Come, Rain, Come

DESCRIPTION: The singer hopes, "Come, rain, come, rain, come... To keep back the Yankees Until our ranks are filled up by recruits." The hungry singer complains, "I'm alone in my shanty, And rations they are scanty." He hopes for more and better food
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1943 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: food Civilwar
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 385, "Come, Rain, Come" (1 text)
Roud #11753
NOTES [129 words]: Mud is, of course, the soldier's constant foe, but worse for the side on the offensive; hence the Confederates would appreciate bad weather more than the Unionists. There is no hint that this is a reference to the Army of the Potomac's "Mud March" of December 1862, but it would fit -- the weather stopped General Ambrose Burnside's advance cold.
Neither side had very good rations; the transportation systems of the time just weren't up to it. But at least the Union troops usually had enough to eat. Not so the Confederates, who were constantly hungry, especially as the war dragged on (which resulted in the loss of much farming land, the ruin of still more land, and the breakdown of the southern railroads). The hunt for food described here is quite true-to-life. - RBW
File: Br3385

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