God Save the South
Template:Short description Template:Infobox anthem
"God Save the South" is a poem-turned-song considered by some to have been the unofficial national anthem of the Confederate States of America.<ref name="civ">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The words were written in 1861 by George Henry Miles, under the pen name Earnest Halphin.<ref name=civ /> It was most commonly performed to a tune by Charles Wolfgang Amadeus Ellerbrock, although a second version was also published with a tune by C. T. De Cœniél.
HistoryEdit
After Union forces began using "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as a rallying song in 1861, Halphim wrote "God Save The South" to inspire Confederate soldiers with the thought that God would be with them.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was the first song published in the Confederate States—specifically, in New Orleans, Louisiana—since the Ordinance of Secession.<ref name="civ" /> The song was used in attempts to foster a unique Southern national culture to distinguish the Confederate States from the United States.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The hymn was later included in The Soldier's Companion, the hymnal distributed to all Confederate soldiers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Some considered "God Save The South" the de facto national anthem of the Confederacy. The song was published in Virginia with the subtitle "Our national Confederate anthem" with the image of a Confederate soldier carrying the Stainless Banner with the words "God Save The South" on it.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=nat /> Its main rival for the unofficial title was "Dixie", popular among Confederate soldiers and citizens as a marching and parade song.
In 1950, Richard Harwell wrote: "[Dixie] can hardly be said to meet the requirements of a national anthem, [although] it has become a truly national tune, permanently enshrined in the hearts of Americans in both the North and the South. That honor rightly belongs to 'God Save the South' not just by virtue of its status as the new nation's first published song but also because of its stirring poetry and its outstanding musical setting."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
CompositionEdit
While the anthem mostly used Ellerbrock's music, it was also set to the tune of the British national anthem, "God Save the King".<ref name=GSTQ>Template:Cite news</ref> Because of this association, as well as a perceived lack of originality, “God Save the South” was criticized in Southern Punch, a weekly periodical modeled after Britain’s Punch.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> De Cœniél wrote another tune for "God Save the South" after Ellerbrock's original.<ref name=nat>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The fifth verse has been cited as an example of the citizens of the Confederacy's perceived affiliation with George Washington, a rebel of the American Revolutionary War.<ref name=civ />
LyricsEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:National Anthems of North America Template:Authority control