The Bonnie Blue Flag facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "The Bonnie Blue Flag" |
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| Song by Harry McCarthy | |
| Language | English |
| Released | 1861 |
"The Bonnie Blue Flag" is a famous marching song from 1861. It is also known as "We Are a Band of Brothers". The song is linked to the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.
The words were written by an entertainer named Harry McCarthy. The tune came from an older song called "The Irish Jaunting Car". The song's title refers to the first unofficial flag of the Confederacy. This flag was known as the Bonnie Blue flag. You can see this flag on the left side of the song's sheet music.
Harry McCarthy first performed the song in Jackson, Mississippi, in the spring of 1861. He sang it again in September of that year. This second performance was in New Orleans for a celebration. It was for the First Texas Volunteer Infantry regiment.
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The Bonnie Blue Flag Song
The song "The Bonnie Blue Flag" became very popular in the Southern states. It helped people feel united during the Civil War. The phrase "band of brothers" in the song's first line is a famous saying. It comes from William Shakespeare's play Henry V.
Different Song Versions
Many songs from the Civil War had different versions. "The Bonnie Blue Flag" was no exception. The original lyrics were about fighting for liberty. They also mentioned the single star on the Bonnie Blue Flag.
One version of the first verse goes like this:
We are a band of brothers, and native to the soil,
Fighting for our liberty with treasure, blood, and toil;
And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far,
Hurrah! for the Bonnie Blue Flag, that bears a single star.
Some versions changed the second line to "fighting for the property we gained by honest toil." After the Union captured New Orleans, a general named Benjamin Butler reportedly took action against the song. He fined a music publisher and destroyed copies of the music. He even ordered fines for anyone caught singing or whistling the song.
Other writers also created new verses for the song. For example, Annie Chambers Ketchum, a Confederate widow, published new verses. These verses encouraged people to rally for Southern rights. They spoke of states joining the Confederacy.
Full Confederate Lyrics
The full version of the song has many verses. Each verse talks about different states joining the Confederacy. The chorus always celebrates the Bonnie Blue Flag.
Here is the first verse and chorus:
1.
We're a band of brothers, native of the soil
Fighting for our liberty, with treasure, blood, and toil.
When first our rights were threatened, and the cry rose near and far
We raised up high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!
Chorus:
Hurrah! Hurrah!
For Southern rights, hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!
The other verses mention states like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee. They describe these states joining the Confederacy. The song celebrates the growing number of stars on the flag.
Historical Facts in the Song
The song helps remember the order in which states left the Union. However, it changes the actual order a bit to fit the music.
Here is the real order of states leaving the Union:
- South Carolina (December 20, 1860)
- Mississippi (January 9, 1861)
- Florida (January 10, 1861)
- Alabama (January 11, 1861)
- Georgia (January 19, 1861)
- Louisiana (January 26, 1861)
- Texas (February 1, 1861)
- Virginia (April 17, 1861)
- Arkansas (May 6, 1861)
- North Carolina (May 20, 1861)
- Tennessee (June 8, 1861)
So, while the song says Alabama took South Carolina by the hand, Mississippi and Florida actually left before Alabama.
Union Versions of the Song
Soldiers on the Union side also created their own versions of "The Bonnie Blue Flag." They used the same tune but changed the words. These versions supported the Union and equality.
One Union version, written by J. L. Geddes in 1863, was called "The Bonnie Flag With the Stripes and Stars." It spoke about fighting for the Union and keeping the country together. It celebrated the American flag with its stripes and stars.
Another Union version talked about defending the Constitution and the flag. It mentioned the attack on Fort Sumter and how the North would win.
The famous Irish Brigade also sang a song to this tune. It was called "Song of the Irish Volunteers." It told the story of an Irish immigrant joining the Union army.
The Song in Movies and TV
"The Bonnie Blue Flag" has appeared in many movies and TV shows. It helps set the scene for stories about the Civil War.
- In the 1939 movie Gone with the Wind, a character's eyes are called "blue as the Bonnie Blue flag."
- In the 1956 movie The Searchers, a slow version of the song plays.
- The 1959 movie The Horse Soldiers features the song sung by Confederate soldiers.
- In the 1966 movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a group sings the chorus.
- The 1989 movie Glory plays a part of the tune in the background.
- In the 1993 movie Gettysburg, a Confederate band plays the song.
- The 1999 TV movie The Hunley shows the song being sung to cheer people up.
- In a 2001 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, the melody is used during a montage.
- The 2003 movie Gods and Generals features the song sung to the Confederate army.
- In a 2012 episode of Hell on Wheels, former Confederate soldiers sing the chorus.
- The 2013 video game BioShock Infinite plays the song on a phonograph.
See also
In Spanish: The Bonnie Blue Flag para niños
