I'm not all one-sided. I know there were two players in that game….
The Simpson brothers hailed from Illinois and joined the Union Army during the Civil war. L. J. was a Southern Baptist preacher and joined as a Chaplain and his brother was in the “regular” service.
As far as I was able to learn from the book Buying the Wind: Regional Folklore in the United States by R.M. Dorson – Simpson is the original author of the Civil War ballad, The Dying Soldier, which he wrote upon learning of his brother’s death at the Battle of Fort Donelson, TN (2/11-16/ 1862*).
*There is a typographical error in that book that claims the song is from 1962, but since I have a recording of it from 1928, I know that is in fact a huge error and it is without one tiniest bit of doubt a Civil War ballad from 1862. Take that Farbists.
Dorson’s book also tells me that additional verses were added sometime after the turn of the century, possibly as late as the 30s (but I could very well be completely wrong about how I interpreted what I read) by Mrs. Wilmore of West Frankfort, Ill., and were recorded by Professor David S. McIntosh. Not much more information is available about the song itself other than many versions of the lyrics, which I am to believe, are partially Mrs. Wilmore’s if I read correctly.
What I did find was an interesting site (geneologytrails.com) offering the archives of the Marion Monitor, a local newsletter for Marion, Ill. in the late 1800s, which makes mention of some of L. J. Simpson’s activities….
September 19, 1878: “Funeral on the 5th Sunday in Sept. Rev. L.J. Simpson will preach the funeral of Maggie F. and Dennis Peebles.”
October 17, 1878: “The Reverend L. J. Simpson located in Marion, Illinois.”
November 21, 1878: “The Reverend L. J. Simpson is in poor health being confined to his bed for a few days past.”
September 4, 1879: “Rev. L.J. Simpson was quite sick the fore part of this week.”
September 11, 1879: “The Reverend will conduct religious services at the Southern Methodist church next Saturday evening and Sunday with the Rev. C.W. Hutchinson.”
September 18, 1879: The Reverend made a social call to the writer of the Marion Monitor. … The week prior, “At the Southern Methodist, Rev. Simpson preached from the text “By their fruits ye shall know them…””.
No further mentions are made in the Marion Monitor about the Good Reverend, not even an eventual obituary notice, nor was I able to find anything else about him online, so there’s nothing left to do but listen to Simpson's song as interpreted by banjo virtuoso, Buell Kazee.
All information used without permission from the following sources: Wikipedia, Google books, Marion Monitor (via geneologytrails.com), Internet Archive.
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