Robert Gray
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2012
When he wasn't on the firing line fighting the enemy, the common soldier spent much of his time waging war against another, far more insidious invader: the common louse. Sanitation in the camps was poor because of a lack of both time and knowledge, and lice, flies, and mosquitoes were everywhere.
As he usually did when confronted with an unfortunate situation that he could not change, the soldier made light of it, in this case turning it into an amusing song that might, with any luck, keep his mind off his unwanted visitors at least for the duration of its singing.
THE GRAYBACKS SO TENDERLY CLINGING
Words: Anonymous
Music by Henry Clay Work
There were companions on the march, as every soldier found,
With ceaseless zeal in digging deep in every spot around,
And though each hero killed a lot, still thousands more abound,
The graybacks so tenderly clinging.
The visitors were never big, in fact were very small.
In silence they put in their work, no sound they made at all;
They thought it was full fun enough to hear the comrades bawl
While graybacks were busily biting.
And never partial were those bugs, no mortal would they spare,
No dignity could keep them off, they just bit everywhere,
And generals could not deny but what each had a share
Of graybacks so constantly nibbling.
Photo credit: New York State Military Museum.
As he usually did when confronted with an unfortunate situation that he could not change, the soldier made light of it, in this case turning it into an amusing song that might, with any luck, keep his mind off his unwanted visitors at least for the duration of its singing.
THE GRAYBACKS SO TENDERLY CLINGING
Words: Anonymous
Music by Henry Clay Work
There were companions on the march, as every soldier found,
With ceaseless zeal in digging deep in every spot around,
And though each hero killed a lot, still thousands more abound,
The graybacks so tenderly clinging.
The visitors were never big, in fact were very small.
In silence they put in their work, no sound they made at all;
They thought it was full fun enough to hear the comrades bawl
While graybacks were busily biting.
And never partial were those bugs, no mortal would they spare,
No dignity could keep them off, they just bit everywhere,
And generals could not deny but what each had a share
Of graybacks so constantly nibbling.
Photo credit: New York State Military Museum.
Bringing the