The Bonnie Blue Flag - Lyrics Revision

Lyrics Revision

The first verse of the song goes:

We are a band of brothers and native to the soil,

Fighting for the property we gained by honest toil;

And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far,

Hurrah! for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.

The second line is sometimes given as "fighting for our liberty with treasure, blood, and toil". A copy of the 1861 song sheet posted on a website by University of San Diego professor Steve Schoenherr illustrates the "property" version.

According to Schoenherr, the song sheet was first published in 1861 by A. E. Blackmar and Brother in New Orleans. When Major General Benjamin Butler captured New Orleans, he allegedly arrested Blackmar, fined Blackmar $500, destroyed all copies of the music, and ordered that anyone caught whistling or singing "The Bonnie Blue Flag" would be fined $25 (about $482 in 2005). Eleven other editions of the song were published with different lyrics.