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When Sherman Marched Down to the Sea
by S.B.M. Meyers
Our campfires shone bright on the mountains
That frowned on the river below.
While we stood by our guns in the morning,
And eagerly watched for the foe.
When a rider came out of the darkness
That hung over mountain and tree.
And shouted "Boys! Up and be ready!
For Sherman will march to the sea"
And shouted "Boys, up and be ready,
For Sherman will march to the sea".
Then shout upon shout for bold Sherman
Went up from each valley and glen.
And the bugles re-echoed the music
That rose from the lips of the men.
For we know that the stars in our banners
More bright in their splendor would be.
And that blessings from North land would greet us,
When Sherman marched down to the sea.
And that blessings from North land would greet us,
When Sherman marched down to the sea.
Then forward, boys, forward to battle,
We marched on our wearisome way.
And we stormed the wild hills of Resacca,
God bless those who fell on that day!
Then Kennesaw, dark in its glory,
Frowned down on the flag of the free.
But the East and the West bore our standards
When Sherman marched down to the sea
But the East and the West bore our standards
When Sherman marched down to the sea
Still onward we pressed till our banners
Swept out from Atlanta's grim walls.
And the blood of the patriot dampened
The soil where the Traitor flag falls.
We paused not to weep for the fallen
That slept by each river and tree.
But we twined them a wreath of the laurel,
When Sherman marched down to the sea.
But we twined them a wreath of the laurel,
When Sherman marched down to the sea.
Proud, proud was our army that morning,
That stood where the pine darkly towers
When Shermand said, "Boys, you are weary,
But today, fair Savannah is ours."
Then we all sand a song for our Chiertain,
That echoed o'er river and lea,
And the stars on our banners shone brighter,
When Sherman marched down to the sea.
And the stars on our banners shone brighter,
When Sherman marched down to the sea.
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On November 25th 1863, near at Tunnel Hill (near Chattanooga), the 5th Iowa Infantry was deployed in a thin skirmish line screening the Rebel forces along their front. With most of the line deployed as skirmishers, Confederate fire had picked up to a steady pace, drawing most of the Iowans into a constant lead exchange. The Colonel of the Fifth, Colonel Jabez Banbury developed concern in his predicament. Towards the left of his line, a fifty yard gap emerged between his extreme left flank and the supporting unit on his left. Hoping to fill this gap, Banbury ordered two companies to fill the space that must have looked like a giant welcome sign to the secessionists in their front. As the reinforcements tried to deploy, rebels poured down the hill onto the still forming skirmishers. The surprised and overwhelmed Federals along the left of the line were quickly forced to lay down their arms. A mad dash ensued with some of the Federals making for the rear, but under a heavy fire poured into their retreating ranks by capture seeking Rebels. Eighty-two of the Iowans were captured by the Confederate attack. One of eight officers who found his way into rebel hands was the Adjudant of the Regiment, Lieutenant Samuel H. Marshall Byers.
Byers was shuttled from Libby Prison to other Confederate installations. During his tenure as a Prisoner of War, Byers purports to have escaped three times, on one instance posing an Confederate soldier before being recaptured in the Atlanta campaign. After his final capture, Byers was marched to Charleston and later to Columbia to be held in the prisoner of war camps. At Columbia, Byer's was held at the Federal officer Pow camp, where somehow word trickled back to the prisoners of Sherman's grand march to the sea. The story of Sherman's march to Savannah(and probably the prospect of his moving into South Carolina) inspired Byers to write the song "When Sherman Marched Down to the Sea". When news of Sherman's approach to Columbia became confirmed, the prisoners were moved from the South Carolina capital to destinations in North Carolina. The song would seem to be doomed to never reach Sherman's eyes, until a wounded Federal Prisoner of War managed to hand the lyrics over to Sherman when the victorious Federal army captured Columbia, South Carolina in February of 1865. The song would later achieve acclaim and become one of the more recognized songs immortalizing Sherman's March. (Information from Jim Strader’s Homepage)
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Click on the printer for a printable version of this song. (Word file - You must use the ‘BACK’ button to return to this site.)
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