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Martial Music, War for Southern Independence: Ridi LbNA #65466

Owner:Connfederate
Plant date:Aug 9, 2013
Location:
City:Coventry
County:Tolland
State:Connecticut
Boxes:1
Found by: Nairon
Last found:Mar 22, 2020
Status:FFFFFFFFFFaOFF
Last edited:Aug 9, 2013
Martial Music, War for Southern Independence:
Riding a Raid


(One in an occasionally expanding series…)


“Riding a Raid”
(A Tribute to J.E.B. Stuart)

Words: Anonymous
Music: “Bonnie Dundee”

'Tis old Stonewall the Rebel that leans on his sword,
And while we are mounting prays low to the Lord:
"Now each cavalier that loves honor and right,
Let him follow the feather of Stuart tonight."

CHORUS: Come tighten your girth and slacken your rein;
Come buckle your blanket and holster again;
Try the click of your trigger and balance your blade,
For he must ride sure that goes riding a raid.

Now gallop, now gallop to swim or to ford!
Old Stonewall, still watching, prays low to the Lord:
"Goodbye, dear old Rebel! The river's not wide,
And Maryland's lights in her window to guide." -- CHORUS

There's a man in the White House with blood on his mouth!
If there's knaves in the North, there are braves in the South.
We are three thousand horses, and not one afraid;
We are three thousand sabres and not a dull blade. -- CHORUS

Then gallop, then gallop by ravines and rocks!
Who would bar us the way take his toll in hard knocks;
For with these points of steel, on the line of the Penn
We have made some fine strokes -- and we'll make 'em again. – CHORUS

“This song, sung to the tune of the old Scottish air Bonnie Dundee, was a tribute to Southern cavalry commander JEB Stuart.
On September 5, 1862, Stuart's horsemen crossed the Potomac into Maryland at White's Ferry and set up a 20-mile-long string of outposts east of the Army of Northern Virginia. Their assignment was to warn General Robert E. Lee of the approach of the Army of the Potomac and to offer enough resistance to allow the Confederate commander time to dispose his forces for battle. The Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam) -- the single bloodiest day in American combat history -- was fought on September 17, 1862.”
From http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/confederate/songs/raid.html
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“General James Ewell Brown Stuart, one of the daring Confederate cavalry leaders of the war, was considered by Lee to be “the eyes of my army.” In his plumed hat, with an air of roguish gallantry and daring adventure, Stuart was the picture of the Southern cavalier, more frequent in fiction than fact.
This musical tribute to Stuart may relate to a period when the famed cavalryman had been assigned to work with Stonewall Jackson during the early Virginia campaigns in which the reputations of both were built.
The tune is the traditional Scottish air, “Bonnie Dundee.” Some post war collections omit the third verse with the reference to “a man in the white house with blood on his mouth!”

From: Songs of the Civil War, P. 57, by Irwin Silber, Columbia University Press, 1960
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“They called him “Jeb Stuart” and “Beauty Stuart.” ..After a daring raid with bullets whizzing all around, he said to G. C. Eggleston—“Did you ever time this horse for a half mile?”
From: Singing Soldiers, P. 90, by Paul Glass and Lois C. Singer, Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1964
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Follow the link (cut and paste) to listen to “Riding a Raid" (the recording sounds like it was arranged and performed by Bobby Horton):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnflIwK6RYU
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Letterbox Difficulty Rating:
Difficulty Rating = 1.0
Terrain Rating = 2.0
Thanx to Silent Doug; see: www.letterboxing.info/rating/

All directions are magnetic, and a pace equals two (2) steps.
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Clues:
From US Rte. 6 turn onto the Hop River Rd. Park along the road near the yellow gates guarding the entrance to the Hop River Rail Trail and head East. If you have not already followed Stonewall Jackson’s Way you might want to consider bringing those clues, too.
After passing Ol’ Blue Light, continue East until you come to the first field on the right. From the corner of this field proceed approximately 32 paces, then look left for a split twin on the hillside ~13 paces off the rail trail. You might also note a string of fence-less posts running in-line with the trunk of the twins.
Look for J.E.B. Stuart’s bivouac behind the standing twin under some debris and bark.

Please stamp in away from the hiding place, and carefully avoid making or at least try to conceal social trails to the letterbox--especially in mud or snow! Kindly reseal the Lock-n-Lock type box, and re-hide the letterbox exactly where it was placed, covering it well and contact the placer if you find any problems.

Thank you, Connfederate