have been so much the worse, And ' half a loaf,' " said he, "Will stay one's hunger, till we win A lasting victory." Lee didn't stop till he was safe On sacred soil again ; Said he, " The chivalry may chafe, One thing is very plain, I'll never more the North invade As I'm a precious noodle ; I wish to goodness I had stayed Away from Yankee Doodle." CHAPTEE XXVI. WHEN Farragut had done his part, It wa'n't his way to loiter ; So after taking New Orleans He sent to reconnoitre. Far up the stream Commander Lee For days steamed unmolested, Past Baton Rouge, past Natchez, up The unknown way he tested. At length before a little town, .His squadron boldly came, 1 Where rebels had their guns put down, And VICKSBUB We wouldn't like to show it, We needn't, if we 've any tact Let Abraham, sir, know it." " Well, Stephens, I can 't make a move In any such direction, I 've done my best, and owe defeat To unforeseen defection ; Our friends were going to rise with Lee, The plan has got a balk, sir, There's no dependence zounds ! I wish The Devil had New York, sir." Just here, a fellow long and lean, Put in a shaven head ; " I want, King Jeff, a week or two Of absence now," it said. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 187 "Who 's that ?" said Stephens. " Oh, a scout, A secret service man, sir, A trusty fellow, always out A-working up some plan, sir." " Well, Jeff, I '11 try, I Tl go with Quid, And with a flag of truce, Steam up, and have a talk with Abe ; It might be of some use, To hint Napoleon's latest views Upon the situation, That France and England might unite, And make an arbitration." So Ould and Stephens took a boat, And steamed to Fort Munroe, Thence sent to Abraham a note ' That they would like to go, " A little farther, if he pleased ; " Quoth Abram, waxing hot, sir, " They want to talk with me, a-hem Well, I should rather not, sir." So round about the truce-boat turned, And headed for the South, And Stephens back to Dixie steamed, His finger in his mouth, They called a council, Jeff and he, And had a long debate, Discussing how to keep concealed The secrets of the State. All out of blankets, out of shoes, * And short of corn and bacon ; 1 July 4, 1863. 188 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Their rights of course, they would n't lose, Their courage was n't shaken ; But then their wives and families Ah ! here was no illusion, The fact so patent to them all "Was dreadful destitution. Jeff Davis groaned ; at last he said, " Our families can go, sir, Across the lines, Old Abraham Will treat them well, I know, sir." (Now this reminds me of a fact, Pray pardon the digression, It happened just about the time John Bull winked at secession. A letter came to Abe one day, 'Twas dated Manchester, It seems Abe's proclamation had Abroad, made quite a stir ; This letter from " the suffering poor " Of sympathy for him, Did Abram read, but I am sure, His spectacles were dim. He took them off and rubbed them clean And winked and rubbed his eyes, And winked again. Here Jonathan Takes Abram by surprise ; He walks right in, and sees Old Abe A-sitting in his chair ; The letter open in his hand, All blotted here and there. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 189 " Now, Jonathan," said Abe, " look here ! Here comes the gasping breath Of want, to speak good words of cheer To us. Why, man, 'tis death That in their wretched faces stares, And this the word they send, sir, That though tJieir death be in our war, To fight it to the end, sir." Said Jonathan, " I have enough, And something yet to spare, sir, If Johnny Bull won't take a huff, I'll send a cargo there, sir." So Jonathan the Griswold sent l All full of yellow corn, sir ; The pirate rebs on mischief bent, As sure as you are born, sir, To capture her a ship dispatch, The Griswold made the slip As she went out, but pirates catch Her on the homeward trip. While Jonathan, whose hand is in, Sends off a lot of beans And pork, to feed the starving rebs Way down in New Orleans.) Quoth Stephens, who in great degree Possessed that virtue rare, That Southern trait, consistency " Now Jeff, I wouldn't care. Although our hopes are quite forlorn, Our plans all out of joint, 1 The Griswold left New York January 9, 1863. 190 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. To have it known we counted on Old Abraham's weak point." Said Memminger, " Gold 's out of sight, 1 It is n't safe to wait, We 'd better put in foreign stocks Our personal estate." " That 's very true," responded Jeff, " If there 's to be a smash, sirs, 'T won't better things for us to be Included in the crash, sirs." An orderly, with terror pale, Came in here with the news Of Vicksburg ; 'twas a startling tale, Jeff did his temper lose ; He raved at Pemberton and Jo, And in a piteous state, He ground his teeth in helpless wo, And cursed his dreadful fata In vain his Cabinet declared They had not been deluded, That this must come to pass, in fact, They had long since concluded, And it was better as it was, Their lines were quite too long ; And in proportion as they shrank, Their government was strong. Jeff could not be consoled, not he Why should he toil and toil When any stupid General His wisest plans could spoil ? 1 Gold in Richmond 1,600. Greenbacks 1,200, in August, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 191 "What would come next, no one could tell, He 'd half a mind to pitch, sir, The South, and North, at once, pell mell, Into the last great ditch, sir. Just here in rushed a General 'Twas "Winder (Provost Marshal) ; Said he, " Good news ! we are in luck ! As I 'm a judge impartial ! New York has risen ! from the Park To Trinity's famed steeple, One great, resistless, desperate, armed ' Procession of the people.' 1 " The negro and Vallandigham, The Habeas Corpus Act, sir, The draft whate'er the cause may be, It is a patent fact, sir, The mob at last has grasped the reins, Our peace friends didn't talk, sir, In vain ; they 've raised against Old Abe The Devil in New York, sir. " I 've brought some papers for a treat, A News is in the lot ;" The rebels gathered round the sheet And aid and comfort got. 2 Jeff stiffened up ; said he, " The news Gives solid satisfaction ; 1 Draft riot in New York commenced 12th July, 18G3. a "All the embarrassments with which that party [peace party] can surround Mr. Lincoln, and all the difficulties that it can throw in the way of the war party in the North, operate directly as BO much aid and comfort to the South." Letter of M. F. Maury, dated August 17, 1863, to the London " Times." 192 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. It 's worth the forty thousand men Lee lost in his late action." King Jeff dismissed his Cabinet, Each took a glass of brandy, And vowed they never would submit To Yankee Doodle Dandy. Then Jeff sat down and wrote a speech ; ! Recovered from alarm, he Applied his renovated spunk To stiffen up his army. He told his soldiers that the foe By partial victory lured Were massing troops, and so they hoped Success might be insured. " You know too well," said Jefferson, " What they mean by success Exterminate yourselves, your wives, Your children nothing less. " What they can't plunder, to destroy In infamous debauch, sirs ; To carry ruin to your fields And to your homes a torch, sirs. Soldiers ! with triumph in your reach, Save the Confederation 1 There 's only one alternative, Victory or subjugation." Jeff signed the paper, (so, indeed, Did Benjamin, the Jew, sir,) See Mr. Davis' "Address to the Soldiers of the Confederate States," dated August 1, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 193 Then set him down in peace to read Of deeds Quantrell did do, sir, In Kansas, 1 such nice genteel play Suited to chivalry, sir ; And quite unlike, Jeff well may say, To Yankee deviltry, sir. 1 Quantrell's raid in Lawrence, Ks., 21st August, 1863. CHAPTEE XXVIII. " OH, Jonathan," said Betsey Jane, " When will this fighting cease ? Is there no way to bring again The blessed days of peace ?" " Yon, too, are tired, Betsey Jane, Of battling for the right," Said Jonathan. " It seems so vain," Said Betsey, " in our sight ; " With raiding here, and skirmish there, And fights upon the seas ; Death all abroad, strife everywhere, 'Till e'en the gentlest breeze Comes laden with a wailing cry Our eyes are dim with weeping ; Each waking breath is but a sigh, We sob while we are sleeping. " And. when you wake, you miss the boys.' Said Jonathan, " I know it ; And sometimes when the grief wells up, / cannot help but show it. But Betsey Jane, this much is plain, Our day's work we must do ; And when we think upon the end, What is a life or two ?" (194) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 195 Cried Betsey Jane, " There must be news, Look at the garden gate ! The neighbors beckon ! now they call ! Oh, Jonathan, don't wait. ' Hurrah ! hurrah !' the town is out, And now the bells are ringing. Oh, Jonathan, hear how they shout, And there 's the children singing." Said Jonathan, " It is the fourth ! l The schools are out a-playing. A battle, eh ! oh, Betsey Jane, What is it you are saying ?" "A victory at Gettysburg! And Vicksburg, too, is taken ! Hark ! how the guns at Bunker Hill, The answering echoes waken." Cried Jonathan, " Its come at last, Send up into the garret ; But first lay out my Sunday coat, To-day I mean to wear it. Bring down the old flint locks once more, They always spoke so true ; I want to hear their voice to-day The fire-works, bring them, too." Then Jonathan he nailed his flag Beside his weather-cock ; Of Chinese crackers to the boys He gave a double stock. Then rolled his cider barrels out, And left them lying handy ; ' 4th July, 1863. 196 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And all the live-long day the band Played Yankee Doodle Dandy. When Betsey Jane that evening train For Gettysburg departed ; Said Jonathan, " I wonder if Old Abe is chipper hearted. I guess 1 11 go to Washington, He may have need of me, sir ; Perhaps his money is all gone, 'Twill do no harm to see, sir." He finds Abe sitting all alone, A thinking out a plan, sir, To make the rebels Sambo treat Like any other man, sir. " Now, Jonathan," says he, " you 've come Just in the nick of time, sir." "What is the matter Abraham?" Says Abe, " It is the crime sir, " Of putting Sambo in the field To fight for our salvation ; Unless we can protection yield By stern retaliation." " That must be done," said Jonathan, " The rebs the way have paved, sir : For every captured soldier, Abe, By Jeff's decree enslaved, sir, " You must at hardest labor put One of the chivalry, sir, And keep him there, whate'er befalls, Till Sambo is set free, sir." THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. . 197 " That 's not the worst," says Abe, " I know Port Hudson, 't other day, sir, Poor Sambo did such valor show, That, as the rebels say, sir, "He got no quarter in the fight So desperate and hot, If Sambo wounded fell, the rebs Dispatched him on the spot." Says Jonathan, "If prisoners Or white, or black, they Ml, sir, Why, we can then retaliate, By Uncle Sam we vM, sir. * " 'Twill work out right, sir, in the end The rebs learn by degrees ; Be steady, Abe, till Jefferson His wicked folly sees. Its hard to manage desperate rebs, The copperheads are worse, What's to be done to rid the earth Of this increasing curse ?" " I can't tell, Jonathan," said Abe, For every thing I 've tried, sir, I do my best, with all I do They are dissatisfied, sir ; They cry for peace hound me, as if For war /was to blame, sir ; I tell them peace is what /want, They grumble all the same, sir. " They don't like my way Jonathan Of getting at a peace ; i See President Lincoln's Order, No. 252, July 30, 1863. 198 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. They talk about a compromise ; Perhaps the war would cease If I should send for Jefferson, And very humbly say, sir, ' Now, Jeff, do stop we 're fairly whipped, Take everything your way, sir.' " Here Jonathan stood up enraged (I am afraid he swore, sir,) He struck the table with his fist, He knocked Abe's inkstand o'er, sir. "Sit down," says Abe, "the Union, sir, Is not their point we know ; These disaffected would swap that To keep enslaved the negro. " And here again we disagree That is the tender spot, I 'd like to have all men go free, The copperheads would not. When I suggested buying slaves, Their scowl did not relax, sir ; ' Buy niggers !' was the hue and cry, They wouldn't pay the tax, sir. "They hate my order Number One, They say I 've wrongly acted ; It is n't constitutional, 1 They want it all retracted. I don't agree ! I have the right, By military law, sir, The property of enemies To seize in time of war, sir. 1 See President's letter to Illinois Convention, August 26, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 199 " The proclamation valid is, Or valid it is not, sir ; If valid it must stand, for death Cannot to hie be brought, sir. They will not fight to free the slave Well, Sambo, sir, is willing To fight for tliem, for us and .ours His blood he 's freely spilling. 1 "And shall he do for us, and we Do nought for him, except, sir, Make specious promise. No, oh, no! My promise must be kept, sir." " It shall be kept," said Jonathan, " Cheer up, now, Abe, my man ; Look how much God for truth hath wrought Since first the strife began. " The river Mississippi goes Unvexed now to the sea." Said Abraham, " To the North-west Our grateful thanks must be ; Nor wholly yet to them they met, As up their way they cleft, sir ; ^ New England and the Middle States Down hewing right and left, sir. "Nor is that all, 'tis hard to say Aught has been better done, Than at Anteitam, Gettysburg, And Murfreesboro won. Then, too, for ' Uncle Sam's web-feet,' 2 Our praise must not be slack ; 1 " There have heen men base enough to propose to me to return to slavery the hlack warriors of Port Hudson and Olustee, and thus win the respect of the masters they fought." Mr. Lincoln to Governor Randall. * The Navy. 200 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Wherever, sir, the ground was damp, They 've been and left their track "Peace doesn't seem so distant now, 'Twill come, I hope, to stay, sir ; There 11 be some black men who can well Kemember on that day, sir, With silent tongue, and steady eye, And brave determination ; With well poised bayonets they helped To bring this consummation. " And there 11 be some white men, I fear, Unable to forget That with malignant heart and speech They've striven to upset 1 God's plans." Said Jonathan, " We must apply the means, sir ; We 've got this treason to sweep out, And we will sweep it clean, sir. "It's got into the corners, Abe ; It 's hid behind the doors ; It 's spread across the briny pond, To European shores." " Ah ! that reminds me, Jonathan, There is some recent news ; You haven't heard it? Well," said Abe, " It 's much too good to lose. " Quite lately rumors had been brought To gentle Seward's ear, That Johnny Bull, in truth, was not As tamed as would appear ; See Pros. Lincoln's letter to the Hon. Jas. Conkling, Aug. 16, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 201 That rebel rams were being built Right under Johnny's nose, sir ; So Seward pokes up Mr. Bull, And pristine valor shows, sir. " Says he, ' You 're building rebel rams !' Growled Bull, * Your no diviner ; These little rams, I hear, are for The Emperor of China.' Said Seward, ' "Will you stop these rams ?' ' That is no easy task, sir,' Said John ; ' perhaps it can't be done, I will my lawyer ask, sir.' " Now Seward had just then in mind The pirate Alabama ; And her career was fitted ill To make his temper calmer. Said he, * These rams must be detained, Whatever be the law, sir ; If not, your Bullship may prepare, I take it this is war, sir.' " At this Bull held his head quite stiff, He was but illy pleased ; But Adams wrote, that very night, The rebel rams were seized. 1 And Johnny looked about to find Some other way more handy, From off the sea to drive the ships Of Yankee Doodle Dandy." 1 Two iron-plated rams, built on the Mersey, England, by the Messrs. Laird, for the use of the rebels, were seized by order of the British Government upon a charge of an intention to evade the neutrality laws, October 9, 1863. CHAPTEE XXIX. " Now Abe," said Jonathan, " the cries From Eastern Tennessee King in my ears ; you must devise A way that land to free. Lee 's whipped so badly, he must wait Till reinforcements come, sir ; I wish to goodness Grant had brought His Vicksburg prisoners home, sir. " They 11 all be up in one short week To join Lee on the border, He '11 have them properly exchanged "With skeletons to order !" l Here Jonathan stamped angrily, And Abram seemed to chafe, sir ; As if the thing, right in his mind, To speak out was n't safe, sir. At last, he said, " Well, Jonathan, The fighting will not stop, Now Rosecrans in Tennessee Has gathered in his crop And started, pressing Bragg along Till he has made a halt 1 The Vicksbnrg prisoners were declared exchanged, and imme diately put into the field by the rebels. ('202) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 2.03 At Chattanooga. They will meet, Or 't won't be Rosey's fault. " And Burnside 's well upon his way, At Knoxville, Buckaer waits ; The war will have a wicked sway, Within the Border States." Said Jonathan, " We 11 fight it through, Press hard now, Abe, don't falter ; By all our dead boys, brave and true, King Jeff must wear his halter." So Burnside o'er the mountains rode, Full thirty miles a day, sir ; Growled Buckner, " I 've surrendered once, I think I '11 run away, sir." Then all the people cheered in glee, 1 Tore down the rebel rags, And hoisted right triumphantly Their hidden Union flags. And on brave Rosey's soldiers went, The rebels made no show At Chattanooga 2 what that meant, Old Rosey did n't know. 'Twas rumored, Bragg declined a fight, Was reinforcing Lee ; How far that rumor was from right, We very soon shall see. On Rosey pushed, the mountain o'er, He pushes to his goal ; General Burnside occupied Knoxville, Tenn., September 4, 1863. 2 General Eosecrans crossed the Tennessee and invested Chatta nooga, August 31, 1863. 204 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Jeff sends up Longstreet's army corps, With prisoners on parole ; The Vicksburg and Port Hudson men, To Grant and Banks surrendered ; Declared exchanged, they marched to Bragg And bloody service tendered. The nineteenth of September breaks On Chickamauga stream, And on the left of Rosecrans The rebel bayonets gleam ; Bragg's troops are massed he '11 turn the left, But Rosecrans has tact, sir, And Thomas from the centre conies, The move to counteract, sir. Alas ! for Rosey, he has met His more than match to-day, The rebels press so sorely up, His gallant men give way ; They rally, charge along the front Is one consuming fire, And from the ground the rebs had gained They sullenly retire. All night on the disputed ground, Old Rosey's soldiers stay ; The morn breaks, with no warlike sound, It is the Sabbath-day ;' There 11 be no fight the rebels sleep. Was that the musket rattle ? To arms ! the foe upon the left Is opening the battle. The 20th of September, 1863. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 205 The rattle of the musket turns To deafening cannon roar ; And Rosey to his sorrow learns, As Bragg's great columns pour Eight down upon him, that the foe From every quarter come, Is pressing with resistless weight, To drive the Yankees home. His men fall back, they turn and flee, Force Rosey from the field. But Thomas like the mount behind Stands firm, he uritt not yield ; He stands, to breast the rebel tide That surges at his feet, There " like a lion, when at bay," Fierce onsets firm to meet. Wave after wave rolls up and breaks, Upon that crescent line ; The rebels spy a mountain gap, Said Bragg, " The day is mine, , If I can get my columns through ; Go, Longstreet, strike the rear, sir." The rebels rush into the gap, When suddenly appear, sir, Bold Granger and his brave reserves, Of victory the token ; Their " charge was terrible and swift," The enemy was broken. They fight till cartridges are out, And daylight well nigh o'er, Then with the bayonet they rout The rebs, who come no more. 200 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Next day when Thomas thought it best To hunt up Rosecrans, sir, And left the field. the rebs at rest Waked up and quickly ran, sir, And squatted an the little plat, And cheered, and called it theirs, sir ; For such a victory as that, Jeff doth forget his cares, sir. He smiled and praised the rebel troops For Chickamauga won, sir, But hinted, there was heavy work Remaining to be done, sir. And Abram, when he heard the news, Said, " Stanton, now I can't, sir, Run any risk I 'd rather choose To send down General Grant, sir." So Grant to Chattanooga went, 1 Found Rosey out of bread, His men and horses almost spent Bragg knows it too, he said ; Now, Bragg had sent a message up, All civilly to state, sir, Non-combatants should now forthwith, The town evacuate, sir. Said Grant, " That means he '11 run away, The fact I '11 ascertain, sir ; Go, Thomas, drive his pickets in, And make his meaning plain, sir." They found Bragg felt himself so strong, He 'd sent up Longstreet's corps 1 General Grant assumed command of the military division of the Mississippi, comprising the Departments of the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee, on the 15th of Octoher, 18G3. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 207 To sweep off Burnside but ere long, Brave Sherman's columns pour In Longstreet's rear. Burnside besieged 1 At Knoxville stubborn fights, sir, Day after day, though well we know, His was a sorry plight, sir. He won't abandon Tennessee, He never will retreat, But though his men fight cheerfully, They've little left to eat. Day after day, brave Burnside waits "While Grant is whipping Bragg ; The twentieth day of siege is come, Still waves the Union flag Waves free, as if in confidence, It takes it fully granted, By rebel rag it never more Again shall be supplanted. At last a horse pants into town, " Good news !" the rider said ; The cavalry are bearing down, And Sherman, too, has led His men from Chattanooga field, And Longstreet from the meeting, Falls back in haste, the victory yields By everywhere retreating. 2 Then Sherman walked about the place, And looked at the redoubt 1 Knoxville besieged, Norember 17, 1363. 2 Longetreet raises the siege December 4th. 208 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Named Saunders where on Sunday last, 1 So many lives went out. Then traveled down to General Grant, 2 Lest Bragg might make attack ; " I would not like a fight," thought he, "Before I can get back." But Bragg of fight had had his fill, The reason was conclusive ; Said he, " I 'm driven off the hill, 3 'Twould be a dream illusive, Now Grant is posted safe and high, And strongly fortified, sir, For me to think of getting back, 'Twon't do my best I've tried, sir." He tells King Jeff his desperate case, King Jeff is quite surprised, And sends up Johnston to the place The rebs demoralized, Make dreadful speed ; in Dalton town Their horses foam and pant, sir, Just anything to get away, Out of the sight of Grant, sir. 1 The 29th of November, 1863. . 2 Left Knoxville, Tenn., December 8, 1863. 8 Lookout Mountain stormed the 26th of November. Mission Ridgo captured the 25th. CHAPTER XXX. THE rebels grumbled awfully, And said 'twas very plain, Bragg could n't lead the chivalry, He need n't try again ; And Mr. Foote, he made a speech, 1 Said Jeff was all to blame "He spoiled the fight At Gettysburg He did the very same. " If he kept on his present course, 'Twould end in ruination. He," Mr. Foote, " could but condemn The project by starvation To thin the Yankee prisoners out, As Jefferson was doing." 2 Quoth Davis, when he read the speech, " Another storm is brewing." He sent for Ould, to ask him if He couldn't move the hitch In the Exchange but Ould said, " No ! Abe's roused to such a pitch 1 In rebel Congress, December 8, 1863. 4 "It is true that many of our officers felt the injustice of the treat ment inflicted upon the prisoners, but what could they do ? Orders came from headquarters, and they were bound to obey them, for the first duty of a soldier is obedience." Page 170 of Notes from War Pictures, by B. Estvan, Colonel of cavalry in Confederate army. (209) 210 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. About the ' niggers/ but I 've sent A note will fret In'm some, sir ; I wrote that no more loads of food Could to the prisoners come, sir." 1 " You acted hastily," said Jeff ; "I have," said Quid, " 'tis true. Cut off from Turner, 2 and his set, A source of revenue." " Well, well," said Jeff, " these perquisites Do no one any hurt, sir, I don't see where your order hits, For Winder doth assert, sir, " This matter of Old Abe's supplies Is neither here nor there, Trust Mm, the Yankees will not get Much comfort from their share." " The point is this," said Ould, " you see I 'm shooting at long range, sir, For while the Yanks can feed their men, We '11 never get exchange, sir. " This sending food 's a safety-valve, The injured Yankee nation Without it, sir, would scald Old Abe In boiling indignation. And so, I 've put a stopper, Jeff, On Abram's cunning measure, He 's read my note by this, and can Digest it at his leisure. *' So Yankee knaves must learn to live Upon the soldiers ' ration ;' " 1 See Quid's official letter of December 11, 1863. 2 Maj. Turner (and bro.) Commander and Inspector of Libby Prison. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 211 And Ould's decision, from the rebs Met general approbation. 'Tis true, a few, like Mr. Foote, Who had no sort of tact, sir, Declared that Ould's fair promises Were better than the fact, sir. 'Twas said, that even Winder came From Anderson direct, To beg King Jeff, for his own sake, Their larder to inspect. 1 But Jeff was out of sorts that day, And was not very civil, And in a rage was heard to say, " Go, Winder to the Devil 1" If Winder to the Devil went, It did not much avail, sir ; The Devil could no wo invent But was already stale, sir. At Anderson and Saulsbury, If Winder had depicted Their scenes, the Devil would have stood Of jealousy convicted. His imps but lately had been scared Out of those same stockades, Such sights, they in accord declared, Since e'er the world was made, They never saw ; they 'd like to know The author of the plan, i TWO surgeons were at one time sent by Davis to inspect the camp, but a walk through a small section gave them all the informa tion they desired, and we never saw them again." Deposition of Prescott Tracy, 82d Regt. N. Y. V. 212 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. So comprehensive, they would show Great honor to the man. But, if the Devil would consent, They } d rather not go back, sir. The things that Winder did invent, Their tender souls did rack, sir. They 'd go again with Keith to play In Eastern Tennessee, With Quantrell on his Kansas raids They would keep company. They'd go out West to Albert Pike, And paint their faces red. ** Good Devil ! anything you like But Southern jails," they said. The Devil smiled said he, " My dears, Bight well your cause you Ve pleaded, It ain't my way to send my imps Except where they are needed." " They 11 do without you in the South, Smooth off those little scowls, Draw down the corners of your mouth, And look as wise as owls. Be off to Indiana State, Be ' Golden Circle Knights,' sirs, On ' Despot Abraham ' dilate, And ' Constitutional Eights/ sirs. " Now, don't forget the side your 're on, There '11 be a great confusion ; Jeff pays the best and slavery Is my pet institution ; THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 213 Keep this in mind, whate'er you do, However you disguise it, Save slavery IT is DIVINE ! "Whatever man denies it. " A few of you had better go To Canada, by land, sirs, There 11 be a blaze at Buffalo, As I do understand, sirs ; A plot 's on foot to free the rebs, At Johnson's Island Camp, sirs, 1 There 11 be rare sport, I 'd like to go, But I 'm just off a tramp, sirs, " From stirring up New York allies, I 've no more time to roam, sirs, Jeff looks to me for his supplies, And I must stay at home, sirs. If you can take it in your way, Just make a small detail, To help our soldiers at Camp Chase * And Morgan out of jail" 'Twas so the Devil had advised, His imps in last October, Since then to his own great surprise, He felt himself grown sober. He walked the streets of Kichmond now, "With many a stifled groan, But all he asked as once before Was to be " LET ALONE." s 1 Conspiracy to free prisoners, and burn Buffalo and other lake cities, was discovered October 10, 1863. 2 A conspiracy to rescue the prisoners in the Ohio Penitentiary and at Camp Chase, came to light November 31, 1863. 3 " There was a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a lond voice, saying ' Let us alone 1 ' "LUKE iv. 88. CHAPTER XXXI. Now all this time in Charleston town Beigned dreadful discontent, For Stanton had some gunners down "With Quincey Gilmore sent ; And Charleston to the rebels was A sort of forlorn hope, Her attitude, together with A letter from the Pope, Which Jeff had got, was now the last And brightest constellation In Southern sky, so overcast By Yankee occupation. On Morris Island Gilmore lands, On Wagner makes attack, 1 And gallantly he leadeth up His white troops and his black. Old Massachusett's Fifty-fourth 2 Stands boldly in the front, And of the rebels' dreadful fire. Unflinching bears the brunt ; The colonel falls, and one by one Its officers are slain, 1 July 17, 1863. 2 Colored Regiment. (214) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 215 The men are slaughtered though they " fight," And slaughtered all in vain. The rebels sally from the fort, They dig a long deep pit, And bury Gilmore's fallen men, Said they, "It doth befit These ' freedom shriekers,' in their death To find ' amalgamation ; '" l So in this safe and pleasant way, They did insult the nation. Quoth Gilmore, " It 's not over yet ; My Uncle Samuel says, sir, In Charleston town he owes a debt, And U. S. always pays, sir; He 's waited now for several years, And interest has run, And I '11 collect it ; " so he trains His big Swamp Angel gun, Eight over to the town, and waits For his small guns to scrape Fort Sumter's face, and pierce its sides, And knock it out of shape ; And then he wrote to Beauregard, To give In'm time for running, And on the morrow Uncle Sam 2 Began his little dunning. And every day for one whole year, The music of the shell 1 Col. Shaw and his officers were buried in the same trench with hia colored soldiers. 2 August 23, 1863. 216 TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Reminded gentle Beauregard That when Fort Sumter fell, And Jeff and he sat down to take A social glass of brandy, That Jeff had sworn they 'd fixed the fate Of Yankee Doodle Dandy. The rebels said they were not hurt By all the shot so thrown ; I only know, in Charleston streets, With grass and weeds o'ergrown, On rotting wharves, and battered walls, "When down our troopers came, They found, in plainest characters, Had treason signed its name. CHAPTEK XXXII. WHILE Foote was scolding in the house, 1 Disgusted with Bragg's fighting ; Old Abe his proclamation of Free amnesty was writing. 9 The proclamation threw the rebs Of Dixie in confusion, And Foote declared it was, in fact, Unwarranted intrusion. And he resolved (his usual way Of venting his displeasure,) There never could be hour or day, More ill-timed for the measure ; That Dixie's spirit still was high, Etcetera, and so forth, They 'd fight, and in the " last ditch die," Or freemen they would go forth. But Longstreet up in Tennessee 3 Was sadly disconcerted ; His men the proclamation read, And scores of them deserted ; And Davis found his load of care Did steadily increase, 1 Rebel House of Representatives, Dec. 15, 1863. 2 Dec. 8, 18G3. 8 See Longstreet's correspondence with Gen. Foster, January, 1864. 10 '217^ 218 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. For Dixie journals here and there Were calling out for peace. The North Carolina discontent, Vance l said, was growing stronger, Jeff must a remedy invent, He could n't hold out longer ; Wrote he, " The people are possessed In wishing for a peace. 'Tis strange, the more they are distressed Their clamors more increase. " It 's come to this, we cannot choose, We must negotiate With Abe, King Jeff, or we shall lose Outright the Old North State." " Negotiate," growled out King Jeff, " That is a famous joke, sir, Vance must have slept, these last three years, And has but just awoke, sir." He wrote to Vance (in confidence) " Three efforts I have made To come to terms, but Abe has not The slightest notice paid To my attempts ; we have no choice, To fight 's our only course, And I advise you, Vance, to try The argument of force." 2 While Vance is trying Jeff's wise plan, He hears a heavy tramp 1 Governor of North Carolina. a See Davis' correspondence with Governor Vance. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 219 Of Abe's five hundred thousand more In his instruction camp. 1 And o'er the Mississippi comes A noise of cavalry, sir, And bothers Vance, who " works his sums " Out slow and wearily, sir. Tis " crazy " Sherman in the West, Who leads a promenade, sir, 9 (By crazy people, sometimes great Discoveries are made, sir ;) And Old Tecumseh on his raid Found rations were so handy In Dixie's Land, he could subsist All Yankee Doodle Dandy. He treasured up this little bit Of useful information, And when there came a season fit He gave it to the nation. But while he runs his sabre through The bubble of secession, That other raider, Colonel Straight, From Libby makes egression. 3 Through tunnel, patiently scooped out Beneath the sentry's beat, One hundred captured officers Stand free upon the street. The rebs on guard see dusky forms Diverging from the shed, 4 1 Draft ordered February, 1864. 2 Left Vicksburgh February, 1864. 3 February 10, 1864. 4 " One of the guards told me that they saw our men escaping through the tunnel, and that they did not prevent them, supposing it was their own men stealing our boxes." Deposition of Capt. A. B. Calhoun, June 1, 1864. 220 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Where Abe's great boxes of supplies "Were stored ; they only said, " Our boys are out again to-night, A-confiscating things." And ere they turned again, the forms Had somehow taken wings. And off through lane, and wood, and swamp, The scattered patriot band, Hound hunted, sore and famished, all Are headed for " God's Land." Some drop in faintness by the way, But Sambo's hut is handy, And Sambo never did betray His Yankee Doodle Dandy. He gives him all he has to eat, " For Linkum's sake " he said, While Dinah bathes his bleeding feet And " shakes him up " a bed. And Sambo guides him through the swamps, Across the bridge of logs, And skillfully he teaches him To foil the rebel dogs. So on they plod, so wearily, Till startled by a tramp Of cavalry, oh ! joy to see ! The blue coats, from the camp. 1 Now rest, poor battered patriots, From hunger, cold, and rags, And learn to smile ! See, yonder wave The glorious Union flags. 1 Gen. Butler eent out cavalry to meet the fugitives. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 221 Drink deep of air and light once more, Then, now again so free, Remember Libby and Belle Me, And strike for Liberty ! Said bold Kilpatrick to his men, " Here is a chance, no doubt, sirs, I don't see why we can't go in, Since Straight has just come out, sirs ; Let 's make a dash for Libby, men ! And rescue, ere they die, Our gallant boys in Belle Isle pen." Four thousand throats reply. And bit and bridle to their steeds, Impatiently they stand, No second word Kilpatrick needs To speak to his command ; Young Dahlgren springs upon his horse, No thought of danger tames His bounding heart, he leads the way, He 's off across the James. 1 He sees but one absorbing sight, He rideth gallantly, He '11 reach Belle Isle before the night, And set the captives free. His horses feel the goading spurs, They dash through sun and shade, Through wood and field ; and halt at last, In rebel ambuscade ! A flash of sabres, and a shot, A struggle in the dark, 1 Leaves Cnlpepper February 28, 1864. 222 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And Dahlgren's horse is riderless, And he is lying stark. 1 In vain Kilpatrick waits for him, In vain his signal gun ; No answer eomes, 'tis all in vain, Kilpatrick's raid is done. He turns his horses round about, And strikes for Yorktown Station, And leaves the rebs in Richmond town In dreadful consternation. They ring the bells, and call to arms, And Jeff sends off to Lee, To say the " Yanks " are at the gate With all their cavalry. And Satan with a wicked frown, Comes out of Castle Thunder, Walks to and fro throughout the town, And sends his slaves down under The prison walls, to stow a stock Of double proof gunpowder ; 2 Says he, " When Yankees loud do knock, We 11 answer them still louder." The hours passed by, no knocking came But that of their own hearts, And rebels blushing in their shame, And tingling with the smarts Of passing fear, began to scold King Jeff for being scared ; 1 Dahlgren murdered March 4, 1864. 2 Major Turner said in my presence, the day we were paroled, in answer to the question "Was the prison mined?" "Yes, and I would have blown yon all to Hades before I would have suffered you to be rescued." Affidavit of Col. Farnsworth. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 223 He might have known the Yanks were bold, And should have been prepared. 'Twas rumored Jeff had packed his trunks, And sent them off by rail ; 'Twas vain the rebel press declared 'Twas but an idle tale. What! Jeff desert "Virginia ! Richmond evacuated ! 'Twas in her sacred precincts that The " last ditch " was located. For ever as the days rolled on The rumor was repeated ; And on reb visages forlorn, Suspicion grew deep seated. In vain they choked the rising groan, Or tried to drown in brandy The fear of being left alone With Yankee Doodle Dandy, CHAPTER^XXXIII. KING JEFF stuffs cotton in his ears To keep out rebel grumbling ; But there 's a deeper noise he hears Continually rumbling : 'Tis Abram's trains of volunteers, And wagons heavy freighted ; Quoth Jeff, "Abe's armies it appears Are being concentrated. " 'Tis clear the tyrant is resolved Upon a desperate course ; He 's mustering all Yankeedom, And with tremendous force He '11 strike, to crush us by his iveight ; I 'm not alarmed at all, But I must trim my ship of state To weather such a squalL" So Jeff sends off for General Bragg He could n't find a wiser To come to Richmond for to be Jeff's right hand and adviser. And Lincoln sent for General Grant ;' Said he, " 'Tis a relief, sir, To make so sensible a man Our General-in-Chief, sir." 1 March 12, 1863. (224) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 225 And Jonathan endorsed the move ; " 'Twas true," the old man said, " The army had for many days Been weak about the head." 1 So Grant and Halleck coalesced, The experiment was fine, And proved the ornamental with The useful can combine. Grim Grant brought up his best segars To smoke the rebels out ; He brought up, too, his son of Mars, " For Sheridan, no doubt," Said he, " we 11 need to send the rebs A-whirling down the valley." Then Grant he sounds a bugle blast And Abe's battalions rally. They do not cheer for little Grant "Whene'er he comes in sight, sir ; They only stand still more erect And draw their belts up tight, sir. They 've heard of Grant, and know 't is true What all the rebels say, That once at work, his task he 11 do If in no other way He '11 bridge the ditch with heaps of slain, "Who perish in the strife ; 1 " Halleck's Official Report had shown that operations were some times directed by the President, with or without the approval of hia military counsellors, sometimes by one or another of his military counsellors without the approval of the President, and sometimes by the General in the field without the approval of any one. See " Twelve Decisive Battles of the War," page 361. 10* 226 TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Bui he 'U exact for every man The foe shaU give a life. " A life for life," said "butcher " Grant, " For six from six leaves nought, sir ; But six from twelve 's another thing," And so his reck'ning brought, sir, This grave conclusion " Stroke on stroke, Till Jeff repents his sin ; An equal loss is victory I can lose half and win." Then Jonathan, he tells Old Abe, That Grant must have carte blanche, sir, That if nobody interferes The rebs won't have a chance, sir. Grant wrote to Sherman that same day To make a move instanter On Johnston, who had stopped the way 'Twixt him and doomed Atlanta. So while in Richmond Jeff and Bragg Mourned over hopes departed, "Demented" Sherman took his flag And into Dixie started. CHAPTEE XXXIV. ONE Sunday morning, just as Abe 1 Was going out to meeting, In came Old Jonathan and said, "Without a word of greeting, " Here, Abe, I 've brought our Betsey Jane, To speak a word with you, sir. She 's true as steel, and good as gold, And what she says, she '11 do, sir." " I 'm glad to see you, Betsey Jane, Be pleased to take a chair." And Abe sat down between the twain With a bewildered air. " There 's nothing wrong, I hope," he said, " This is so bright a day." "Yes, sir," said Jonathan, "there is, The devil is to pay !" And Jonathan, he struck his cane So hard upon the floor, He startled Abe ; and Betsey Jane, (Who spoke no word before,) Said, " Jonathan you 're roused again, You '11 not be understood, sir, 1 About the middle of May, 1864. (227) 228 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Be patient, man, and speak out plain Your anger does no good, sir." " It does do good," roared Jonathan ; " I must n't make a noise ? God help us ! Abraham," he groaned, " They 're murdering our boys !" " Too many, sir," said Abraham, " Are counted with the slain." " It is n't that. They 're starving them In Southern jails," said Jane. " We 're just up from Annapolis, 1 We 've seen such dreadful woe, I 'm fearful I should speak amiss If I should try to show, What I have seen, as to and fro The hospitals I 've walked, sir."* " What do they say ?" said Abraham : Said Betsey Jane, " I 've talked, sir, " To these poor living skeletons, Of friends of going home, sir, But on their pinched and pallid face A smile has never come, sir. 3 Our words of kindness all too late, Are powerless to save, For food alone crushed, desolate, They still have strength to crave. 1 In the late (May, 1864,) temporary resumption of the cartel, boat loads of half-naked living skeletons, foul with filth' and covered with vermin, were landed at Annapolis. * See Report of Commission of Inquiry, appointed by Sanitary Commission. Published by Littell, Boston. 3 " As if they had passed through a period of physical and mental agony, which had driven the smile from their faces forever," Page 5 of Report. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 229 " From bed to bed, from ward to ward, 1 The same sad sight," said Jane, " Blank, bony faces, staring out Above the counterpane ; Beneath the sheet oh, misery ! Shrivelled to skin and bone, Our boys alive some famine-wild, Some idiotic grown. " The sunken eye, the blighted skin Sand-bruised, and dead, and rough, The bones protruding sockets dry Oh ! Abe, it is enough To break one's heart to contemplate Such agony unspoken," "Hush! hush!" said Jonathan, "there wait For Abe's is being broken." Old Abe had sunk down in his chair, His head upon his breast, His hands were clenched, and Betsey heard A groan but half repressed. She opened up her reticule, " Here is a photograph, sir, I 've brought to show you it is one, There 's many more than half, sir, " Of our exchanged, resembling it, For one may stand for all" " Do they all die ?" said Abraham, " This dead form doth appall !" " That is a living skeleton My boy. John was his name, sir ; 1 See Report, as above. 230 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. His grandsire, Jonathan, and I Just from his bedside came, sir. " He does n't know us, sir, as yet, He wails at every breath For food ; we dole it out, for food Is agony and death To those so long kept starving, Abe, And Jonathan and I, Have smothered grief as day by day We 've listened to that cry, " Till Jonathan has grown quite faint, And sick with indignation, And I have come to ask you if The honor of the nation, Must be maintained at such a price ? If rebels, loathsome, vile, Must hold our soldiers till they rot In Libby and Belle Isle ?" " Ask Jonathan," said Abraham, " Whate'er he says is law" "I'm thinking of Fort Pillow, Abe, 1 And slaves they took in war ; We must be just. This foul abuse Is with a purpose done, sir, It had its origin, Old Abe, When strife was first begun, sir." "They say it's dire necessity ; They have n't food to spare." 1 April 12, 1964, Fort Pillow was captured, and the garrison mur dered after surrender. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 231 " Good heavens, Abe !" said Jonathan, " Their cattle better fare. Besides, they were not forced by want, When they their prisons made, sir, To choose a pestilential swamp The site for their stockade, sir." " It did n't add to their supplies To mark out a dead line, sir ; And water 'sfree and yet our men For water pant and pine, sir ; The country 's full of forests, Abe, They grudge pur boys the logs, And fireless, and shelterless, They've grovelled like the hogs. 1 " No, Abraham, it 's done to Ml ! Old Winder's foul stockade Has slain more men for Jefferson Than all Lee's cannonade ; The only way that I can see This horror to abate, Is to make Grant the remedy, You can't retaliate" " Well, Jonathan," said Betsey Jane, " While Satan, sir, is stalking All through the land, 'tis very plain / have no time for talking. 1 " They lay in the ditch, aa the most protected place, heaped upon one another and lying close together, as one of them expressed it, like hogs in winter, taking turns as to who should have the outside of the road. In the morning, the row of the previous night was marked by the motionless forms of those who were sleeping on in their last sleep frozen to death." Sanitary Commission Report, page 11. 232 TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 1 11 go back to the soldier's bed, You '11 find out, I dare say, sirs, Some plan to save them when tliey 're dead, That 's not a woman's way, sirs." " "What would you do ?" said Abraham ; Said Betsy Jane, in answer, " I would not waste most precious time In poulticing a cancer. You threatened to retaliate, And won our grateful thanks, sir, But after the report we found Your cartridges were blanks, sir. " I would n't be surprised at all, "Were Jeff now safe in jail, You two would talk, and talk, and call A court, and give him bail." Here Abram smiled. " Yes, sir," said Jane, " You men, with all your reason, Are fit to twist and turn out Jeff As innocent of Treason." Old Jonathan uneasily, Was pacing to and fro Across the floor. " Come, Betsey Jane," Said he, " it 's time to go. You'd better speak to Stanton, Abe, These cruelties must cease, sir, Our starving soldiers must obtain, Some way, a quick release, sir." Then Abe called Stanton, who declared, "Whatever folks might say, THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 233 That lie, for one, would not consent, To give Jeff his own way ; " We 've thirty thousand stalwart rebs, Jeff wants them now at home For them he 11 fill our hospitals." Said Abe, " The boys must corne. " It 's no use, Stanton, we must fight The rebels at their strange^, Give Jeff his reinforcements ; if The right way is the longest, It will not matter in the end, So History may tell, Not that our work was quicldy done, But that we did it well !" Thus " man for man," the cartel ran, And sorrowful to know, That never Charon o'er the Styx Steered such a load of woe, As down the James to Jonathan, And Betsey Jane, who waited. The truce-boat steamed, with nameless grief, And misery deep freighted. CHAPTER XXXV. WHEN Jeff and Bragg, in Richmond heard Of Sherman on the move, That he had knocked his army from The military groove, And now was miming from his base, Three hundred miles away, Jeff laughed, and Bragg he had the grace Right saucily to say : " Tecumseh 's on the war-path, Jeff, Great warrior of his nation, He '11 whoop when Wheeler's raiders cut Through his communication." But Sherman's lines were like the snake, Which, when once cut in two, Wriggles its ends together, and Is just as good as new. Down dash the raiders, tear up rails, And burn a few cross-ties, Up backs a reconstruction train, The new made gap supplies. So, leaving Johnston's cavalry To sport at their own pleasure, The ground 'twist Tiim and rebel camp, Doth crazy Sherman measure. (234) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 235 He finds a mountain spur between, By Buzzard's Boost Gap deft, The pass was strongly fortified, He turns it to the left. Now left now right now in advance, Till Johnston, all in sadness, Finds out that crazy Sherman hath A method in his madness. Quoth Jo, " It is not very clear. I must consult my map ; McPherson's getting in my rear ; It 's very like a trap." He falls back on Eesaca. That "Was just to Hooker's mind, 1 And somehow in the falling back Eesaca falls behind. Jo does n't stop. At Adairsville 2 Doth Newton touch his rear ; It shrinks away from his bold grasp, And rebels said 't was clear, " That General Jo did drag the Yanks From their communication, "When they were where he wanted them He 'd deal annihilation." Said Jo, " My Allatoona Pass Will brave the Yankee's might, sir ;" " Ah, ha !" said Sherman, " I 'm in haste, I '11 turn it to the right, sir ; 1 Battle of Resaca, fought May 15, 1864. Hooker drove the enemy from several hills, and Johnston escaped in the night. 2 Second of May, 1864. 236 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. If I can get to Dallas first I do not care to banter But Jo will rather have the worst In racing for Atlanta." Jo sees the game, he takes a stand With Hood in line of battle, And day by day fierce skirmishing ' Keeps up the musket rattle. Jo thinks the Yanks " disorganized," He makes a sudden rush, McPherson's corps will be surprised, Jo will the Yankees crush. With shout and yells, the rebels dash 2 On Logan's brave division A lightning flash, and dreadful crash, And swift, with sharp incision ; The rebel ranks are mowed like grain, The rebel columns reel, sir ; They rally once, and once again, And meet McPherson's steel, sir. The baffled foe drew back, and left His wounded and his dead, And Sherman makes another flank : The rebs in Richmond said The news was satisfactory, Their sanguine hopes did meet, " That all Jo Johnston's victories Were won by his retreat." I Near New Hope, Ga., May 25th. II Battle of Dallas, 28th of May. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 237 But as to Jo himself, lie might With reason be confounded ; Now flanked to right, and now to left, And now well nigh surrounded ; He gains the mount of Kenesaw, Secure upon its height, sir, While Old Tecumseh halts below, 1 With every camp in sight, sir. Three weeks of skirmishing and mud, Till reb as well as Yank Cried out, impatient of delay, " Why don't Tecumseh flank ?" Said Sherman, " I 'm a man of sense, They 're very much at fault, sir ; I 've more than one way of offence, I '11 Kenesaw assault, sir." He makes attack,* it 's no use now The blunder to detail ; Two armies 8 strike, apart, at once, And both the armies fail. Half up the slope the veterans fight, Then broken, crushed, retire ; As well toil up the dreadful height Of Etna, when on fire. Jo telegraphs a victory, And then sends off a letter, To tell King Jeff he 's flanked again With Yanks at Marietta ; 4 1 June 11, 1864. 2 17th of July, 1864. 3 Army of the Cumberland and Army of the Tennessee. 4 Sherman occupies Marietta. 238 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. That he is making greatest speed To get across the river, 1 Ere Sherman's guns unlimbered be, And canister deliver. Jeff frowned, and wrote to General Hood That he was sadly grieved ; He always knew Jo was no good ; That now he was relieved, 2 He hoped that Hood would imitate The gallant General Lee, And never more insult the state With Fabian policy. Said Hood, " My gallant boys in grey, There '11 be no more retreating ; Well change our tactics, and to-day Will give the Yanks a beating." They sallied from their works in force, 3 With frantic scream and yell, And down on Sherman's startled troops, With desperation fell. On, as a mighty avalanche, Crumbling, and caving runs, So pressed they, melting as they went, Before Tecumseh's guns ; On and over their own dead They never stopped or quailed, Till Hood, in disappointment said, " Our bold sortie has failed." J Johnston crossed the Chattahootchee, July 9, 1864. J July 17th, 1864 ' July 20th, Hood sallied from his Peach Tree Creek line and attacked. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 239 Hood does riifall back ; has n't Jeff Expressed a prohibition ? But, two days after his assault, He changes his position, Behind a strong line of redoubts, He puts the army down; He 's bound to keep Tecumseh out ; Of his Atlanta town. Up comes the tireless Yankee host, Their coil is growing tight ; Cried Hood, " To wait is to be lost, I must go out and fight." He starts in desperate agony, 1 And out his chieftains go; The army of the Tennessee Is there to meet their blow. HcPherson falls, but Logan lives, Is ready with his life; " McPherson and Eevenge ! " he cries And leads the gallant strife. Pressed back at every point, at last Hood calls his rebs inside, The next contraction of the coil In terror to abide. Tecumseh, as he presses, has A very strong suspicion, That Hood, of his late rash sortie Will make a repetition. He 's right ; for out Hardee and Lee, Their countless masses pour, 1 July 22nd. 240 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And dash, and break themselves in vain Against the Fifteenth Corps. 1 In vain, in vain, they only swell Their aggregate of lost ; Hood learns at last his lesson well But at a fearful cost. He 'd let offensive work alone, He would most certainly, But that he does n't like to own Jo's Fabian policy. Tecumseh stretched out to the right, And made some demonstration Along his line, but what he sought Was Hood's communication. Hood's line was fifteen miles in length, 'Twas thin as any shell; "When it might break in Sherman's grasp There 's nobody could tell. All round and round his little cage Hood beat his puzzled head, And dodged, in helplessness and rage, The shells Tecumseh sped. " I can't whip Sherman in a fight," Cried out despairing Hood ; " Go, Wheeler, start this very night, And make a change for good. "Take out your troops, and operate In Old Tecumseh's rear, sir, So far as I can calculate The end is drawing near, sir. 1 On the 28th July. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 241 If I can't starve him off, why then He '11 surely starve me out, sir," So strangely, under pressure, men Do put themselves about, sir. For Wheeler, off on useless raids, His cavalry doth goad, And leaves Tecumseh unopposed, To cut the Macon road. Cut off by east, cut off by south, And with the coil contracting, Hood wishes, in his inmost soul, That Jeff was less exacting. Once more he sends Hardee and Lee To pierce the living wall; The rebel corps strike gallantly, But many thousands fall; 1 Hood's army dwindles fast away Before his helpless gaze. That night Tecumseh's soldiers lay 3 And wondered at the blaze That turned the heavens, far and wide, Into a sea of fire, And reddened, in Atlanta town, Its every roof and spire. But Sherman, on the morrow, found His long campaign was done ; He wrote to Grant, " Atlanta, sir, Is ours, and fairly won." 3 i September 1, 1864. a That night Hood blew up his magazine, burned his stores, and one thousand bales of cotton, and evacuated Atlanta. 3 Sherman's tr<5ops took possession September 2, 1804. 11 CHAPTEE XXXVI. THE meanwhile in Virginia, Across the Bapidan, One bright May morning, our grim Grant His skirmishing began. J Like fighting Jo he meets with Lee, s Down in the Wilderness ; He leads the battle gallantly, Our Jo did nothing less. He deals, like Jo, his sturdy blows, He fights until the night ; His loss is dreadful, and the dark Shuts out a fearful sight. And Grant, like Burnside, and like Jo, Feels many a chilling shiver, But unlike them, straight on he '11 go, He wont recross the river. Lee tries the tactics he had tried So lately on our Jo, sir ; He masses ; down upon the left His heavy columns throws, sir. Hour after hour the strife goes on, No ground is gained or lost, 1 Crosses the Rapidan May 3. 2 Battle of the Wilderness begins May 4. (242) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 243 They wrestle, almost man to man, God knows at what a cost. For Hays sinks down beneath the flood, And many a noble life Is quenched beneath the bitter waves Of that mysterious strife ; The sun goes down upon the fight, It rises on the field Where foe holds foe, as in a vice ; None conquer, and none yield. The wounded stream out into sight, The living still go in ; The tangled thicket grows alive, Whence issues fearful din Of unseen battle. Wadsw,orth falls ! All honor to the dead Who fell with him, as gloriously The hopeless charge he led. The stretchers bear the dying out, They carry in more powder ; The conflict thickens, now a shout The battle-crash grows louder ; With cheer on cheer, and stroke on stroke, With skill that is but folly ; A grapple, wrestle, face to face, And volley upon volley. The tide of battle to and fro, Sways like a pendulum, Held fixed between, nor Grant, nor Lee, Doth nearer victory come, 244 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The morrow ! not a cheer went up From patriot or from foe, But all along the trampled ground Went up a wail of woe. Full fifteen thousand weltering In that dark field of death ! No wonder Lee moved out of sight, And Grant drew quick his breath, As " Forward 1" was the order given Along his battered lines, And friend and foe moved off, and left Their dead among the pines. A race to Spottsylvania next, Where Sedgwick gives his life, And many a weary patriot Sinks in the bitter strife ; Where Sheridan sets out to find The rebs, communication, And does n't stop till he 's behind The works at Richmond Station. 1 Where Hancock " finished Johnston up And then went into Early," And captured Stuart, who, it seems, Behaved quite cross and surly. 2 Where " butcher " Grant and butcher Lee Piled awful heaps of slain, 1 Sheridan's command gets between the first and second rebel line at Richmond, on May llth. 2 When Hancock offered his hand to Stuart, the rebel replied : " I am General Stuart, of the Confederate army, and under present cir cumstances I decline to take your hand!" Hancock replied, "And under any other circumstances, General, I should not have offered it." THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 245 God grant that never more may be Such butchering again. Old Jonathan stands all aghast, With horror in his eyes, As stroke on stroke is dealt so fast, 1 And piled before him lies His bleeding sons ; he gasps for breath, But says to Grant, " Strike on, sir, My boys have nobly met their death, Thank God that they were born, sir !" And Betsey Jane, whose forow the pain Of living death had carved, Moaned as she stooped above the slain : " They 're better so than starved" And Abram drew a long, long breath, And raised his drooping head " At last, I t.Tn'nV, we 've surely come Out of the woods," he said. The Devil quick recalled his imps, To view the situation ; Said he, " I would n't have them miss This chance of education." And Grant, he strokes his dogs of war, All grimly doth he smile, sir ; And lights another fresh cigar, And up the James meanwhile, sir, He sends Ben Butler with a troop, Who cautiously doth steam, And lands his force near City Point, But Lee, he has a dream i Battle of Spottsylvania, May 10th. Loss, 10,000 slain on each side. 246 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. That Ben at Bichmond has a squint. He starts when Kautz strikes hard, And cuts in two at Stony Creek The force of Beauregard. Then Ben sends out some more brigades, 1 This doth the rebels goad ; And Beauregard, ubiquitous, Comes stalking up the road, And finding there the little force That meddled with his track, He roars, this small Napoleon, And drives the raiders back. Now, Ben 's a persevering man, Again to move he tries, So Smith and Gilmore northward press And open wide their eyes, When down upon them Beauregard Exasperated tramps, "With such momentum when he strikes s He drives them to their camps. (Just here, Old Jonathan, distressed At news from New Orleans ; s Asks Abraham if he can tell What that confusion means ? That Abe has quite too many schemes He has some strong suspicions ; Too many irons in the fire, Too many expeditions.) May 7th and 9th. May 16th. 3 Red River Expedition. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 247 He says to Grant, " You 'd better spy The nature of the ground, sir ; I think you '11 need right now to tie The loose strings lying round, sir, Tn all directions. There 's a snarl Down on Bed Eiver floating, Where Porter doth amuse the rebs With his new style of boating." So Grant drew out his telescope, And pointed it southwest, " All right," said he to Jonathan, " Just set your mind at rest, Tour Porter won't be drowned this time, He 's resting on the Banks, sir ; There is a chap named Bailey 1 there, Who well deserves your thanks, sir. " He saved your fleet by building dams, It 's done in splendid shape, sir ; Your army 's safe, let Banks alone For getting out of scrapes, sir ; You just keep quiet, Jonathan, The signs are looking well, 1'U, fight it out upon this line Though it should take a spell." 1 Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey, Fourth Wisconsin Volunteers, who constructed a dam to raise the river and liberate the fleet. The pas sage of the boats was completed on the 15th of May, 1864. CHAPTEE XXXVII. Now, Grant had buried all his dead, And started in the night, 1 To gain North Anna. This, he said, If all his plans came right, Would cut the rebels from their base, And cause a falling back ; But Lee starts first, and in the race He takes the inside track When Grant came up on Monday morn, With many a dread suspicion, He found the knowing rebs had won, And Lee was in position. Now forward ! Birney stops to fight, But Griffin pushes o'er, While rebel works on either side, Sweep aH along the shore. Hurra! hurra! Excelsior! 5 Bold Birney gains the ridge, And Hancock with his fighting corps Is down upon the bridge. 1 Starts night of 90th May, 1864. 2 Two regiments of the Excelsior Brigade, the 71st and 72d N.Y.V., first reached the redan, making a foothold in the parapet with their muskets, the brave fellows clambered up and pimultaneously planted their colors on the rebel stronghold. (248) THE NEW TANKER DOODLE. 249 So fighting here, and fighting there, They bear the starry banner Across the stream, to find the rebs Intrenched upon South Ann a,. Alas ! for Grant, where'er he moved, A stronghold came in sight ; The rebs had well the time improved, Since Mac gave them a fright. And all along in every way, That leads to Richmond town, Redans, and pits, and batteries, Defiantly did frown. Said Grant, " Lee waits for me to send And dash against his works, The strongest yet. I don't intend To humor all his quirks." So quickly he withdrew his troops Unto the northern bank, 1 And moves around upon the left (His usual way to flank). He orders all his baggage sent To White House. " Ah !" said Lee, " Old tricks again Grant wants to try The Chickahominy." Grant pushes boldly, soldier-like, And it comes out, of course, That all along the traveled pike, 5 He finds the rebs in force. i Of North Anna, leaving the 27th of May, * Mechanicsville pike. 11* 250 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Said Grant, " Cold Harbor I must have ;" Said Sheridan, "I'll take it" Lee felt the raider's sudden grasp, And Hoke went out to shake it The blue-coats fight and hold their ground Till up comes General Wright, 1 And Smith with gallant eighteenth corps Tramps bravely into sight They 've traveled up from City Point, 2 They do not stop or tarry ; They charge across the field of death, The rifle-pits they carry. Lee does n't like this sort of work, He sends out just at dark, And all along the Union line He makes his wicked mark. But still the " boys in blue " hold out Till General Lee has learned 'T is not their way, by any means, To give up what they 've earned. He draws his battered columns off With mingled pride and sorrow, " I '11 try," said he, " another bout With General Grant to-morrow." " It 's my turn now," says General Grant, As o'er the field he glances. On Friday morn, 3 at four o'clock, His skirmish lines advances, 1 Wright came up on the afternoon of June 1st. 2 This corps withdrawn from Butler was just off a march of twenty- five miles. June 8, 1S64. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 251 He flings himself with all his might Against the rebs' position, And torn and bleeding from the fight He comes to this decision The rebs have got a dreadful blow If this is the reaction, I think I '11 wait until I know If Lee wants satisfaction. He had n't long to wait, the foe At eight o'clock came out, And down upon the veteran left They bore with frantic shout. On on they close the horrid gaps, The dark mass in the gloom, sir, Unflinching bears itself right on, And out of darkness looms, sir, Up to the very parapets Their bearing is superb, But, lo ! the patriot volunteers Their desperate valor curb. Back ebb the rebels out of sight, Back unto General Lee, Who wonders all that weary night Whose is the victory. At least, thought he, the Yanks have lost Full thirteen thousand lives, " And I oh, me ! here captain ! bring, The moment he arrives, " To me the latest scout come out From General Grant's headquarters, 1 1 It is said that by means of traitors in our camps every order of Grant was immediately known to Lee. 252 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And bid my Generals ready be To move their guns and mortars." Now Grant had looked upon the field And shudderingly said, We 'd better take a little time To cover up our dead. And then he lighted his segar, And smoked a day or two, (While Sheridan rode wide, and far, And cut Lee's railroads through.) Grant on the situation mused, And pros and cons debated ; It more and more unpleasant grew, The more he meditated. " Lee runs no risk at all," he said, " Sometimes he fights in spasms, But all the time in my brave ranks, I 'm making fearful chasms ; 1 11 fight it out upon this line, Or what is just the same, sir, 1 11 skew my line to meet the case, 1 11 start now for the James, sir. 1 " Phil Sheridan will Hunter meet, And thus secure the Valley, And cut off Lynchburg, while I cross And with the movement tally. 1 11 land at City Point where Ben Has got a base for me ; Then what can stop our swinging round The stronghold of Bob Lee ? " i Crosses the James on the 14th and 15th of June. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 253 With tireless heart, and steady tramp, The " blue coats " made their way, From City Point across the wood, But oh ! they found the " gray " Were settled down in Petersburg ; It was the same old tale, A "programme" on the Union side Did never much avail Lee smiled, as it came out so clear, Grant's coup-de-main was blighted, And Jonathan began to fear, Somebody was short-sighted ; "Well, well," growled Grant, " Lee knows quite His tactics do no good ; [well I shall prevail ; I thought to save Another sea of blood. " But Lee will have it ; " so there comes . Three direful bloody days 1 Of desperate and vain assault, Till Grant the carnage stays ; Said he, " This knocking at his gate, May meet Lee's approbation, It don't meet mine, so boys we 11 wait And try siege operation." 1 From 15th to 18th of June, 1864, loss in four days, 10,000. CHAPTEE XXXVIII. EKE Grant had borrowed Mac's old spades, And 'neath a scorching sun The boys went digging for a shade, 1 Old Hunter took his run Off South to Staunton, thence still down By way of Lexington, To take a peep at Lynchburg town, 2 And here his sport was done. For in the place a vet'ran corps, Just hurried there by Lee, Stood waiting right behind the door, Old Hunter for to see. When Hunter spied them through a crack, All fearful was his ire, Cried he " I ammunition lack, Woe 's me, I must retire." Chagrined at such a cruel fate, His wits he could not rally, But started for Kanawha's stream, And left exposed the Valley. Cried Jubal Early, " Here 's my chance, To make the Yankees stare, So, down the Valley 1 11 advance, And raise the * annual scare.' " i Before Petersburg. 2 On the 16th June, Hunter invested Lynchburg. (254) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 255 Quoth Brecldnridge, "I'll go along;" They did n't stay to dally, But off full twenty thousand strong, They thundered down the Valley ; Young Sigel felt at Martinsburg, The ground begin to quiver Beneath their tramp, and with a shrug, He slipped across the river. At Willianisburg l and Point of Rocks, They crossed to Hagerstown. Said Early, " Now the way is clear To win us great renown." They burned up bridges, captured trains, And pockets they did pick, Stole shoes, and hats, robbed roosts and pens, Played many a scurvy trick. The Marylanders swore the foe Would all their cities sack, And Bennett of the Herald, cried Most piteously for Mac. But Abram wrote to Jonathan, "Who started a town meeting ; Through all the streets he quickly ran, And set the drums a-beating. And extra trains he loaded up, Which groaned as off they started, They were so full ; then Jonathan, When all his trains departed, Went to the cup-board for his fife, (He always kept it handy,) > July 3, 1864. 256 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And whistled out, as for his life, Old Yankee Doodle Dandy. Now, Early meets the volunteers, And calls them " Yankee cattle ; " And thinks to drive them, but they make Monocacy l a battle. A yielding mass, these minute men, They check bold Jubal's speed, And his attack on Washington They do so much impede, That, when he comes up to the forts, And sees the spires a-looming, The old Sixth corps the town supports, And there are cannon booming. Poor Breckinridge ! within his gaze The Capitol's proud dome, He sighs, and thinks of better days, And faces towards home. He carries off fit trophies they, The papers of Old Blair, 2 And Breckinridge has had his day, And Stanton his last scare. Wright sallied out to haste the route, 3 And ended speedily, 4 Bold Jubal's raid he fain had made Turn out a jubilee. But Early was not satisfied ; Quoth he, " I don't design 1 Battle of Monocacy July 8, 1864. s Breckinridge made his quarters at Blair's house on the Seventh street road, a few miles from the city. July 12, 1864. Rebels driven from Fort Stevens. 4 Haiders cross into Virginia with their plunder, July 13. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 257 To quit the vale, ere North I ride, And vengeance dire be mine." He strikes at Averill and Crook, 1 And hurls them o'er the ferry ; And sends McCausland o'er the brook, Who makes himself so merry With honest folks at Chambersburg, 2 " They cry out bitterly ;" Growls Grant, "We 're getting in a snarl, We 'd better go and see What now is wrong ; 't won't do, my Phil, To let the rebels sally Across the river at their will Ton just clean out the Valley" While Phil makes ready we may now Reverse the steam of time, And start our locomotive back, And hi another clime Just glance at traitors and their sport ; The story comes in handy, How rebels at a foreign port Thrashed Yankee Doodle Dandy. July 24, 1864 He burned the town, July 30, 18G4. CHAPTEE XXXIX. WHILE Grant was sitting down to rest, The nineteenth day of June, That Sunday morning, at Cherbourg, An old familiar tune Is whistled on the quarter-deck Of Uncle Sam's Kearsarge; Whence Winslow gazes on the bay Where many a Frenchman's barge And yacht and boat expectant lie To view the coming fight ; J And yonder in brave Winslow's eye, With traitor flag in sight, The Alabama slowly drifts Hark ! how the Johnnies shout, And cheer the pirate as she shifts, And past the mole moves out. " God speed the rebel !" with the bell That Sunday morning tolled ; The blessing of the Frenchman fell And o'er the waters rolled To Winslow, on the quarter-deck, Who strove with sudden pain 1 Trains came down from Paris bringing excursion parties to see (253) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 259 To catch one blessing on his flag, But listened all in vain. The solitary Kearsarge waits The Alabama's motion, Who with her consorts from the bay Steams out upon the ocean. " Now, then," said Winslow, " out to sea ! 'Tis plainly my conviction That Uncle Sam had better be Beyond French jurisdiction." The Alabama follows fast, The Kearsarge turns about ; She 's free to strike the foe at last ; No wonder that they shout, Those gallant tars, whose starry flag Lifts proudly to the breeze ; And Winslow smiles, as on his bow The pirate bold he sees. He '11 run her down ; no, off she sheers, Her starboard guns awake ; With quick, sharp puffs, and dull reports, The Sunday silence breaks. The shot above the Kearsarge speeds, And through the rigging tears ; There 's no reply. The ship moves on Down on the pirate bears. Another broadside ; still again The rebel challenge flies Across the wave, and Winslow speaks, Defiantly replies ; 260 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Till Crapeau, gazing from the piers, Is startled at the thunder ; And for his darling pirate fears, And then begins to wonder "What sort of guns the Yankee bears, The contest looks unequal ; Perhaps their Sunday sport may prove Unpleasant in the sequel. Then Crapeau sighs and rubs his eyes, And then his telescopes ; And prays the Virgin to devise A way to bless his hopes. Still round and round the two ships whirl, And Winslow's guns are playing Eight through the Alabama's hull, In spite of Crapeau's praying. A few more blows and Crapeau knows His hope will be a wreck ; Ah ! ha ! Semmes throws a Blakeley shell On Winslow's quarter-deck. Three men beside the pivot-gun Are wounded by the shell ; " All right ! since we are whipping her," Cried GOWAN as he fell. They bore the seaman down below, But ever through the strife He cheered at every telling blow, And smiled away his life. " Don't hurry, lads, take steady aim, And point the heavy guns THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 261 Below the water-line ; the decks Sweep with the lighter ones," Said Winslow, as the rebel shot Went screaming over head. "The Alabama hitteth not," The Johnnie Crapeau said. The Alabama's decks are wet, Blood every plank o'erwhelnas, sir ; Huge gaps are yawning in her hull, She does not mind her helm, sir. The pirate quickly crowds all sail, Semmes does n't want to drown, The Crapeaux on the shore turn pale, The ship is going down. Down falls the bloody rebel rag, The rebel pirates bow To Yankee flag ; an instant more, The doomed ship lifts her prow, Her mainmast with the effort breaks, Her battered stanchions sever, And with a lurch her way she takes Down out of sight forever. " Quick ! man the boats," brave Winslow cries, " Pick up the drowning crew ;" The pirate's consort Winslow spies, " Your best for God's sake do," He shouts, " to save the sinking men !" The Deerhound picks up Semmes, And takes him straight to Johnny Bull, Who Winslow's course condemns ; 262 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And smooths down Raphael's ruffled pride, And buys him some dry clothes, sir, And gives him a new sword beside, And then quite plainly shows, sir, The Kearsarge was a bigger ship, She was an iron-clad, 1 And carried monstrous guns ; in fact, Semmes' case was not so bad. His ship was lost, but he was free, And John could build a faster ; And soon again upon the sea He 'd be the Yankee's master. So Semmes he smiled why not ? and grew So very fat and hearty, For Johnny Bull each day or two Gave him a dinner party. 1 Winslow had thrown some spare chains over the side of his ship, and covered them with planks. CHAPTER XL. " RICHMOND was placid" rebels said, Although 't was strongly hinted, That even at this fountain-head Of treason, news was stinted. Jeff might be posted as to that The press could only say, The little scraps that it could glean Came in a curious way From Yankee papers, and, of course, "Were not to be believed ; One thing was certain on that point, The town might feel relieved, For Richmond never would be reached By Yankee shot or shell, Her strongholds never would be breached, Whatever else befeL " Richmond was placid." No news yet ; 'T is true, " the wires were broken," Such accidents would happen this No evil could betoken. The dearth of news was really strange, No rumor of advances Or falling back, but now and then A train of ambulances (263) 264 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Would rumble up the quiet streets ; And soldiers, bruised and bleeding, Gasped stories of a mortal strife, Of men swept down while leading The desperate charge ; of stubborn fight ; Of blood in rivers flowing ; Of cannon, with resistless might, Great swaths of Yankees mowing. And then the press, in largest type, Would print, " FROM GENEBAL LEE !" And herald with a trumpet tone " Another victory !" Still, still they came, those mournful trains, Came early and came late ; The press, amazed, hi rebel strains Began to speculate. That butcher Grant was hard at work, 'T was very plain to see ; In fact, was butting out his brains l Against their General Lee. 'T was just as well ; it was agreed The war this year must cease, One way or other as for them, They always did want peace. The North was frightened at the blood Their butcher Grant was shedding ; The cry for peace rolled like a flood. And everywhere was spreading. One way or other war must end, Their course none should condemn, Richmond Whig, July 21st. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 265 Whate'er the North might choose to do, One way was left to them, And one alone. Though Lee should fail To stand before Grant's fire, Though his brave host should not prevail, And Lee himself retire, "Why, Beauregard was left ; their lines Were manifold and strong, The siege would Saragossa be, Or, Deny ! 'T would be long Ere vulgar Yankee foot should rest On soil more sacred now ; The laurels Grant won in the West Were withering on his brow ; That 't was n't Pemberton or Bragg, With whom he had to deal, But Robert Lee the difference He bitterly would feel. And then the Drury Bluff affair (It seemed the wires were mended) Was noised, and it appeared their joy Would never more be ended. They cheered and shouted ; true, some guessed The serious loss they 'd met, But then "One must," said they, " break eggs To make an omelette." J Then came the Kenesaw's sad fight, And Richmond was ecstatic ; And placid rebels in its light Grew all at once emphatic. 1 Richmond Examiner. 1 o i a 266 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The " wires were up " for several days, All through bold Early's raid, "Which would have captured Washington Had Canby but delayed. 1 1 Nineteenth Corps, which had just arrived from the Gulf. CHAPTEE XLI. " T WAS placid," too, in Canada, 1 Where Mr. Horace Greeley, With rebel Saunders, and the like, Expressed himself quite freely ; They talked and talked, till even Abe They managed to beslaver, And Jeff himself turned up his nose At such a peace palaver. 'Twas " placid " time at Petersburg s All through the hot July, Till at its close, one early morn, Beneath a dim gray sky, Secure, within their fort so strong, Lee's rebel soldiers sleep, While o'er th' unconscious garrison The guard its vigils keep. Deep in the bowels of the earth There darts a blazing line, A serpent hissing from its birth, For Grant has sprung his mine ; A quiver ! as the ground doth quake, The guards one startled breath, i July ISth, 1804. See page 301, McPherson's History of the Rebel lion. 3 July 30th, 1S64. 268 TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The sleepers for an instant wake, And then a crashing death ! Oh, horrors ! is this crater hell ? Dead, dying, living men, Shrieking, fighting, burning ! well May we let fall the pen. Well may the stormers of Grim Grant, By untold woe surrounded, Eight in the awful chasm halt Affrighted and confounded. Pushed on they huddle in the gap ; The rebels are surprised, But Grant's bold storming party is Completely paralyzed. Now guns to right, and guns to left, And cannon straight before Sweep like a quick tornado blast, Into the chasm pour. How any came out thence alive, Will ever be a wonder, As well as whom to saddle with So horrible a blunder. It did seem that the soldiers' lives, Quite soon enough were spent, Without the wholesale butchery Of this experiment. " 'T was placid," too, in Mobile Bay, 'T was so, the rebels stated, Where Farragut, full many a day, For iron clads had waited. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 269 But on one hazy August morn, Placidity was broken, The drum on board the flag ship beat, And Farragut had spoken ! But what he said, and what he did, We will not try to show it, The theme so glorious we leave Unto a nobler poet. Perhaps in time there may be born A soul by inspiration Made worthy to depict in song The glory of this nation. A note from Gideon Welles to Abe Came, in few words, to say That Farragut had anchors dropped At last in Mobile bay. 1 He said he had a toughish time In running by the forts And rebel rams, as Abe would see By reading his reports. He said " The iron-clads were slow In getting into line ; They did n't act like wooden hulls, But then their crews were fine. The Winnebago's turret was A little out of gear, It wouldn't turn, and then the boat Was difficult to steer. His gallant gunners he had seen, When shot and shell were thick, i August 5, 1864. 270 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Unflinching, though their hearts he knew Were like his own heart, sick At sight of shipmates struck with death And decks all wet with blood. He saw it dl, with bated breath, He in the rigging stood. He mentioned the Tecumseh's fate, " Torpedo struck," then said, " The Hartford's loss was very great, She was the ship that led" A few more words about the fight, " In close proximity," The ships had with the monster ram They called the Tennessee. How wooden hulls and iron hearts 1 Did once again prevail 'Gainst traitor souls, girt round about With stoutest coat of mail ; And how the little Monitors Helped on the consummation, And brought the white flag on, " The pride Of the Confederation." " The wires were down" in rebeldom 'Twas long before they knew From Yankee papers of this fight, And then " it was n't true." The press implored its countrymen For such lies not to fret ; " 'T was past belief," that being so, They do n't believe it yet ! 1 From the moment the Hartford struck the Tennessee she never fired a gun. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 271 There was another rebel ram "Which also came to grief By daring deed, (of many such Perhaps this was the chief.) The Albemarle at Plymouth lay, Full eight miles up the stream, With pickets all along the way, Yet up did Gushing steam. Up, up, in silence, in the dark, 1 And his torpedo boom He drove beneath the monster's ribs And sent her to her doom. With thirteen men his boat went up, Two only did come down ; The rest they won a sailor's grave, But Gushing won renown. ' October 6, 1864. CHAPT"EK XLII. AND Washington was " placid," though A miserable faction Had brought the bleeding country to What they called a "reaction." The war had failed, they wanted peace, Abe had no policy ; Each day's events did but increase His incapacity. Infirm of purpose, and stiff-necked, The nation understood At last that Abraham was wrecked Upon his sea of blood. Election time was close at hand, Lincoln repudiated ; They 'd put a true man on the stand, So Mac they nominated. They made a platform stout, not new, Without a single crack ; And on it, with conventional glee, They fastened little Mac. They stuck beside him Pendleton A curious grouping, rather ; Not all the glue in Christendom Could make them stick together. (272) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 273 For Pendleton was all for peace ; " So far, so good," they said, sir ; For certainly he 'd get a vote From every copperhead, sir. Then Little Mac thought well of war- Good in itself again War democrats would vote for him, But still it was n't plain How they could steer their ship of state, Although a double ender, Both ways at once ; just here the rebs Did -signal service render, For Stephens, with the best intent, Did prove it clear as glass, If Mac was chosen President How it would come to pass That they, the rebs, could slip with ease From their platform to Mac's, sir, Or he to theirs ; the war would cease ; For why, they both would lack, sir, The casus belli ; Mac's platform Was made of their old planks, sir, Would hold all rebeldom ; for which He gave most hearty thanks, sir. Whatever Mac himself might be, The platform was the thing That never would coerce a State, And so, of course, 't would bring Their independence. Mac in power, 'T was just the same as granted ; State sovereignty was recognized, And that was all they wanted. ' Extracts from Stephens' letter to T. J. Semmes, Nov. 5, 1864. 12* 274 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. As for McClellan's sentiments, As written in his letter, About the Union as it was, Why, every reb knew better Than for an instant to believe In such a repetition ; The moment Mac tried that 't would bring Them foreign recognition. 1 So (Stephens said) in every view He took of Mac's election, He felt the South had much to lose In case of his rejection. The action of Chicago was, In all their weary night, To them, the rebels, and their cause, " The first ray of real light." 2 When Jonathan read Stephens' views, " Well, now," said he, " that's nice ! I 'd like to give the democrats A little sound advice. They want to save the country, eh ! They 'd come in at the end And steal the credit from old Abe Well, now, I do n't intend 1 " Just as soon as McClellan should renew the war, with a view to restore the Union, the old Constitution with slavery, etc., etc., would England, France and other European Powers throw all their moral power and influence of their recognition on our side." * Another extract from Stephens' letter to Semmes, Nov. 5, 1864 : " So in any and every view I can take of the subject, I regard the elec tion of McClellan, and the success of the States Right party of Ltie North, whose nominee he is, of the utmost importance to us. With these views, you will readily perceive how I regarded the action of the Chicago Convention as a ray of light, the first ray of real light I had seen from the North since this war began." THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 275 " To hold my tongue in all this noise, While treason works its way ; ' I think that I and my brave boys Have got a word to say. Out of my way" cried Jonathan ; His grown up boys, still bolder, Brushed quick the carping crowd aside And took Abe on their shoulder. They bore him straight through thick and thin Bight through the White House gate, Inside the door, and set him in The same old chair of state. 1 " Now you stay there" said Jonathan ; " The day is almost won, sir ; Keep hold of hands, I'll stand by you Until the job is done, sir." Abe said " There were much better men, But still it didn't seem The wisest course to swap one's horse While crossing o'er a stream, And so he 'd do his best to bear The burden the meanwhile." Then settled 'neath his load of care And smiled a weary smile. Quoth Jonathan, " Old Abe is apt To be a little tender ; The nation needs some sterner stuff Some iron-clad defender. Then Jonathan he looked about He spied our valiant " Andy" 9 1 November 8, 1864, President Lincoln re elected. * Andrew Johnson elected Vice-President. 276 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " The very man," said he, " to stand By Yankee Doodle Dandy." Then Jonathan turned straight to Grant, " Now try the soldier's mettle," He said, " the new year 's coming on, And my accounts to settle. 1 11 have to square with Johnny Bull, "Who all a-roaring stands ; But I can't take another job Till this is off my hands." Now Jonathan that very day Had stopped at Seward's door ; And Seward made the old man stay To hear John Bull's last roar. A certain lord, Wharneliffe by name, (Perhaps he knew no better,) Had written Adams ;' so it came That Seward got the letter. 1 ' Twas all about a big bazaar Just held at Liverpool To aid the rebs, and WharncKffe, so Impertinently cool, Proposed to send an agent out With lots of British gold* To rebel prisoners, who, he feared, Were suffering with the cold. Old Jonathan at this breathed quick, But not a word spoke he, He grasped instinctively his stick Of stout old hickory ; ? Under date of November 12, 1864. 2 17,000 sterling. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 277 Then thought of Libby, and Belle Me, And then of Betsey Jane, 'Till his fierce anger settled down Into a leaden pain. . r Of course the agent did n't come, For Seward boldly vowed This insult to Old Jonathan Could never be allowed, 1 So Wharncliffe (for humanity So deeply interested) Found " ways circuitous" in which His guineas he invested. But Jonathan was hurt, he said, That Abe had been so "set" On treating well his prisoners ; He never could forget This studied insult ; he would show John Bull, when it came handy, There was a small account to square With Yankee Doodle Dandy. i See page 460 McPherson's History of the Rebellion. CHAPTEE XLIII. Now Sheridan had been at work, And all along the border " Had straightened things," that is to say, Confusion brought to order : Now here, now there, he ever kept Bold Early in his sight, But Grant still held the reins, and Phil Was " spoiling for a fight." " Now, Phil," said Grant, " why risk a match ? 'Twould be a sad diversion If you were whipped, for then we 'd catch Another reb incursion." " Pooh ! whipped, indeed ! " cried Little Phi 1 " That old scare of invasion, I promise you my soldiers will Soon cure that inclination." " Well then," said Grant, " go in, my boy ! On Monday morn." " All right, sir," Said Sheridan, and with his troops Was off before daylight, sir ; Straight for the Opequan he aimed, Where well he estimated Bold Jubal and his traitor clan Down at the crossing waited. (276) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 279 He fell upon them like a blast ! l Unto their shot replied So fiercely, it fell out at last That Jubal, stupefied At such outrageous style of fight, Gave up his useless trying, And found himself, with all his might, Through Winchester a-flying. He did not stop for thirty miles Beyond that noted town, And when he added up his loss, Ten thousand were set down. Then Jubal felt his prestige ebb, Hia men he could not rally. And this is how Phil sent the rebs " A-whirling up the Valley." Quoth Phil, " These troopers will be back, Its just as well to know a Little more about their track Across the Shenandoah." He found the Valley rich with grain, " This is a tempting bait, sir," Said he, " the rebs will come again, Unless I devastate, sir." Now Phil, whate'er he undertook, 'T was plain enough to see, That he was bound by hook or crook, To do it thoroughly. So Phil he rode, with torch and blade, All up and down rode he : 1 September 19, 1864, Battle of Winchester. 280 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And oh ! the wilderness he made Was pitiful to see. Then down he camped at Cedar Bun, He thought the rebs were " settled" But it came out that Jefferson "Was only sorely nettled. He sent to Early, Longstreet's corps, To turn his fibbing tide, And out to crush Phil Sheridan Did General Longstreet ride. He quickly slipped the mountain o'er And crossed the little stream, Hid by the darkness and the fog, Before the sun did gleam ; And down upon Phil's sleeping lines, With an unearthly yell, In Phil's own style and quality, The rebel columns fell. 1 They seized and turned whole batteries, They raised the victor's shout ; Confusion spread the troops gave way- In parts, it was a rout Phil Sheridan, at Winchester, ('Tis twenty miles across,) Doth catch an echo of the guns, He springs upon his horse. He hears the distant cannon boom, He doth his brave steed goad, And with a glimmer of the truth Tears madly o'er the road; 1 Battle of Cedar Creek, October 19. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 28J Mole after mile annihilates In his immortal ride ! He plunges in the sea of men And turns the backward tide. " Now face the other way, my boys ! You 're running off the track ; " He shouts above the battle's noise, " Hurrah ! we 're going back ! " He swings his cap above his head, His face is all a-blaze, The stragglers in astonishment Stop in their flight to gaze. " Face about ! face about ! hurrah ! Face the other way, We 're going back, boys, to our camps, We're going back I I say. This never would have happened, boys, Had I been only here, Hurrah ! ! hurrah ! ! " retreat is stopped, Up rolls a deafening cheer ! They rally as the cry goes on, " Phil Sheridan has come ! ! " " We 're going to get a twist on them, We 11 drive the rebels home ; " " We '11 shake them from their boots, boys, Before the day is done, sirs ; " " We 're going back, boys, to our camps, We '11 have back all those guns, sirs." The rebel host across the field On Emory bear down ; 282 TEE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Hurrah ! the Yanks no longer yield, The rebels back are thrown. " That 's good," cries Phil ; " thank God for that, We '11 show them what we mean, We '11 get the tightest twist on them That ever yet was seen." Now Early sees that Phil 's at home, He falls back, takes the spade ; He thinks that Sheridan's assault, Of course will be delayed Until his hungry men are fed ; His ranks demoralized Must be recruited, or, he said, Must be reorganized. Not so, " Eight now, and here" says Phil, " We 11 wipe out our defeat." By three o'clock his solid ranks Go out the' foe to meet With steady tramp ; an instant more, The firm advance is spent ; A volley ! then the huge guns roar, The steady lines are rent. They waver ; at the sickening sight Where most the thick shot crush Among the broken ranks, doth Phil, Aroused to frenzy, rush. " Why, boys ! those cannon are our own, Charge ! charge !" The crest, the wood, The breastworks, but half done, they gain ; " So much," cries Phil, " is good. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 283 " Still forward, boys !" Phil's eyes flash fire, His voice, a bugle blast ! On through the thicket, o'er the ridge, They chase the foe at last. Back through the blue-coats' pillaged camps, Back dash the rebs pell mell ; They're off for Jefferson's last ditch For aught that I can tell ! Through Staunton to the mountain ridge They scatter through the gaps ; And Sheridan trots home again To get his shoulder-straps. 1 And Jubal ! well ! he will survive This last humiliation, And die rejoiced he leaves alive The glorious Yankee nation. 1 Sheridan was made Major-General for Ms gallantry on this occa sion. CHAPTEE XLIV. THE rebs at Petersburg had filled The crater, and the mine Slipped into history, while Grant Was strengthening his line. Attacking here, and feinting there, His aim at length he showed By camping down, right fair and square, Upon the Weldon road. 1 But Lee objected to the plan, So down on Reams' Station 2 He dashed against the Second Corps In wild exasperation. The shock was great, so great, indeed, As history is true ; Lee from the meeting did recede And Hancock fell back too. 3 The rebs went back to Petersburg Within a mile or so, And sent out troopers in Grant's rear, Which rapidly did go To Coggin's Point ; surprised the guard, And in a bloodless battle, August 19th. z August 25th. 3 At nightfall Hancock withdrew hie force, the enemy moving away at the same time (Page 391 " Grant and his Campaigns.") (-284) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 285 They captured some three thousand head Of splendid Yankee cattle. 1 Eefreshed with extra rations then, They grew so vigilant They guessed and counteracted all The movements of Grim Grant, Till tired out with dragging deep Through mud their guns and mortars, Both armies, though awake they keep, They wink at winter quarters. Grant built himself a wooden hut, At City Point located ; And Butler while for his canal 2 He confidently waited Got up a new experiment 3 To test the strength of powder ; 'T was safer than the July mine, Though its report was louder. But no committee has, as yet, The problem undertaken To prove how much Fort Fisher was By its concussion shaken ; 4 We simply know the fleet itself, To Grant's dissatisfaction, To Hampton Roads, by quickest route, Was blown by its reaction. ,.;.,. Now, what was right and what was wrong, There were enough to say ; ' September 16th. * Dutch Gap Canal, work on which was begun 10th of August. 8 Transport fleet got under way 13th of Sept., 1864. 4 Powder-boat exploded 24th Dec., 1864. 286 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Grant did n't stop to quarrel long, He took a wiser way. Before that Congress could invent A court of inquisition, He up and fitted out and sent Another expedition. 1 And while at Ben's discomfiture, Jeff's scowling phiz relaxes, Brave Terry at the palisades Is hewing with the axes ; And ere the rebel jeers had died Upon that shore so sandy, Our gallant boys all safe inside Played Yankee Doodle Dandy. 8 And while they make themselves at home On sacred Southern soil, We '11 travel back to see how Hood Broke through Tecumseh's coil. We left him stealing in the dark From out Atlanta town, To find a safer spot on which To set his soldiers down. Tecumseh slipped into the place, He found it big enough To settle in, but it was full Of useless rebel stuff. Said he, " My gallant Yankee boys With traitors can 't be mated ;" He ordered 3 quickly that the town By rebels be vacated. 1 Second expedition sailed Jan. 6, 1865. Fort Fisher captured Jan. 15, 1865. a Order of 4th of Sept., 1864. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 037 The mayor groaned 1 " 'T was barbarous." Said Sherman,* " It is war, sir. When first you fired upon the flag The consequence I saw, sir." Hood 3 said " It was iniquitous, And studied cruelty ; Transcending all he ever knew Of war's dark history." Tecumseh took a dip of (You see he was insane,) Before the bar of history Bold Hood he did arraign ; " "Who 4 was it, sir," said he, " that plunged In war our peaceful nation, And bloody desolation wrought Without a provocation ? Talk to marines," Tecumseh said, " But do not talk to me, sir, Who knows the length and breadth and depth Of your hypocrisy, sir ; I want the town now for my camp, The people cannot stay, sir." And so Hood made a ten days' truce, And took them all away, sir. 1 See letter of llth of Sept. from the mayor and others. " See Sherman's reply. 3 See Hood's letter of the 9th of Sept., 1864. 4 See Sherman's reply, same date (Sept. 9). CHAPTEE XLV. Now Jefferson had chosen Hood Because lie thought him fitter . To lead the chivalry than Jo, But truly it was bitter To see Tecumseh, spite of all, The sacred soil bisect ; Jeff hastened from his capital Hood's errors to correct. Poor Jeff ! he has an awful task, The people round him crowd In fear, and wrath, and criticism, Till clamors grow so loud, That Jeff, who never looked for such Concomitants of treason, In sore perplexity doth lose His temper and his reason. His soul is fired, his swelling wrath Its culmination reaches ; He scintillates, that is to say, He takes to making speeches ; Before his burning eloquence The disaffected shrivel, No one could stand such scathing fire Except his friend the Devil. (288) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE, 289 The Georgians shrink abashed away, And in a martial mood Come back again with small delay To reinforce bold Hood. Militia men spring up, and Jeff Applauds the loyalty Of forty thousand lank, long-haired, Full-blooded chivalry. Then Jeff unto the Georgians Emphatically says, " These barbarous invading Yanks Shall all, in thirty days, Be driven like Napoleon From Moscow in retreat, 1 Back to and out of Tennessee With horrible defeat." Then Jeff he speaks to General Hood, Says he, " There is the foe, sir, And Chattanooga is his base, Now out your columns throw, sir, And cut Tiim off from his supplies ; I think it will appear, With his long train, the wisest plan To strike him in the rear." Says Old Tecumseh, " There are signs, When Jefferson is wroth And on a rampage, he designs A visit to the North ; Now, Thomas, back to Nashville go, Keep everything there handy, 1 Jeff 's speech at Macon. Qa. 13 290 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The hospitality to show Of Yankee Doodle Dandy." Hood starts for Dallas, 1 and his horse Strike north of Marietta ; And Sherman moves to Kenesaw, And sends post haste a letter To Corse, at Rome, who hurries up His little preparations, And off in Allatoona Pass Secures a million rations. 2 It 's just in time, for up bold Hood Comes knocking at the gate ; " You can't get in," says gallant Corse, " You 're just an hour too late." Hood knocks away within the works, Two thousand men and Corse, Outside, a whole division stand ; Without the least remorse, They cannonade two mortal hours, Then French sends in a note,* That Corse, in just five minutes' time, (The knave's own words I quote,) " Had best surrender, and avoid A profitless effusion Of blood." " Dear me," says Corse, " that rob Is under a delusion." He sends an answer instantly, Resenting the intrusion, Starts October 1, 1804. 2 Beached the pass 1 o'clock A.M., October 5 ; French's division (rebs) came up in one hour after. 3 Half-past eight o'clock on the 5th of October. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 291 And says his garrison are all Prepared for his effusion, As soon as he can bring it on. Then shuts his gate again, And up against it fiercely beats The rebel hurricane. All day against the parapets In desperate attack They dash, and surge, and rage, and yet Are constantly hurled back. Tecumseh stood on Kenesaw, Beside his signal corps, The little flags from mount to mount This silent message bore : "Hold on, there 's help at hand, my boys 1" And eighteen miles across, The little fluttering flags waved back The answer of brave Corse. Tecumseh's anxious brow relaxed, He once again breathed free ; " If Corse is there, he will hold out, I know the man," said he. The fight still rages, larger grow The awful piles of slain ; One-third the garrison laid low ; The heroes who remain Set firm their teeth, the last wild charge Defiantly they meet, Hurrah ! hurrah ! 'T is victory ! The bugles sound retreat ! l 1 At night, 6th of October, the enemy were driven from every posi tion, and Allatoona was secure. 292 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Wei], you may keep your little pass, There 's plenty just as good, sir, I '11 make Resaca do as well," Says valiant General Hood, sir. He strikes northwest, he has the start, But Sherman 's most as soon, sir ; Hood comes upon Resaca first, 1 He thinks of Allatoona, sir. He knows that Baum's small garrison Has got a brave defender ; He flirts a line of skirmishers, And then demands surrender ; Says he, " In case I am compelled To carry by assault, sir, I '11 take no prisoners." " If you do 'T won't be," says Baum, " my fault, sir." Well, just as Hood was going to win Resaca, "and Jeff's thanks, Tecumseh's generals began A pressure on his flanks ; * He shrinks a little, Howard nears, Hood does a fight refuse, sir, And off southwest his course he steers, A-down the vale of Coosa. He wriggles round among the gaps, He will avoid a fight ; So down Tecumseh takes his maps, (His cavalry in sight Still hold the foe,) and studies out In novel strategy October 13, 18C4 a October 13, at Snake Creek Gap. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 293 To leave to Hood the Northern route And start down for the sea. " I might as well, as chase Hood round, Be laid upon a shelf, sir," Says Sherman, " I '11 give him a rope And let him hang himself, sir. Perhaps he 11 choose to run headlong Into my lion's mouth At Nashville ! "Well, all right, my boys, Just point the colors South." He sends his surplus stores all back To Chattanooga station ; His sick go home, then all the track Of his communication He tears relentlessly away, His captured posts he fires, Sends up his last dispatch to Grant, And then he cuts the wires. And by the lurid crackling blaze Of doomed Atlanta town, His rear-guard marches to the tune The soldiers call "John Brown." Far in advance and fearlessly, Along the road so sandy, His bands the serried columns lead "With Yankee Doodle Dandy. CHAPTEE XLVI. WHEN rebels wise in Georgia Heard Sherman's drums a-beating, They flashed by telegraph the news, Tecumseh was " retreating ;" But Governor Brown, a shrewdish man, By some wise intuition, Looked shocked when word was brought to him Of Sherman's expedition. As rumors thick and thicker grew, And touched on the romantic, The rebels fell into a stew, The Governor he grew frantic. He sent to Beauregard in haste, Who said the public weal Required, first of all, that he Should publish an appeal. So Beauregard and Brown sat down And straightway did concoct Some proclamations, sent them out, And all the people flocked (That is, as many as could read,) To get some information Direct from these two clever ones Upon the situation. (294) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 295 Now Beauregard and Brown had called On all to volunteer, And drive Tecumseh from the State, Alack ! it was n't clear Who was to start on Sherman's track, As Brown implored they would, When all the able-bodied men Had gone with General Hood. This view of matters striking Brown His patriotism kindled, And grew just in proportion as His love for Davis dwindled. Georgia should not be sacrificed To Jefferson's ambition ; Militia should not leave the State Against his (Brown's) volition. He quick unbarred his county jails And set the convicts free, And gave them guns to fight beside His other chivalry. Jeff sent to Beauregard a force, The boys formed into ranks, And, singing Dixie, out they went To exterminate the Yanks. One thing alone was in the way Of this glad consummation Tecumseh had a wicked way Of baffling expectation. His cavalry about his flanks Perplexed the rebs, because They hid his march no one could tell Exactly "where he was. 296 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. If Sherman, on the road to right, Did start off with his drummers, His cavalry would dash to left And then those dreadful " bummers " Were everywhere at once. It soon Alarmingly was clear, The rebels with Tecumseh's march Would hardly interfere. The rebel press declared the news From Georgia could but cheer, sir, The most despondent what it was Could not at once appear, sir. For reasons most prudential, Jeff Withheld his information, He was n't bound to furnish news Unto the Yankee nation. But " Hood was managing the foe ;" Then, later, it was stated That Sherman, " cut off from his base, With terror unabated, In disregard of strategy, War's principles defying Pursued by Cotib, in fearful haste, All ways at once was flying." Tecumseh straight upon his course, Untouched by rebel wiles, Cuts through the country clean a swath The width of forty miles. The rebs declare that Macon is The object of his will ; They plant their guns in its defense He enters Milledgeville ! THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 297 The Legislature do not stay To vote Tecumseh thanks ; But sine die they adjourn In terror of the Yanks. Now, then, the rebels have found out Exactly where he 's going ; And to Augusta run with spades, And earth begin a-throwing. They '11 stand a siege (I think 't was here They dug their last great ditch) ; But one midday, to their despair, There came a little hitch In all these preparations ; for In just the neatest manner Tecumseh crossed the Ogeechee And headed for Savannah. " Destroy the roads !" cried Beauregard, " Harass In'm night and day !" "Well, some bold rebel put a few Torpedoes in his way. Tecumseh, then, he ordered up A wagon from each corps ; And, heavy loaded with secesh, He sent it on before. " Hang like a tiger on his rear !" Was Beauregard's wild cry, " Hang it all, we can't get near !" Wild echoes did reply. " Starve him out," said Beauregard, "Take everything away." "Leave that to me, it's in my line," Did Old Tecumseh say. 13* 298 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Burn what is left," said Beauregard, " Make all the land a waste ;" " It shall be done," Tecumseh said, " According to your taste." So Sherman with a ready wit Kept Jeff upon the scowl, And more, he kept his promises, And made " the Georgians howl." On through the fields, past villages, 1 Through forests of dark pine, "With bugle call and trumpet tone, In unmolested line The mighty spectacle rolled on With banners floating free, Tecumseh and his gallant host Went " smashing to the sea." At length a distant heavy gun Comes booming o'er the lea, A signal from the waiting fleet Then down the Ogeechee ; Tecumseh sends a messenger 2 For Abram's information, And thus it was Tecumseh found His " lost communication." Now, Hardee, round Savannah placed By Jeff to guard the city, Saw conning up with rapid pace This man devoid of pity, 1 " Sixty thousand men, taking merely of the surplus which fell in their way as they marched rapidly over the main roads, subsisted for three weeks in the very country where the Union prisoners at Andersonville were starved to death or idiocy." Page 298 of SJier- man and his Campaigns. a December 9. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 299 This " crazy " Sherman, bound to fight On very slight pretences ; He shuddered, and slipped out of sight Within the town's defences. Tecumseh closed up steadily ; Somewhat in trepidation, He reconnoitered, and he mused Upon the situation. " I can't lay siege without siege guns, There 's plenty in the fleet, But how to get them, there 's the rub And then the case to meet, He first resolved to lake the fort That kept Abe's vessels out, Whose guns, according to report, Swept all the land about. He sent for Hazen ; when he camo, As Sherman had expected, He was rejoiced that for the task His troops had been selected. The morrow 1 Sherman takes his stand, Some three miles intervene 'Twixt Tiim and Hazen's gallant band ; And out upon the scene With anxious gaze he turns his glass, Then seaward for the fleet. At last, a steamer's moving smoke His anxious glances meet. " See ! Howard there the gunboat is, And there a signal fliea" 1 December 13. 300 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. " Have we the fort ?" " No ! can you help ?" Tecumseh quick replies. " What shall we do ?" comes waving back, There is no answer given, For from the fort in thunder tones A plain response is driven. The strife begins sharpshooters try To clear the parapets, And Hazen sees them in the marsh And secretly he frets. It 's heavy work, the sun is low, And there plain in his sight This signal waves "You, without fail, Must take the fort to-night" He knows Tecumseh 's watching him, And with a swift invention He forms his line, his bugler bids To sound the call "Attention !" The warning note sweeps o'er the line, And in the distance dies. "Sound it again ! !" then still once more " SOUND IT AGAIN ! !" he cries. The gallant fellows clutch their guns, In wild excitement stand, When, FORWARD ! and a shiver runs Along the expectant band. Then, with a ringing shout they bound, The fort's hot fire they meet, Torpedoes,hidden in the sand Explode beneath their feet. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 301 Unheeding death above, below, Abattis frown in vain, They tear it, tramp it, lay it low, And on they dash amain. They reach the ditch. As Sherman gazed He thought their course was stayed, They only stopped, from out their way To wrench the palisade. And steadily the flag moved on ; Now, shrouded in the smoke, Now, waving free ; from first to last The blue line never broke. Right up the rebel parapet, And ere the day was done, The Stars and Stripes were firmly set, MCALLISTER was won ! So Sherman got his heavy guns And put them in position ; Then, ere he opened, of Hardee Politely asked admission. "No, sir" said valorous Hardee, But while Tecumseh waited He changed his mind, in three days he The town evacuated. 1 Then Sherman wrote, and of his note This was about the drift : He did Savannah to Old Abe Present a Christmas-gift. The rebs their injured feelings did In one short phrase condense, They said, " Savannah never was Of any consequence." 1 Evacuated December 20, 18&L CHAPTER XLVII. " Now, what comes next ?" said Abraham. "While Grant and he decide, We '11, just to see the end of Hood, Straight back to Georgia ride. How he was reinforced we saw Upon a prior occasion, And how he started out to chase Jeff's " phantom of invasion." When Thomas saw that o'er the stream Of Tennessee he wended His daring way, his eyes did gleam, And his suspense was ended. He gathers up his scattered men, Falls back as Hood advances ; And gaily to its certain doom Hood's cavalry it prances. The rebels were in ecstacies, They rolled the exulting cry, " Hood ravaged unresistedly, And roared without reply." 'T was partly true the stars and bars He impudently flirted Before Pulaski. Ah ! but then Pulaski was deserted ! (302) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 303 He galloped to Columbia, His troopers were elated ; No Yankee there to stop the way, Columbia was vacated. Hood telegraphs he knows 't will please King Jefferson to see, How every day or two, with ease, He wins a victory. A few more triumphs (sure to be) And he will have the whole Of poor distracted Tennessee, Quite under his control. He snapped at Franklin greedily, He bit upon a file, For Schofield laid his chivalry In many a ghastly pile. All day they struggled for the town, 1 At night Schofield retreated, And Hood sent back to Jefferson " The Yankees were defeated." The end was gained, delay was o'er, For Thomas now awaited The rebels nibble at his trap, With Nashville it was baited. Up tramps the sanguine traitor host And camp all round about, Old Thomas thinks away within, He does n't yet look out ; He lets the rebels quiet stay Until they are quite rested, 1 November 30, 1864. 304 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And Hood has written Jeff to say, " That Nashville is invested." Then moves the lion from his lair, 1 He springs upon the foe, In vain the victim in despair Writhes in its dying throe. He crushes, crunches him between His heavy iron jaws, sir ; He tears him piece-meal with his sharp And glittering steel claws, sir. Night falls. The shattered army seeks Escape at early dawn. All night a watch " Old Thomas " keeps, And with the opening morn His cavalry to saddle spring, And winged artillery Fly to the tune the bullets sing, To keep Hood company. Day after day 't is all the same, This helter-skelter chase ; Till e'en the lion himself gave out, And wearied of the race. Hood crossed the river Tennessee, 1 Two-thirds his men were gone, And all his guns, and he himself As wretchedly forlorn 1 December 15th, battle of Nashville. a Dec. ICth. Another battle. Hood's loss, 13,189 prisoners, 2,207 deserters, 30 guns, 700 small arms. Dec. 17th. Hood driven through Franklin. Dec. 18th. Hood driven to Spring Hill. Dec. 19th. Hood driven to Duck River : 61 pieces of artillery captured out of 06. Hood's rear-guard crossed at Bainbridge, Dec. 28th. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 305 As every rebel soul will be, When with returning reason The glamour falls, and he can see His own bare fact of treason. Hood's men deserted left and right, Wherever it came handy ; And never did come back to fight Old Yankee Doodle Dandy. CHAPTEE XLVIII. Now, Hood's disaster through the South Like bolts of thunder pealed ; It burst their clouds of falsity, Their nakedness revealed. In anger, shame, and fierce despair, With wild discordant notes, sir, Of helpless wrath, they rend the air, And Jeff is their scape-goat, sir. Brave people ! like the Jews of old They turn upon their leaders ; They stone their Moses, fret and scold, Magnanimous seceders ! In their " united South " 't was plain There was a fearful schism ; One-half the rebs pronounced Jeff's reign A cursed despotism. They cried for a dictator called Despairingly on Lee ; They swore by Jeff they were enthralled ; They vowed they would be free. Lee said one thing remained that might Bring Dixie some relief ; That was ahem ! in fact, conscript Arm Sambo, to be brief. 1 1 " I think the measure not only expedient, but necessary." See Lee's letter to Hon. E. Barksdale, House of Representatives, Rich mond, of February 18th. (30C) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 307 This was a bombshell in their camp, The " Southern heart " re-" fired," But nothing being left to burn, Combustion soon expired. Their Congress took the subject up, And finally did reach 1 A vote conclusive ; though both Orr And Wigfall made a speech. With " public spirit on the wane," The ship of state a-leaking And settling fast, the rats began A-running and a-squeaking. 2 The States began to talk of " rights " Reserved for time of need ; They did n't like Jeff's government Perhaps they 'd best secede ! Some said 't would be a wiser plan To call a States' convention ; Savannah (tho' the Georgians Would scarcely like to mention The fact) was getting on so well With Sherman's government, The starving people eating corn That Jonathan had sent, 3 And actually satisfied With Yankee subjugation Oh, horrible ! was this the end Of their Confederation ? 1 The Neapro Soldier Bill passed both House and Senate, February 23d, by one vote. 2 Foote resigned in January, 1865. 3 Immediately upon the capture of Savannah, subscriptions wero taken up at the North, and supplies sent to the suffering. 308 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And South Carolina she cried out Demanded some protection, For Old Tecumseh's eyes she felt Were turned in her direction. Some swore they 'd send to Johnny Bull, And be his colony, But as for treating with the Yanks, That was too dastardly ; Just here the Blairs came into town, The rebs all expectation, Declared that Abe had sent them down For peace negotiation. Then once again the " Southern heart " Puffed out a little smoke ; Their vows about their last great ditch They never would revoke. " What, trust the mercy of the Tanks ! Better the Lion's jaw, The adder's fang, the scorpion's sting, Shark's teeth, or tiger's claw." * Where was the Devil all this time ? To mention him I 've feared, He 'd grown so like the other rebs, His ear-marks disappeared. I search the records of the day, But always off his track run, I thought I had him once, dear me ! 'Twas only Dr. Blackburn. 8 1 Richmond Whig, January 20, 1865. 2 The chivalrous gentleman who introduced yellow fever and cho lera into the Union cities by means of infested clothing. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 309 I followed what I deemed liis tracks To some N.ew York hotels ; * The job was managed bunglingly, He would have done it well, sir. I thought I had him on the lakes, 2 I wrongly did infer, 'T was Beal, a Southern gentleman, A rebel officer. The atmosphere of rebeldom, So dark and darker grew ; That isolated blackness had No chance of showing through ; Hia very imps did fade from sight, Lost in the general level Of Southern principles, that hid The blackness of the devil. Some cried for this, and some for that, The panic wildly spread, The rebel press in desperate strait, The wild confusion fed. " They had been ruined by King Jeff, Then* end, so undramatic, Was close at hand, brought on by him Hap-hazard, wild, fanatic." Now Jeff was very politic, A crafty man indeed, 1 The diabolical plot to barn New York, was attempted to be put m execution on the night of the 25th November ; fifteen hotels and Bar- num's Museum and shipping were fired. 2 Beal, a rebel officer, captured and destroyed two steamboats on the Lakes ; also attempted to throw a train of cars from the track between Dunkirk and Buffalo. It was shown on the trial of Beal, that he had made three such attempts. He was hanged, and the Virginia Senate adopted resolutions recommending retaliation. 31.0 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. He sent for Stephens who, though sick As usual, came with speed ; And Jeff before him laid a plan Suggested, some declare, By that disinterested man, The mystical Old Blair : That Stephens once again should go With Hunter, speedily, And Campbell up to Fort Monroe Abe Lincoln for to see. Jeff thought the times were riper now For a negotiation ; That Abe perhaps would come to terms With the Confederation. Well, Stephens went to Hampton Eoads, 1 And Abe sent Seward down ; Then went himself to have a talk, While Jonathan did frown, And fretted till Old Abe came back, And said the talk was done ; The rebels of two nations spoke But Tie of only one. They wanted Grant to loose his hold, Give them a breathing spell, And then when passions had grown cold, Why ! things would all be well. Abe " could n't see " the rebel point, He told them he had three; " No other flag than Jonathan's ! No truce ! no slavery ! " 1 Sec page 50G of McPliersou'a History of the Rebellion. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 311 The rebs went home, and told King Jeff, Said he, " It 's an ill wind, sirs, That blows nobody any good ; I dare say we shall find, sirs, That this will fan into a flame The smouldering Southern hearts ; " Then Jeff he called his trusty rebs, And gave them out their parts. They held war meetings, up and down, They rasped the Southern heart Till it grew hot, they vilified Till rebel souls did smart Beneath fresh insults from the Yanks ; They pledged anew their lives Unto the cause, oh never would They wear Old Abram's " gyves." Then Jeff he made a little speech, 1 " He felt ecstatic joy To see the courage of the rebs, Which nothing could destroy ; Let them stand firm in sun or shade Whatever was the weather ; " Then all the rebs for answer made, " We vM all hang together" They threw their scabbards straight away And waved their naked swords, " War to the death ! no parley now, They wanted no more words ! " Said Jeff, " This Northern wind for once, Has blown as I expected ; Now, Beauregard, find out the route That Sherman has selected." 1 February 6, 1865, in Richmond. 312 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Now this was just the very thing Tecumseh had decided Should not be done, it was his plan, To keep the rebs divided. So Slocunx stretches with the left Along Savannah river, Augusta-ward, while Howard's line Puts Charleston in a shiver. Tecumseh pushes thro' the swamps, In almost all directions, And baffles with his skirmishers Sir Beauregard's inspections. At length he gathers up his host, Leaves Branchville on the south, 1 And Hardee feels a-drawing down The corners of his mouth. He leaves Chaiiestonians to their fate, Evacuates the place, And Quincy Gillmore, neighborly, Doth put a pleasant face Upon the matter ; makes a call ; 9 The Charleston people say They 're glad to see him, and they all Express a hope he 11 slay. They didn't mind his colored troops That bore the flag upright Along their streets, for on the whole It was a pleasant sight. 1 Leaving the left wing to destroy the Charleston and Savannah railroad west of Branchville, Sherman with the right wing moved on Orangehurg thirteen miles north of Branchville between Charleston and Columbia. 5 The whole Seventeenth Corps was in Charleston on Feb. 12, 1865. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 313 They had been burned, and eaten up, And eaten up, and burned, Until exhausted, they grew sane, And for protection yearned. The rebs in Richmond said they thought That this evacuation Was, on the whole, a benefit To their Confederation. What could they want with Charleston ? sure That would be hard to tell ; 'Twas full of starving women, and The city was a shell. " If all the seaboard towns had been Long since evacuated, It would have added to their strength," ' And they insinuated That Jeff some other useless posts Had checked upon his maps ; And thus they tried to engineer, Their horrible collapse. The traitors were prophetic, for, In just about a week, Their troops in Wilmington foresaw 'T was best for them to seek A safer spot (where that could be Was hard to tell, oh ! very. ) But off they went ; their guns and things * They just transferred to Terry. Tecumseh turns his columns straight Upon Columbia City, 3 1 Richmond Despatch, February 22, 1865. 'i Terry entered Wilmington on February 22, 1865 ; fifty-one pieces of ordnance (heavy), fifteen light pieces and a large amount of ammu nition were captured. 3 Surrendered February 17, 1865. 14 314 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The rebels drag their cotton out, And Hampton, without pity, Applies the torch ; the wind is high, The bales are everywhere, The burning tufts of cotton fly, And why should Hampton care ? Columbia made desolate By Sherman, " Yankee Hessian ! " Becomes a famous rebel text. The " hot-bed of secession," However, has had fire enough, Enough of brag and fustian, Carolina sits a victim of Spontaneous combustion. Tecumseh leaves the burning town, 1 Wade Hampton left before ; O'er roads, plantations, villages, His mighty columns pour. His foragers like locusts spread, Devouring what they find, Green smiling fields stretch on ahead, A blackened waste behind. Hia cavalry with Wheeler play, Still squinting at Augusta, And to impede his march that way The baffled rebels muster. " Kil " tears roads up and bridges down Along his flashing way, Tecumseh's Jack olantern he To lead the foe astray. 1 Sherman having destroyed all that remained of Columbia that could he used for military purposes, marched on the 20th directly on Winsboro. CHAPTEE XLIX. WHEN Jeff learned Beauregard had failed Columbia to hold, His elongated visage paled, His traitor's blood grew cold. He sent to Jo, in haste, to say His services were needed ; And Beauregard that very day By Jo was superseded. Jo gathered up the scattered rebs At Charlotte, got them steadied, For he was sure that was the point To which Tecumseh headed. And so it was ; through mud and mire For Charlotte straight he steers, sir, 1 A day or two, then wheels about, And leaves it in his rear, sir. Across Catawba's muddy stream, And on for the Pedee, Tecumseh moves, and at Cheraw He comes upon Hardee, 1 On the 22d February, 1365, Slocum continued his march to Charlotte ; then, facing to the right, marched for the Catowha at Eocky Mount. The SOth corps crossed on the S3d, followed hy Kilpatrick, and moved on Lancaster towards Charlotte. It was not until the main army reached the Pedee that the rehels discovered their mistake. (315) 316 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. That is to say, his guns and stuff 1 From Charleston brought with care ; Now Sherman has such things enough, He spikes and leaves them there. Kilpatrick with his cavalry About his column hovers ; His movements from the rebel scouts Eight skillfully he covers. But Jo sees Old Tecumseh's game Jo is a cunning man And off for Fayetteville he starts To spoil Tecumseh's plan. The roads are bogs, the streams are floods ; So long as it 's daylight Tecumseh flounders and he wades He corduroys all night Jo hurries up, Kilpatrick tries Three roads at once to hold ; Wade Hampton's troopers gallop up ; 2 Kilpatrick's boys so bold, Caught napping, run and leave their guns The rebels stop to plunder. Kil drives his men back into line ; Before the rebs can wonder, Is down upon them, has his guns Turned in their very faces, And deals a fiery welcome out At "hardly twenty paces." 1 A.t noon, on the 3d March, Blair's (17th)corps entered Cheraw, cap turing twenty-five pieces of artillery and much ammunition which had been brought from Charleston when that city was evacuated. 4 March 10. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 317 The rebs retreat, come back and fight, Their little dash is foiled ; Wade Hampton draws his troopers off, His little sport is spoiled. To gather up his broken boys, Was now the work of " Kil ;" Then off he heads Tecumseh's troops And enters Fayetteville. 1 Now Sherman when at Laurel Hill s Had sent a messenger To hunt him up a base at least We may so much infer ; This courier to Wilmington Had waded with a line, To tell Old Abe " his troops were well, And they were doing fine." * When Sherman enters Fayetteville, There up the Cape Fear river Comes puffing Uncle Sam's gunboat An answer to deliver. 3 Quoth Sherman, " Jo is making up A heavy concentration To fall upon us, by and by I 've no disapprobation, " But I must send dispatches down, Old Abe has troops to spare ; 1 11 move on Goldsboro at once, If Schofield meets me there." 1 On the llth of March, 2 March 8. The whole army was massed on the 12th. 3 On the 12th March the army-tug Davidson and the gunboat Eolus reached Fayetteville from Wilmington. 318 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. So down the muddy swollen stream, The little tug departed ; And took Tecumseh's note by steam, But Schofield, sir, Jiad started. The rebels tried to hold him back, They pressed upon his flanks ; At Wise's Forks they made attack ;' Repulsed, with broken ranks, They crossed the river, burned the bridge, 9 And ran to General Jo, Who massed his troops where we shall see, As future movements show. Then Schofield made himself a bridge, And crossed the very day 3 Tecumseh off for Raleigh starts Where reb headquarters lay. Now Hardee out from Fayetteville Had run into a mire 4 At Averysboro. Up rode Kil ; Hardee would not retire. Rilpatrick then to Slocum sent, That he " the rebs must rout ;" So in the swamp bold Slocum went, And Hardee he came out. 5 Then said Tecumseh " To the right, For Goldsboro make haste, sirs." Said General Jo " Now, boys in gray, We have no time to waste, sirs." 1 March 8. 2 Across the Neuse. 3 On the 14th March, 1864. 4 " Hardee halted in the Swampy Neck, hetween Cape Fear and South Rivers. He had 20,000 men and must be dislodged." 6 March 16. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 319 Jo falls on Slocrun heavily; 1 If his wise plan don 't fail He has the Yanks at last. He strikes Tecumseh in detail. His move is quick, 't is bold, but oh ! Tecumseh 's bolder, quicker ; Kilpatrick hears the cannon roar, His squadrons gather thicker. Then thunder-laden clouds do roll, In wilder storms they burst ; And Davis 's immortal corps, 1 All heroes, for the first Dread charge stand ready; as from rock The rebel hosts rebound. Six fierce assaults the heroes meet, Yield not an inch of ground. That night Joe fell to using spades, But spades Tecumseh spurned ; The morrow, 3 from his parapet, Jo saw the tables turned. Instead of striking in detail, Jo finds the job extensive ; Tecumseh's battle-line is formed, And Jo on the defensive. Tecumseh does n't force a fight A man he of reflection With Schofield, pressing up the Neuse, He 'd rather make connection. He holds his" army well in hand, And closely watches Jo, 1 March 19. 2 The 14th Corps. 3 March 20. 320 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. To see, outside his parapets If he his face will show. The meantime Schofield hurries up In Goldsboro' commands, 1 And Terry halts ten miles above, And then they all shake hands. They hold the river all the way Straight down to Wilmington, The railroad track to Newbern town, And that campaign is done. Now, what will General Johnston do ? Let go his parapets ? He has an ancient fear of traps That Old Tecumseh sets. Tecumseh gives a little tap Upon his outer gate ; 2 Jo gives an answer to the rap, But then he does n't wait. He leaves his pickets and his dead, And slips across the creek ; 3 The rebels down in Kichmond said, In just about one week That General Jo would have the Yanks All buried in the mud, So rank and rapid on "their Jo;" Their hopes forlorn did bud. Well, Sherman's boys with constant use Had worn their shoes quite thin ; 1 March 21st, occupation of Goldsboro', and junction of the armies of Sherman, Schofield and Terry. * The " Noisy Battle " of the 21st of March. 3 Mill Creek. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 321 They must be shod, before they can Another march begin. Tecumseh leaves the job to Meigs, (Who never said, " I can't, sir,") And then he slips on board a boat, To visit Abe and Grant, sir. 1 And while the plans for future work Are laid for his inspection, And Grant and he make new campaigns Converge in Lee's direction, And Abe begins to see the end. Along the war's red track Where the Potomac Army fought We 11 turn our glances back. 1 City Point, 27th of March, 1866. 14* CHAPTER L. WHEN Thomas hoodwinked General Hood, And managed him so handy, That in the end he understood Old Yankee Doodle Dandy, He back to Nashville went, and found A note from Grant did wait To tell him, Schofield must come round, And so co-operate With Sherman; (how his part was done We have already seen). Grant also said, some cavalry Might brush up neat and clean Those crumbs of the rebellion left Outside his concentration, That steadily was grinding down The doomed Confederation. While Stoneman utterly destroys The road Jo Johnston uses 1 To bring supplies to his gray boys, And Jo thereby confuses ; (This line Jo hoped to keep intact In case of a defeat, 1 Railroad from Greensboro 1 , N. C., through Salisbury to tbe Ca- tawba. (322) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 323 In the contingency in fact Of having to retreat ) While Canby sweeps along the bay And joins with General Steele, To clear the rebel virus from The city of Mobile j 1 While Wilson with his cavalry 2 Through Alabama rushes, That besom of destruction, PHIL, Through Old Virginia brushes. He bolts post haste from Winchester, 3 His troopers ride so hard, That Jubal Early in his works Cannot their speed retard. They clatter up and aver them, Right over men and guns, And wagon train and battle-flags, Before their ride is done. Phil tears down bridges, burns cross-ties, Destroys canals and locks ; 4 His thundering squadrons shake the ground, Till Lynchburg feels the shocks. 5 The web of treason, cut all round Hangs by a single thread ; If Lee don't creep on that to Jo, Grant has the spider's head. Will Lee wait for the nan-owing coil To crush him where he lies ? 1 March 28th, defences of Mobile attacked ; city occupied April 12th. " Loaves Nashville with 15,000 men on the 17th of March, 1865. 3 February 27th, Phil took 1,600 prisoners, 11 guns, 200 wagons and 17 battle-flags. > James River canal. 5 Within 16 miles of Lynchburg. 324 TUP: NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Or will he leave Virginia's soil, When hope of victory dies ? Grant fears he may escape to Jo, And to the mountains flee ; Then Sherman's troops are working up Grant thinks the victory Belongs to the Potomac boys, Who 've toiled so long and well ; If they don't win ere Sherman comes, 'T is easy to foretell, Tecumseh 11 steal the laurels from Their weather-beaten brow. Grant bites another fresh cigar, And says he '11 strike right now. He wrote his orders out that day, 1 But Lee was desperate, sir, He could n't brook an hour's delay, He would decide his fate, sir. A coup-de-main Fort Steadman fell, Its guns are turned about ; Hartranft's recruits rush in pell-mell, And push the rebels out, Turn back the guns, sweep down the foe, And Meade starts into hie ; And, forward ! is the order now, And in the bloody strife, Five thousand rebels bite the dust ; Here, on his visit brief Tecumseh came and went, then Grant Turned over his last leaf. i March 24, 1865. CHAPTER LI. PHIL from his raid comes up to Grant With many a travel stain ; l " Now, Phil," says Grant, " your horses pant, But you must ride again." " AH right !" cries Phil ; " an hour's rest Will do for my brave ranks, sir." " Then off," says Grant, " and do your best To find out Lee's right flank, sir !" Phil gallops, stretching to the left, For Lee's hid flank he feels The rain ! it rains, and in the mud He has to leave his wheels. His horses flounder on they go, Phil spurs them through the mire, He nears Five Forks, 2 he sees the foe, He rideth into fire. He fights, is driven, fighting, back, 3 Defeat he won't confess ; The morrow o'er his last night's track His gallant troopers press. i March 27th. March 30th. 3 The rebels drive Devin's Brigade. The cavalry is driven back to Dinwiddee. (325) 326 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Again the foe push heavily, Phil rather has the worst, 1 It does n't matter, in the end He 's bound to come out first. He grapples with the saucy rebs, Advances left and right, 2 He charges through, leyond their works The traitors take to flight. His cavalry dash o'er the road, They seize and turn their guns, sir ; Dread fear of Phil the rebels goad, Demoralized they run, sir. Farther to right, along Grant's line, A heavy cannonade All day rang out the traitor's knell ; And as the shadows fade And die before the morrow's sun, A mighty living sea Rolls out, engulphing as it runs The lines of General Lee. In vain the drowning rebels strive ; They cannot break the wave ; They only drop from its embrace Into a traitor's grave. On ! on ! moves Grant, and Phil rides back On rebel flank and rear ; Till in dismay they turn and flee In pitiable fear. In Richmond ('twas the Sabbath day) There was sufficient reason ' March 81, at Boydstown plank road. 2 April 1. Battle Five Forks. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 327 Why Jeff should go to church and pray For the success of treason. And there he sat, his traitor soul As bare before his God As were his victims bones, that lay TJnburied on the sod. " Spare us, good Lord !" ascended high Before Jehovah's throne, Together with the battle-cry, The soldier's curse and groan. " From all sedition (hear Jeff's prayer As he repeats it thus), From all rebellion, (doth God hear?) Good Lord, deliver us ! " To show thy pity upon all Prisoners and captives, we Beseech thee !" (Though the heavens fall, Doubt not Jeff's piety.) " Hear us, good Lord !" The prayer went on, Devotion did increase ; Till from Jeff's holy lips went up The cry, " Grant us Thy peace !" A bustle at the church door then A messenger from Lee Slips up to Jeff, (his fervent prayer Is answered speedily) : " The enemy have pierced my lines," (So General Lee had stated In his dispatch) ; " Eichmond must be At once evacuated !" 328 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. Why doth King Jeff turn pale, his face A look of terror wear ? Each eye in all that holy place On Jefferson doth glare. What will their king decide to do Now, will he die, or run ? He takes the train l 't is sad, 't is true, His brilliant reign is done ! The engine screams, the rebels pitch Their archives on the train, Jeff starts to find his last great ditch, Ne'er to return again. The people shriek, they wring their hands, They curse Jeff without pity. The fleeing soldiers burn their stores, And set on fire the city. Powder explodes and shells go off, Fear takes the place of wonder ; Flames unresisted sweep the streets, The starving take to plunder ; Crime unrebuked stalks through the town ; Lee's army in retreat, All night files out to find King Jeff All night the tramp of feet Keeps time with wildly throbbing hearts ; But, when the morning came, And Weitzel brought the old flag back, The rebel hearts grew tame. The black troops marched in steadily, The people never sneered ; 1 Leaves for Danville at 8 o'clock, P.M., April 2. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 329 And Sambo trampled out their fire, And then, indeed, they cheered. I do not know, I rather The old flag brought a calm To Old Virginia's troubled breast, And acted like a balm To broken-hearted and oppressed. I know they ceased their vowing About their ditch ; and what was best, The farmers set to ploughing. CHAPTEK LIT. WHEN Lee fell back before our Grant He knew not where to go ; Dim prospects of a junction made, With rebel General Jo, Led TII'TTI to take the Danville road, But swift disintegration Among his ranks, ere long revealed A nearer destination. For restless Sheridan struck out, Then followed Ord and Meade ; They take the shorter, inside route, And make the greater speed. Phil strides across the track of Lee, 1 Lee sheers a little west, Ord heads him, gets a heavy blow, 5 Which he returns with zest. Phil slashes at the fleeing foe He cuts off quite a slice ; 3 Lee can't escape, for his attempt, He pays a fearful price. Grant says, it is in fact a shame, It shall be understood, 1 Jettersville, March 4. 2 Farmville, M arch 6. 3 Sailor's Creek, on tha 6th, captures 7,000 prisoners. (330) THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 331 That Lee alone must bear the blame Of useless waste of blood. He writes a note to say this much ; Lee civilly replies, And asks for terms, and they are such The rebel chief complies ; But not until Phil Sheridan, Has made a final dash, 1 And brought a score or so of guns, Out of the general crash. The white flag comes across at last ; 2 A soldier's heart is tender ; Grant does n't make it very hard For rebels to surrender. They stack their guns, and stake their word, (The terms we need not bandy,) " They '11 never more strike (overtly) At Yankee Doodle Dandy." Tecumseh he was making haste To execute his plan, To slip his troops 'twixt Lee and Jo ; But ere his march began, He heard the noise at Petersburg, Knew Grant could manage Lee ; He gave a little nervous shrug And changed his strategy. He drives his columns straight at Jo, 3 Defying hostile rains ; Just here, comes word of Lee's last gasp ; Tecumseh drops his trains, 1 On the 8th, at Appomattox R.R. * April 9. 3 Starts April 10, 1863. 332 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And pushes through the deepening mud ; Jo wades a day ahead ; " I '11 have a brush with General Jo To-morrow," Sherman said. Tomorrow brings a flag of truce, 1 Jo is a man of sense He 's cornered, " Will Tecumseh please Relieve him from suspense." And while Tecumseh draws a plan, Which Jo will not refuse, We H see how Abe and Jonathan Received the glorious news. ' April 14. CHAPTEE LIII. OLD Abe was down with General Grant ; He was a happy man "When he dispatched, that April day, The news to Jonathan. The tidings flashed from wire to wire, O'er each, and every route, It set the Northern heart on fire, And burned its anger out. The people laughed and cried for joy, They all ran out of doors ; They hung their flags across the streets, With cheers, and cannon roars ; And Jonathan, who never did Do anything by half, Declared the time had come for him To kill the fatted calf. And all the neighbors cried " Amen ! " And made so great a noise, In their excess of joy, they drowned The groans of Grant's poor boys. They grew so very merciful, (What sins that virtue covers) They buried justice with their dead, All for their " erring brothers." (333) 334 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And Jonathan when he had made An end of celebrating, And future plans and projects weighed, Said he, " Old Abe is waiting ; 1 11 take the train this very night, His face I long to see ; In joy or grief, in dark or light, I know Abe thinks of me." But Betsey Jane slipped up the stair, "When Jonathan had gone, Alone, for she had treasured there All (hat was left of John. The ornament from off his cap, The metal letter C, Some yellow worsted stripes, for John Was in the cavalry. She rubbed the little sabres bright, " He said the fatted calf." She groaned as on her troubled sight There fell John's photograph. She traced along the skeleton Where once his young blood ran In full round veins she saw the bloom Upon those cheeks so wan. "Men can forget," said Betsey Jane, " This haste my heart benumbs, And God himself doth not forgive Until repentance comes." She pressed her lips in agony, Against the photograph, And murmured brokenly the words, " Starved ! starved ! " and "fatted calf" CHAPTEB LIV. WHILE Jeff fled o'er the Danville road With all his traitor crew, And Grant in Dixie smoked, and smiled At the dissolving view Of treason, chivalry and brag, Old Abe came back to town ; And Major A., with his old flag, To Suinter he sent down. The very flag, four years ago, The Major furled in sadness, Shall now to South Carolina show The fullness of her madness. And when it floats in purer air, 1 Whence treason's clouds have vanished, Thank God, ye rebels, and take care It never more be banished. Then Stanton stopped the draft, and Abe, Who repossessed the forts, Eeturned to Welles his blockade fleet, And closed the Southern ports. And then the people called hi out, (Twas with a serenade,) 1 The old Hag was raised on the fort April 15, the day Mr. Lincoln died. (335) 336 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. And pelted him with cheer and shout, Until a speech he made. He said " The boys who did the work The soldiers and not he Must have the credit and the thanks, For hard-earned victory. They 'd conquered Jeff and rebeldom, At that they had n't stayed ; They 'd fairly captured Diode tune He 'd like to hear it played." And so the band clashed out the air, And then it came so handy, They could n't help but change the tune To Yankee Doodle Dandy. " Now, then," said Abe, " we owe it all, Not to the dead or living, But to Jehovah. Let us call In general thanksgiving " Upon His name, and His alone, Who with a mighty hand Has swept the flood of treason back From our beloved land. God help the mourners who have laid Away their holy dead ; God bless the dying and the maimed," Sad Abram Lincoln said. CHAPTER LV. THE train that bore Old Jonathan Wound steadily along ; The pulses of the brave old man Beat rapidly and strong. He felt as he had felt in youth, Long, long before the war, Those good old tunes come back ; in truth, With his mind's eye he saw When men would talk of rusty guns As he of his flint locks In dusty garrets ; and their sons Would gather fruitful shocks Of corn from Southern battle-fields, Till war's last trace should fade, In wonder, when some furrow yields A rusted bit of blade. Time heals all wounds, thought Jonathan, Now, brother armed 'gainst brother, Tomorrow, in the wiser man, Will learn to love each other. And then he thought of dear Old Abe, Tn times gone by so sad ; "I'll cheer him up," said Jonathan, " And make his old heart glad." (337) 338 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. The train lurched on ahead, then stopped ; The clock was just upon The stroke of eight, as Jonathan Arrived in Washington. 1 He bounded up the Avenue He could n't step as fast As his heart beat to right or left A glance he hardly cast He ran against a group of men, Who stared at his quick pace ; He looked at one, he slackened then, The horror on the face Struck like a chill : " Ah ! I forgot The dark side of our joy ; This man has heard, perhaps, just now About his brave dead boy." A bit of crape tied to a door Just fluttered in the breeze, And caught his eye " one mourner more " In that black crape he sees Another ! all along the street Hung out the sign of grief ; A flag, half mast, his gaze did meet ; Said Jonathan, " some chief " Has fall'n in this last great blow, I '11 ask Abe for his name." His step had grown, despite him, slow ; To Jonathan there came, He knew not how, or why, a weight That crushed down all his pleasure, And made his very footsteps keep A melancholy measure. 1 April 15. 1S61. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. 339 He turned up from the avenue ;' The town was very still ; He caiae upon a silent throng; Almost against his will, He pressed his way. Ah ! now he '11 know, The dead man hi his shroud ; His own, and Abe's beloved flag, Is carried through the crowd. 9 A sob ! and Sambo at his side Groaned out a well-known name ; And Jonathan with one quick stride Up to the bearers came. " Good God ! " the sight went from his eyes, His stricken heart stood still. He staggered, deaf to others' cries, He moved on without will. They bore on through the White House gate Old Jonathan's best friend, And left him lying there in state : " Just God, is this the end ?" Groaned Jonathan, when he had gazed, Upon the sad, dead face ; And mercy, outraged in his heart, To bitter wrath gave place. In every house there was one dead, Throughout the mighty nation ; And every man bowed low his head In awe and desolation. Men pray, when smitten with the dart Of unforeseen affliction ; 1 Up 10th Street. * From the house of Mr. Peterson, on 10th Street, opposite Ford'a Theatre. 340 THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE. But from the nation's broken heart Went up a malediction. Then Jonathan took up his dead, The funeral procession Wound wearily, and weary sped In mournfullest succession. Day after day, as through the land The sad train took its way, And Jonathan to his old home Brought back the lifeless clay. 1 As Betsey Jane looked on the brow, And traced deep lines of care, " No traitor's stab can reach him now, Their thrusts we still must bear. Because he rests," said Betsey Jane, " I envy him his lot ; The bullet of the murderer Has reached the tired spot."* The tale is told, King Jeff still lives God's purpose to fulfill ; And wanders, like that other Cain, Whom nobody should kill. Old Jonathan has been quite weak ; I think it won't be long Before his mind again he '11 speak, In language rather strong. " With malice tow'rd none," said Abraham "With charity for all;" 1 Abraham Lincoln was buried in Springfield, 111. 2 One of Mr. Lincoln's expressions. THE NEW YANKEE DOODLE, 341 But oil ! it comes into my mind A worse thing might befall Than has as yet come on the earth, Should Satan deem it handy Again to set his Judases, On Yankee Doodle Dandy. THE LIBRARY UNIVERS :Y Cv CALIFORNIA HONOR TO THE BEAVE. THE SOLDIER'S FRIEND AND GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. THE undersigned offers to the Soldiers and Sailors of the country, and to the loyal people of the Union, a jour nal devoted to the cause of Union, Harmony, and Progress. 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