 Poem by Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar Inscribed to the Pioneer Preacher of Texas. NAY — tell me not of dangers dire That lie in duty’s path; A Warrior of the Cross can feel No fear of human wrath. Where’er the Prince of Darkness holds His earthly reign abhorred, Sword of the Spirit! thee I draw, And battle for the Lord. I go, I go to break the chains That bind the erring mind, And give the freedom that I feel, To all of human kind; But oh, I wear no burnished steel, And seek no gory field; My weapon is the Word of God, His promise is my shield. And thus equipped, why need I fear, Though hosts around me rise? -- There is a power in gospel truth No heathen can despise; And he who boldly fights with that, Will through more perils wade Than the vain warrior, trusting to His bright Damascus blade. No blasts by land or sea can shake The purpose of my soul; The tempest of a thousand winds May sweep from pole to pole, Yet still serene, and fixed in faith, All fear of death I scorn -- I know it is my Father’s work -- He’s with me in the storm. Then let me go where duty calls, Where God himself commands -- Bearing the banner of his Son To dark and distant lands; And if the high and holy cause Require my early fall, A recreant he who would not die For Him who died for all. This poem and accompanying commentary appear in The Land They Loved: Volume I, Southern Poets And Poems, 1606 -1860, of the series available from Shotwell Publishing.
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 CARRIE BELLE SINCLAIR (1839—1883) of Georgia served as a nurse in the Confederate hospitals in Savannah. She was a niece of the inventor Robert Fulton. Much of her verse was set to familiar Confederate music. Oh, yes, I am a Southern girl, And glory in the name, And boast it with far greater pride Than glittering wealth and fame. We envy not the Northern girl, Her robes of beauty rare, Though diamonds grace her snowy neck, And pearls bedeck her hair. CHORUS-- Hurrah! Hurrah! For the sunny South so dear; Three cheers for the homespun dress The Southern ladies wear! The homespun dress is plain, I know, My hat’s palmetto, too; But then it shows what Southern girls For Southern rights will do. We send the bravest of our land, To battle with the foe And we will lend a helping hand-- We love the South, you know. CHORUS-- Hurrah! Hurrah! For the sunny South so dear; Three cheers for the homespun dress The Southern ladies wear! Now Northern goods are out of date; And since old Abe’s blockade, We Southern girls can be content With goods that’s Southern made. We send our sweethearts to the war; But, dear girls, never mind-- Your soldier—love will ne’er forget The girl he left behind. CHORUS-- Hurrah! Hurrah! For the sunny South so dear; Three cheers for the homespun dress The Southern ladies wear! The soldier is the lad for me-- A brave heart I adore; And when the sunny South is free, And when fighting is no more, I’ll choose me then a lover brave From all that gallant band; The soldier lad I love the best Shall have my heart and hand. CHORUS-- Hurrah! Hurrah! For the sunny South so dear; Three cheers for the homespun dress The Southern ladies wear! The Southern land’s a glorious land, And has a glorious cause; Then cheer, three cheers for Southern rights, And for the Southern boys! We scorn to wear a bit of silk, A bit of Northern lace, But make our homespun dresses up, And wear them with a grace. CHORUS-- Hurrah! Hurrah! This poem and accompanying commentary appear in Confederate Poets & Poems, Volume I, The Land They Loved, Volume 2 of the series available from Shotwell Publishing.
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