New Jersey's Civil War: "Brave Volunteers of New Jersey"

After the surrender of Fort Sumter, which ushered in the Civil War, the martial spirit swept the North and New Jersey was no different than the other northern states. Young men from New Jersey rushed to recruitment offices where they joined the ranks of the state's volunteer regiments. This song, "Brave Volunteers of New Jersey," reflected the attitudes and euphoria that were exhibited in the first months of the war.

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  "The brave volunteers of New Jersey, / All patriots, noble and true;/ Aroused at the call of our country,/ We'll stand by the red, white, and blue,/ To tyrants we'll never give in;/ Rebellion should have its just due,/ For liberty union and liberty live, in/ The hearts of true Jersey Blue."



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  "Bold treason, uprising, is striving/ To pluck the bright stars from the blue;/ And freedom's last hope is surviving/ Maintained by the swords of the true--/ Shall liberty languish and perish,/ Because we are not brave, or true?/ Oh no! in our bosoms we cherish/ The fame of the rue Jersey Blue."



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  "Our fathers of old, long before use/ Won, and left a proud name for their sons,/ Their spirits are hovering o'er us,/ Their blood in their children still runs--/ Oh long may we share in, and merit/ The glory to patriots due;/ We'll maintain the proud name we inherit/ Long, long live the true Jersey Blue."



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  "No party nor clan shall divide us,/ The Union we'll place above all--/ The laws of our land must still guide use/ United we'll stand, or we'll fall--/ And long may the blessings of heaven/ Descend on the brave and the true;/ Three cheers for the union be given,/ And three for the true Jersey Blue."

New Jersey's Civil War: Burlington City and the Preservation of the Union

I have a very keen interest in New Jersey history, but more specifically New Jersey during the Civil War. So from time to time I plan to publish a series of posts featuring profiles of key figures within the state during the war as well as primary documents from this era. So hope you enjoy these posts.

In this first post I am going to share some of my personal research on this subject. This is my senior thesis from Rider University, which is entitled "Burlington City and the Preservation of the Union." I examined the words of Burlinton City's soldiers (both white and black) and the prominant Peace Democrat (or Copperhead) James Walter Wall and came to the conclusion that all three groups wished to preserve the Union, but favored different means to bring about this shared goal. This essay is actually serving as basis for my masters' thesis, which I am working on now, that will look at the words and actions of James Wall. I hope to use Wall as a case study of the limits of loyal opposition in New Jersey during the war years. The paper can be read here, but please do not cite or quote without the author's permission.