Bonnie Dundee
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Dundee is a poem and a song about John Graham, 7th Laird of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee
who was known by this nickname. The song has been used as a regimental march
by several Scottish regiment
s in the British Army
and was adapted by Confederate
troops in the American Civil War
.
of Claverhouse
and 1st Viscount of Dundee
was called "Bluidy Clavers" (Bloody Claverhouse) by his opponents, but Bonnie Dundee by his followers among the Jacobite
s. His nickname, "Bonnie", arose either from his exploits as a leader or that he was considered handsome. When William of Orange
landed, beginning what is now known as the Glorious Revolution
, Claverhouse was one of the few Scottish nobles
who remained loyal to James VII of Scotland (James II of England)
. After trying to influence the Convention of Estates of Scotland
on James's behalf, at some danger to himself, he led his cavalry out of Edinburgh
to carry on the struggle in the field, and was killed at the moment of victory in the battle of Killiecrankie
(1689). Over a century later he was immortalised in a poem by Walter Scott
which was later adapted into a song.
Scott sent a copy of the verses to his daughter-in-law Jane, mentioning that his great-grandfather had been among Claverhouse's followers and describing himself as "a most incorrigible Jacobite". This is a comic exaggeration, but Scott's ballad is certainly written from the point of view of Claverhouse, whom he had already celebrated in his novel Old Mortality
(1816). It consists of eleven stanzas, which Scott admitted was "greatly too long" (Letters, vol. 9, p. 350), with a refrain copied from the traditional song Jockey's Escape from Dundee.
The poem was first published in a miscellany
, The Christmas Box (1828-9), and then included as a song in Scott's unperformed play The Doom of Devorgoil (1830). Later adaptations for singing include only stanzas 1, 2, 8 and 10, with the refrain. After Scott's death, many changes were made in the text in different republications. Some add extra Scotticism
s, e.g. "To the lords" becomes "Tae the lairds". The authentic long text below comes from The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (12 vols., 1833-4), ed. J. G. Lockhart
(vol. 12, pp. 903-4).
, The Beggar's Opera
(1728; Air LVII, The Charge is prepar'd).
The transcriptions of the tune for different sets of words vary both in notes and in rhythmic phrasing. The version in The Beggar's Opera differs most widely, with most of the dotted rhythms
smoothed out into a regular succession of crotchets
. We cannot say whether Scott had any particular variation in mind; he professed to have a good ear for time but little or none for tune. All are in a minor key
, and their melancholy and their subtle rhythms will surprise anyone familiar only with the setting now best known.
This later setting, with its cheerful major key
and cantering rhythm, suits both the spirit of Scott's lines and their metre, and makes an excellent cavalry march. Scott might well have approved: he intended the verses "to be sung a la militaire" and not as the song is in The Beggars Opera. In this tune, too, variations occur in different publications.
The origin of this immensely popular tune is uncertain. It makes use of the Lombard rhythm
or "Scotch snap", and may owe something to Scottish folk-song
. It seems first to have been used about 1850 and was associated with the contralto
and composer Charlotte Dolby, later Sainton-Dolby (1821-85). The sheet music of Bonnie Dundee was published by Boosey & Sons
as "sung by Miss Dolby" and (after 1860) "sung by Madame Sainton-Dolby", but Boosey credits her only with performing the song and arranging the accompaniment; no composer is named, and Boosey lists the piece as a Scotch Air. However, Bonnie Dundee has been included among Dolby's works.
It has been suggested that the melody comes from a piano piece called The Band at a Distance, and that it was Dolby who first combined this tune with Scott's words. A score for piano or harp called The Band at a Distance, by Nicolas-Charles Bochsa
, was published by Walker & Son c. 1830, but has no resemblance to Bonnie Dundee.
In the Scottish Orpheus (1897), Adam Hamilton gives the song as "Composed by Dr E. F. Rimbault. Arranged by Edward Rimbault Dibdin" (p. 52). This attribution has not been confirmed. Edward Francis Rimbault
(1816-1876) was a prolific writer of and about music, but his songs are not listed separately in any bibliography. His name sometimes appears as having "arranged" Bonnie Dundee.
It is a very old Scottish folk-tune used for at least fifteen songs, some of which refer to the city as "Bonnie Dundee"
for the following Canadian
regiment
s:
It is used by several British cavalry regiments
and the Royal Horse Artillery
.
in Through the Looking-Glass
and by Rudyard Kipling
in The Jungle Book
.
. J.E.B. Stuart
's Confederate cavalry set off on a screening movement on the flank of Robert E. Lee
's army in order to give Lee time to prepare his army to meet the Union Army
after Northern
general George B. McClellan
had gained information on Lee's location and plans. The Campaign would culminate in the battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg
as the Confederates called it. This would be the bloodiest day in American history and while the battle was indecisive, Lee was forced to abandon any hope of continuing the campaign.
John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee , known as the 7th Laird of Claverhouse until raised to the viscounty in 1688, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian...
who was known by this nickname. The song has been used as a regimental march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
by several Scottish regiment
Scottish regiment
A Scottish regiment is any regiment that at some time in its history has or had a name that referred to Scotland or some part, thereof, and adopted items of Scottish dress...
s in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and was adapted by Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
troops in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Background
John Graham, the lairdLaird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
of Claverhouse
Claverhouse
Claverhouse is an area of Dundee, Scotland. John Graham of Claverhouse , known to history as "Bonnie Dundee" or "Bluidy Clavers" by his supporters and detractors respectively, was the laird of Claverhouse, although he was born at Glen Ogilvie, near Glamis....
and 1st Viscount of Dundee
Viscount of Dundee
The titles of Viscount Dundee and Lord Graham of Claverhouse in the Peerage of Scotland were created on 12 November 1688 for John Graham. The third viscount forfeited both titles in 1690.-Viscounts Dundee :...
was called "Bluidy Clavers" (Bloody Claverhouse) by his opponents, but Bonnie Dundee by his followers among the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
s. His nickname, "Bonnie", arose either from his exploits as a leader or that he was considered handsome. When William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
landed, beginning what is now known as the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
, Claverhouse was one of the few Scottish nobles
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
who remained loyal to James VII of Scotland (James II of England)
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. After trying to influence the Convention of Estates of Scotland
Convention of Estates of Scotland
The Convention of Estates of Scotland sat between 16 March 1689 and 5 June 1689 to determine the settlement of the Scottish throne following the invasion of William, Prince of Orange...
on James's behalf, at some danger to himself, he led his cavalry out of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to carry on the struggle in the field, and was killed at the moment of victory in the battle of Killiecrankie
Battle of Killiecrankie
-References:*Reid, Stuart, The Battle of Kiellliecrankkie -External links:* *...
(1689). Over a century later he was immortalised in a poem by Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
which was later adapted into a song.
Walter Scott's poem
On 22 December 1825 Scott wrote in his journal:Scott sent a copy of the verses to his daughter-in-law Jane, mentioning that his great-grandfather had been among Claverhouse's followers and describing himself as "a most incorrigible Jacobite". This is a comic exaggeration, but Scott's ballad is certainly written from the point of view of Claverhouse, whom he had already celebrated in his novel Old Mortality
Old Mortality
Old Mortality is a novel by Sir Walter Scott set in the period 1679–89 in south west Scotland. It forms, along with The Black Dwarf, the 1st series of Scott's Tales of My Landlord. The two novels were published together in 1816...
(1816). It consists of eleven stanzas, which Scott admitted was "greatly too long" (Letters, vol. 9, p. 350), with a refrain copied from the traditional song Jockey's Escape from Dundee.
The poem was first published in a miscellany
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
, The Christmas Box (1828-9), and then included as a song in Scott's unperformed play The Doom of Devorgoil (1830). Later adaptations for singing include only stanzas 1, 2, 8 and 10, with the refrain. After Scott's death, many changes were made in the text in different republications. Some add extra Scotticism
Scotticism
A Scotticism is a phrase or word which is characteristic of dialects of Scots. An archetypal example is "Och aye the noo", which translates as, "Oh yes, just now". This phrase is often used in parody by non-Scots and although the phrases "Och aye" and "the noo" are in common use by Scots...
s, e.g. "To the lords" becomes "Tae the lairds". The authentic long text below comes from The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (12 vols., 1833-4), ed. J. G. Lockhart
John Gibson Lockhart
John Gibson Lockhart , was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the definitive "Life" of Sir Walter Scott...
(vol. 12, pp. 903-4).
Scott's original poem
- To the Lords of Convention 'twas Clavers who spoke.
- 'Ere the King's crown shall fall there are crowns to be broke;
- So let each Cavalier who loves honour and me,
- Come follow the bonnet of Bonny Dundee.
- Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can,
- Come saddle your horses, and call up your men;
- Come open the West PortWest Port, EdinburghWest Port is a street in Edinburgh's Old Town, Scotland, located just south of Edinburgh Castle. It runs from Main Point down to the south west corner of the Grassmarket...
and let me gang free, - And it's room for the bonnets of Bonny Dundee!
- Dundee he is mounted, he rides up the street,
- The bells are rung backward, the drums they are beat;
- But the ProvostLord ProvostA Lord Provost is the figurative and ceremonial head of one of the principal cities of Scotland. Four cities, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have the right to appoint a Lord Provost instead of a provost...
, douce man, said, "Just e'en let him be, - The Gude Town is weel quit of that Deil of Dundee."
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- As he rode down the sanctified bends of the Bow,
- Ilk carline was flyting and shaking her pow;
- But the young plants of grace they looked couthie and slee,
- Thinking luck to thy bonnet, thou Bonny Dundee!
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- With sour-featured Whigs the Grass-marketGrassmarketThe Grassmarket is an historic market square in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland.In relation to the rest of the city the area is a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels.-Location:...
was crammed, - As if half the West had set tryst to be hanged;
- There was spite in each look, there was fear in each e'e,
- As they watched for the bonnets of Bonny Dundee.
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- These cowls of KilmarnockKilmarnockKilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
had spits and had spears, - And lang-hafted gullies to kill cavaliers;
- But they shrunk to close-heads and the causeway was free,
- At the toss of the bonnet of Bonny Dundee.
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- He spurred to the foot of the proud CastleEdinburgh CastleEdinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
rock, - And with the gay GordonGeorge Gordon, 1st Duke of GordonGeorge Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon KT, PC , known as Marquess of Huntly from 1661 to 1684, was a Scottish peer....
he gallantly spoke; - "Let Mons MegMons MegMons Meg is a medieval bombard which can be classed as a supergun, now located at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. There are conflicting theories about its origins, but it appears from the accounts of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy that it was made to his order around 1449 and sent as a gift 8 years...
and her marrows speak twa words or three, - For the love of the bonnet of Bonny Dundee."
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- The Gordon demands of him which way he goes?
- "Where'er shall direct me the shade of MontroseJames Graham, 1st Marquess of MontroseJames Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
! - Your Grace in short space shall hear tidings of me,
- Or that low lies the bonnet of Bonny Dundee.
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- "There are hills beyond PentlandPentland HillsThe Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.Some of the peaks include:* Scald Law...
and lands beyond ForthRiver ForthThe River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
, - If there's lords in the LowlandsScottish LowlandsThe Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
, there's chiefs in the North; - There are wild Duniewassals three thousand times three,
- Will cry hoigh! for the bonnet of Bonny Dundee.
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- "There's brass on the target of barkened bull-hide;
- There's steel in the scabbard that dangles beside;
- The brass shall be burnished, the steel shall flash free,
- At the toss of the bonnet of Bonny Dundee.
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- "Away to the hills, to the caves, to the rocks
- Ere I own an usurper, I'll couch with the fox;
- And tremble, false Whigs, in the midst of your glee,
- You have not seen the last of my bonnet and me!"
- Come fill up my cup, etc.
- He waved his proud hand, the trumpets were blown,
- The kettle-drums clashed and the horsemen rode on,
- Till on RavelstonRavelstonRavelston is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, to the south of Queensferry Road .The area is primarily made up of detached and semi-detached housing, as well as modern apartments and many bungalows...
's cliffs and on ClermistonClermistonClermiston is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, to the north of Clerwood and west of Corstorphine Hill.Clermiston estate, built in 1954, was part of a major 1950s house-building programme to tackle overcrowding in Leith and Gorgie...
's lee - Died away the wild war-notes of Bonny Dundee.
- Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can,
- Come saddle the horses, and call up the men,
- Come open your gates, and let me gae free,
- For it's up with the bonnets of Bonny Dundee!
The song
There are several versions of the song and a common one is given here.- 1. Tae the lairds o' convention 'twas Claverhouse spoke
- Ere the King's crown go down, there are crowns tae be broke;
- Now let each cavalier wha loves honour and me
- Come follow the bonnets o' bonnie Dundee.
- Chorus:
- Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can,
- Come saddle my horses and call out my men.
- And it's ope' the west port and let us gae free,
- And we'll follow the bonnets o' bonnie Dundee!
- 2. Dundee he is mounted, he rides doon the street,
- The bells they ring backwards, the drums they are beat,
- But the Provost, (douce man!), says; Just e'en let him be
- For the toon is weel rid of that de'il Dundee.
- Chorus:
- 3. There are hills beyond Pentland and lands beyond Forth,
- Be there lairds i' the south, there are chiefs i' the north!
- And brave duine-uasals ("noble men", pron. doony wassals - Gaelic with English s plural), three thousand times three
- Will cry "Hai!" for the bonnets o' bonnie Dundee.
- Chorus:
- 4. We'll awa' tae the hills, tae the lea, tae the rocks
- E'er I own a usurper, I'll couch wi' the fox!
- So tremble, false Whigs, in the midst o' your glee,
- For ye've naw seen the last o' my bonnets and me!
- Chorus:
The tunes
To help Jane identify the tune, Scott gave a few lines from each of three songs for which it had been used. His first quotation is from Jockey's Escape from Dundee; the second is from Scots Callan o' Bonnie Dundee (though a version of these lines also appears in Jockey's Escape); and the third is from John GayJohn Gay
John Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
, The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
(1728; Air LVII, The Charge is prepar'd).
The transcriptions of the tune for different sets of words vary both in notes and in rhythmic phrasing. The version in The Beggar's Opera differs most widely, with most of the dotted rhythms
Dotted note
In Western musical notation, a dotted note is a note with a small dot written after it. The dot increases the duration of the basic note by half of its original value. If the basic note lasts 2 beats, the corresponding dotted note lasts 3 beats...
smoothed out into a regular succession of crotchets
Quarter note
A quarter note or crotchet is a note played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note . Often people will say that a crotchet is one beat, however, this is not always correct, as the beat is indicated by the time signature of the music; a quarter note may or may not be the beat...
. We cannot say whether Scott had any particular variation in mind; he professed to have a good ear for time but little or none for tune. All are in a minor key
Minor scale
A minor scale in Western music theory includes any scale that contains, in its tonic triad, at least three essential scale degrees: 1) the tonic , 2) a minor-third, or an interval of a minor third above the tonic, and 3) a perfect-fifth, or an interval of a perfect fifth above the tonic, altogether...
, and their melancholy and their subtle rhythms will surprise anyone familiar only with the setting now best known.
This later setting, with its cheerful major key
Major scale
In music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti/Si, ", the "Do" in the parenthesis at...
and cantering rhythm, suits both the spirit of Scott's lines and their metre, and makes an excellent cavalry march. Scott might well have approved: he intended the verses "to be sung a la militaire" and not as the song is in The Beggars Opera. In this tune, too, variations occur in different publications.
The origin of this immensely popular tune is uncertain. It makes use of the Lombard rhythm
Lombard rhythm
The Lombard rhythm or Scotch snap is a rhythm associated primarily with Baroque music, generally consisting of a stressed sixteenth note or semiquaver followed by a dotted eighth note or quaver. This effects a reverse of the dotted rhythm normally used in notes inégales, in which the longer value...
or "Scotch snap", and may owe something to Scottish folk-song
Music of Scotland
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout the 20th century, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music...
. It seems first to have been used about 1850 and was associated with the contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
and composer Charlotte Dolby, later Sainton-Dolby (1821-85). The sheet music of Bonnie Dundee was published by Boosey & Sons
Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments....
as "sung by Miss Dolby" and (after 1860) "sung by Madame Sainton-Dolby", but Boosey credits her only with performing the song and arranging the accompaniment; no composer is named, and Boosey lists the piece as a Scotch Air. However, Bonnie Dundee has been included among Dolby's works.
It has been suggested that the melody comes from a piano piece called The Band at a Distance, and that it was Dolby who first combined this tune with Scott's words. A score for piano or harp called The Band at a Distance, by Nicolas-Charles Bochsa
Nicolas-Charles Bochsa
Robert Nicolas-Charles Bochsa was a musician and composer.-Life:...
, was published by Walker & Son c. 1830, but has no resemblance to Bonnie Dundee.
In the Scottish Orpheus (1897), Adam Hamilton gives the song as "Composed by Dr E. F. Rimbault. Arranged by Edward Rimbault Dibdin" (p. 52). This attribution has not been confirmed. Edward Francis Rimbault
Edward Francis Rimbault
Edward Francis Rimbault , English organist and author. Some of his historical musical anthologies were published by the Percy Society.*Co-founded the Musical Antiquarian Society in 1840....
(1816-1876) was a prolific writer of and about music, but his songs are not listed separately in any bibliography. His name sometimes appears as having "arranged" Bonnie Dundee.
It is a very old Scottish folk-tune used for at least fifteen songs, some of which refer to the city as "Bonnie Dundee"
Marches
The song is the authorized regimental marchAuthorized marches of the Canadian Forces
The following is a list of the notable authorized marches for various organizations of the Canadian Forces. The first march listed is the march most commonly performed for that organization on parade; it is commonly referred to simply as that organization's "march" or "march past"...
for the following Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s:
- The Royal Canadian Horse ArtilleryRoyal Regiment of Canadian ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Forces .-History:...
(gallop past) - 1st Hussars1st HussarsThe 1st Hussars is an armoured Primary Reserve regiment of the Canadian Forces, currently based in London, Ontario and Sarnia, Ontario.-Foundation and organisation:...
- The Brockville RiflesThe Brockville RiflesThe Brockville Rifles is a Primary Reserve Infantry Regiment of the Canadian Forces. It is fifteenth in the order of precedence.The motto of the regiment is Semper Paratus meaning 'Always Ready'.-History:...
- The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry HighlandersThe Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry HighlandersStormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces.They have served in the War of 1812, the Great War and World War II....
- The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry)The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry)The Loyal Edmonton Regiment , or LER, is a Primary Reserve infantry unit of the Canadian Forces based in Edmonton, Alberta. The LER is part of Land Force Western Area's 41 Canadian Brigade Group...
- The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of CanadaThe Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of CanadaThe Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces.-Formation:As early as 1905 the local Scottish community in Winnipeg, led by the St Andrew's Society, began lobbying the government to raise a Highland regiment...
(D Company)
It is used by several British cavalry regiments
Cavalry regiments of the British Army
There are currently nine regular cavalry regiments of the British Army, with two tank regiments provided by the Royal Tank Regiment, traditionally classed alongside the cavalry, for a total of eleven regiments. Of these, five serve as armoured regiments, and five as formation reconnaissance...
and the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
.
Parodies
The song was parodied by Lewis CarrollLewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
in Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
and by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
in The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
.
Lewis Carroll
From Chapter IX of Through the Looking-Glass:- To the Looking-Glass world it was Alice that said
- "I've a sceptre in hand, I've a crown on my head.
- Let the Looking-Glass creatures, whatever they be
- Come dine with the Red Queen, the White Queen and Me!"
- Then fill up the glasses as quick as you can,
- And sprinkle the table with buttons and bran:
- Put cats in the coffee, and mice in the tea--
- And welcome Queen Alice with thirty-times-three!
- "O Looking-Glass creatures," quoth Alice, "draw near!
- 'Tis an honour to see me, a favour to hear:
- 'Tis a privilege high to have dinner and tea
- Along with the Red Queen, the White Queen, and Me!"
- Then fill up the glasses with treacle and ink,
- Or anything else that is pleasant to drink:
- Mix sand with the cider, and wool with the wine--
- And welcome Queen Alice with ninety-times-nine!
Rudyard Kipling
From "Parade Song of the Camp Animals", which follows the story "Her Majesty's Servants", in The Jungle Book:- By the brand on my shoulder, the finest of tunes
- Is played by the Lancers, Hussars, and Dragoons,
- And it's sweeter than "Stables" or "Water" to me--
- The Cavalry Canter of "Bonnie Dundee"!
- Then feed us and break us and handle and groom,
- And give us good riders and plenty of room,
- And launch us in column of squadron and see
- The way of the war-horse to "Bonnie Dundee"!
Riding a Raid (Traditional)
During the American Civil War traditional English, Irish, and Scottish songs were often sung or modified. The Confederates did this very often. The song Riding a Raid takes place during the 1862 Antietam CampaignBattle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
. J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
's Confederate cavalry set off on a screening movement on the flank of Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's army in order to give Lee time to prepare his army to meet the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
after Northern
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
general George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
had gained information on Lee's location and plans. The Campaign would culminate in the battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg
Sharpsburg, Maryland
Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States, approximately south of Hagerstown. The population was 691 at the 2000 census....
as the Confederates called it. This would be the bloodiest day in American history and while the battle was indecisive, Lee was forced to abandon any hope of continuing the campaign.
- Riding a Raid
- 'Tis old StonewallStonewall Jacksonຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
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 MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
's lights in her window to guide."
- Chorus:
- There's a man in the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
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: