@Letty,
How curious...I have come across the lyrics for "On to Richmond." My great-great grandfather Elijah Coffey (1838-1894) of Caldwell Co., NC, was a private in the 58th NC Infantry Regiment. He marched with the CSA Army of the Tennessee, participating in many of the major battles, including the final battle at Bentonville, NC. Among the scattered papers I have from Elijah are four handwritten lyrics for songs sent to him in 1864 by his father's half brother John Wilkerson Coffey (b. ca. 1831), Three of the four are noted as having been written by Coffey. However, "On to Richmond" has no author noted. The lyrics to this song follow:
On to Richmond
On to Richmond early in the morning[,]
On to Richmond I heard the yankees say[,]
We have the navy, we have the men[,]
We’re bound to Richmond to storm the rebel den.
On to Richmond & c.
We’ll flank her on the north and shell her on the south[,]
Storm her in the center, run the rebels out.
On to Richmond & c.
Longstreet they had to travel, Branch they had to cross[,]
Magruder was about to give the yankees [goss?]
On to Richmond & c.
About the first of June the balls began to fly[,]
The yankees wheeled about and change[d] the battle cry[.]
So off from Richmond early in the morning
Down to the gunboats run, boys, run[!]
Virginia is coming with her death dealing steel
Georgia is charging through swamp and field
Off from Richmond early in the morning
Down to the gunboats run, boys, run[!]
The palmetto rebels are now on the trail
North Carolina devels [sic] to ride on a rail
Off from Richmond & c.
There’s the Alabama rebels bound to win or die
The Mississippi rifles fly, boys, fly[!]
Off from Richmond & c.
Louisiana Legions Butler is their cry[,]
Texas bloody rangers fly, boys, fly[!]
Off from Richmond & c.
Florida is hunting all through the bush[,]
The rebels ar[e] in earnest, push, boys, push[!]
Off from Richmond & c.
Never mind your knapsasack [sic], never mind your gun[,]
This fighting with the rebels is anything but fun[.]
Off from Richmond & c.
A farm was the promise and each man a slave[,]
We had better all skedaddle or we’ll find a grave[.]
Off from Richmond & c.
McClellan is a humbug, Lincoln is a fool[,]
Seward is a liar of the Horace Greeley school[.]
Off from Richmond early in the morning[,]
Down to the gunboats run, boys, run[!]
