Rebel's Escape, The [Laws A19]

DESCRIPTION: The soldier relates the tale of his desertion. In prison, he gets the guard drunk and sneaks off. He crosses a river on a raft. Reaching home, he wakes his wife and children, who give him a meal and advise him to "go to Dixie's land."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (Thomas, "Devil's Ditties")
KEYWORDS: prisoner escape war abandonment Civilwar desertion
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws A19, "The Rebel's Escape"
Lomax/Lomax-AmericanBalladsAndFolkSongs, pp. 534-535, "War Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Thomas-DevilsDitties, pp. 146-147, "War Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Thomas-BalladMakingInMountainsOfKentucky, pp. 74-78, (no title) (1 text, 1 tune) (OakEd, pp. 84-87)
Thomas/Leeder-SinginGatherin, p. 65, "Come All Ye Jolly Soldiers" (1 text, 1 tune, clearly the same as the BalladMaking version but much shorter)
DT 807, REBESCAP* WARSONG*
Roud #2207
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "James MacDonald" [Laws P38]
NOTES [282 words]: Desertion was a chronic problem during the Civil War (which is the probable, though not certain, source of this song). Both armies were subject to disease and deprivation (the Southern due to lack of resources, the Northern due to pure incompetence and stupidity). And neither had a real system of leave, or a way to bring soldiers back to the colors.
This song, therefore, probably does match the experience of a fair number of unenthusiastic soldiers (especially as the draft took effect in the North).
On the other hand, deserting to the South probably wasn't a good idea; it left the soldier's family without his paycheck, it would subject him to punishment after the South lost -- and quite possibly it would force him into the southern ranks, where conditions were even worse. The South was so short of soldiers and supplies that they eventually started demanding deserters join their army.
According to Mark M. Boatner III, The Civil War Dictionary, 1959 (there are many editions of this very popular work; mine is a Knopf hardcover), p. 322, such men were known as "Galvanized Yankees," and they did eventually serve in combat for the Confederacy. There were a few "Galvanized Confederates" or "Galvanized Rebels" as well, but the Union had enough soldiers that it could set such soldiers to border duties where it wouldn't do as much harm if they again changed sides.
Though perhaps based on a historical incident, this of course is built around older materials. Thomas's informant, "Rebel Jack," claimed John T. Williams was his captain, but while he offered many details about Confederate army life, I failed to notice any documentation of the regiment in which Jack served. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: LA19

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