Ben Butler, or The Yankee Soldier

DESCRIPTION: "Facts, hoorah for the truth I've told you; Blow your life fand beat your drum; Lock up your spoons and hide your devils; Clear it away, Ben Butler's come."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1944 (Morris, Southern Folklore Quarterly)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar theft
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Morris-FolksongsOfFlorida, #141, "Ben Butler, or The Yankee Soldier" (1 short text)
Roud #5048
NOTES [105 words]: The reference to hiding spoons when Ben Butler came is clearly a reference to Benjamin F. Butler's time as military governor of New Orleans: "On 1 May [18]62 he occupied New Orleans after [David] Farragut's fleet had reduced its defenses. A capable military governor, he exhibited a genius for arousing adverse criticism at home and embarrassing his government in Europe.... [He was] Nicknamed 'Spoons' for allegedly stealing silverware from Southerners. He was recalled 16 Dec. [18]62" (Mark M. Boatner III, The Civil War Dictionary, 1959 (there are many editions of this very popular work; mine is a Knopf hardcover), p. 109) - RBW
Last updated in version 3.7
File: Morr141

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