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about

We began the record in 1838 with black and white abolitionists fleeing a burning building. A quarter of a century later and Philadelphia looked very different. The secession of eleven slaveholding states in 1860-1 led to Civil War, and pressured by antislavery agitators in the North and the actions of slaves themselves in the South, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on 1 January 1863, freeing all slaves in rebel-held areas. Lincoln encouraged African-Americans to enlist in the Union army, and Philadelphia’s black population – swelled by fugitives from the South – signed up. When the 6th United States Colored Infantry marched through the streets of Philadelphia, they were not set upon by hostile gangs, but cheered on by the crowds. A few years later black men would win back the right to vote they had lost in the aftermath of the assault on Pennsylvania Hall.

lyrics

We are the 6th and we
We march from Camp William Penn
We formed at Master
To Chestnut, Pine, Walnut and Dock (1)

From every window
A cheer, a song, a handkerchief
And every word is kind
Rapprochements for the cold hearts (2)

There’s no flinch
Not a flicker in our eyes
There’s no fleeing
You’ll never know this bitter pride

We are the Union
We are the loyal soldier (3)

Remember ‘38 (4)
They burned us from the building
I think of ‘42 (5)
We marched on that day too

Then they had jeered and beaten us
Now listen to them roar
I look for Johnny Reb (6)
Upon the pink horizon

At Washington we stopped (7)
To rest our weary legs
And waiting on us there
were curious whites with smiles

You left your homes to fight
To strike a blow for liberty
To aid this government
And we serve you with great pride

Footnotes
(1) Street names.
(2) Reports from the march suggest that the 6th received some abuse in the heart of McMullen’s Fourth Ward.
(3) Loyal service to the Union became the basis for black claims to political rights after the Civil War.
(4) The burning of Pennsylvania Hall.
(5) The Lombard Street riot. African-Americans peacefully celebrating the anniversary of abolition of slavery in the West Indies were attacked by a predominantly Irish mob.
(6) A slang term for Southerners - specifically Confederate soldiers in the Civil War.
(7) A Moyamensing street.

credits

from Devil Bug's Dream, released August 15, 2019

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The Payroll Union Sheffield, UK

Americana band with an obsession for American history. Recently released Paris of America, an album on violence and disorder in antebellum Philadelphia. Released 2 EPs - Underfed & Underpaid and Your Obedient Servant - and our debut album came out 19th January 2013. ... more

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