I Goes to Fight mit Sigel
| "I Goes to Fight mit Sigel" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | 1863[1] |
| Lyricist | John F. Poole |
| Roud number 4869 | |
I Goes to Fight mit Sigel (or I'm Going to Fight mit Sigel) is a song written during the American Civil War by John F. Poole and set to the tune of The Girl I Left Behind Me.[2]: 307–308 The song is named for German-American major-general Franz Sigel[3]: 83 and the lyrics parody the language and culture of German immigrant soldiers.[2]: 307 [4]: 118
History
Franz Sigel was a German commander from Baden.[3]: xiv After immigrating to the United States, he was appointed to a brigadier-general position by Abraham Lincoln, serving from 1861 to 1864 with a generally poor military record.[5]: 243 However, Sigel's popularity among German-Americans and German immigrants was generally unhampered by his poor military performance, as German-Americans generally preferred German leadership.[3]: xvi Particularly during the early years of the Civil War, Sigel's German heritage was influential in attracting immigrant German volunteers.[5]: 243 Many of these volunteers generally has no military experience and spoke very little English.[3]: 55 The phrase "I fights mit Sigel" was a rallying cry for Germans expressing support for the Union, and a "passport" to join the Union army.[3]: 55 The song was popular among minstrel impersonators after the Civil War.[4]: 118
Lyrics
The song is generally considered to be a comic ethnic joke about German soldiers,[5]: 243 but others consider the song to a genuine celebration of the loyalty of German soldiers under Sigel's command.[3]: 83 [4]: 118 The song's lyrics are written in English with elements of thickly accented German throughout:[2]: 307
(Chorus)
Yaw, das is true I speak mit you,
I’m going to fight mit Sigel.[1]
The language, along with references to lager, sauerkraut, and pretzels, reinforce a stereotype of a "typical German-American".[2]: 308 "Fighting Joe" in the final stanza of the song refers to General Joseph Hooker:[2]: 308
For rations dey gives salty pork,
I dinks dat was a great sell;
I petter likes der sauerkraut,
Der Schvitzer-kase und bretzel.
If Fighting Joe will give us dem,
Ve'll save der Yankee Eagle,
Und I'll put mine vrou in breech-a-loons
To go and fight mit Sigel
Confederate lyrics
A parody of the song was written by Confederate soldiers to mock Sigel's poor military performance and German immigrant soldiers:[3]: 84
Ven first I came from Lauterbach
I works sometimes by baking,
Un next I runs my beer saloon
Und den I try shoe-making
But now I march mit musket out
To save dot Yankee eagle
Dey dress me up in soldier clothes
To go and fight mit Sigel[3]: 84
References
- ^ a b "I Goes To Fight Mit Sigel Song Lyrics". Michigan State University. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Silber, Irwin (1960). Songs of the Civil War. New York: Columbia University Press. LCCN m60-1027. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Engle, Stephen Douglas (1993). Yankee Dutchman: The Life of Franz Sigel. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 1-55728-273-0. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Glass, Paul; Singer, Louis C. (1968). Singing Soldiers (The Spirit of the Sixities): A History of the Civil War in Song. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. LCCN 67-23787. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b c McKay, John (2007). Brave Men in Desperate Times: The Lives of Civil War Soldiers. Gulford, Connecticut: TwoDot. ISBN 978-0-7627-2372-0. Retrieved 23 January 2026.