“The Brass-Mounted Army”

Description

The soldier complains of the unfairness of Army life and the abuse he suffers at the hands of officers: "Oh, how do you like the army, The brass-mounted army, The high-falutin' army Where eagle buttons rule?"

Notes

Attributed to "an anonymous soldier of Col. A Buchel's regiment." Some southern versions refer to a [General] Kirby, presumably General Edmund Kirby Smith, sent to command in Texas when Grant's Vicksburg campaign was cutting the Confederacy in two. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "Wait for the Wagon" (tune)

References

1. Randolph 221, "The Brass-Mounted Army" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 211-213, "The Brass-Mounted Army" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 221)
3. Silber-CivWar, pp. 20-21, "The Brass-Mounted Army" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Lomax-FSNA 180, "The Brass-Mounted Army" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. DT, BRSSARMY*
6. Roud #6693
7. BI, R221