The Bonnie Blue Flag, referred to in the song.

The Bonnie Blue Flag, also known as We Are a Band of Brothers, is an 1861 marching song associated with the Confederate States of America. The words were written by Ulster born Harry McCarthy, with the melody taken from The Irish Jaunting Car. The song's title refers to the unofficial first Flag of the Confederacy, the "Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star" of the chorus. Image File history File links Bonnieblue. ... Image File history File links Bonnieblue. ... 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar) // January 1 - Benito Juárez captures Mexico City January 2 - Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia dies and is succeeded by... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (traditional) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Republic President... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... Harry McCarthy was an Ulster born variety entertainer and comedian in America in the mid 19th century. ... The Bonnie Blue Flag, a single white star on a blue field, was the flag of the short-lived Republic of West Florida. ...

Lyrics controversy

The first verse of the song goes:

"We are a band of brothers and native to the soil,

Fighting for our liberty with treasure, blood and toil;

And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far,

Hurrah! for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.

The first line explains the song's alternate title. The second line is very often given as "fighting for the property we gained by honest toil". These are not the original lyrics, however, and the line has been explained as an attempt at historical revisionism for political purposes. Historical revisionism is often a legitimate effort in which historians seek to broaden the awareness of certain historical events by re-examining conventional wisdom. ...

However, a copy of the 1861 Song Sheet posted on a website by Professor Steve Schoenherr of the University of San Diego seems to indicate that the opening verse was in fact:

We are a band of brothers, natives of the soil,

Fighting for our property we gained by honest toil;

But when our rights were threatened the cry rose near and far,

Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star,

Whether this indicates support for slavery could be disputed, as it could also refer to other property rights.

According to Professor Schoenherr, the song sheet was first published in 1861 by a Mr. A.E. Blackmar and Brother in New Orleans. When Major General Benjamin Butler captured New Orleans, he allegedly arrested Mr. Blackmar, destroyed all copies of the music, and ordered that anyone caught whistling or singing The Bonnie Blue Flag would be fined $25 (about $482 in 2005). It should also be noted that 11 other editions of the song were published with different lyrics. Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as its governor. ...

References

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Bonnie Blue Flag

• A performance of the song in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, in a scene set in a Confederate camp which includes cameo appearances by Ted Turner and U.S. Senators George Felix Allen (R-Va) and Robert Byrd (D-WV).
• Lyrics and melody to the song, including a refutation of the alternate lyrics
• Photos of the cover and song sheet dated from 1861, as well as historical trivia regarding the song