God Save the South

"God Save the South" is a poem-turned-song considered by some to have been the unofficial national anthem of the Confederate States of America. The words were written in 1861 by George Henry Miles, under the pen name Earnest Halphin. It was most commonly performed to a tune by Charles Wolfgang Amadeus Ellerbrock, although a second version was also published with a tune by C. T. De Cœniél.

History
After Union forces began using "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as a rallying song in 1861, Halphim wrote "God Save The South" to inspire Confederate soldiers with the thought that God would be with them. It was the first song published in the Confederate States—specifically, in New Orleans, Louisiana—since the Ordinance of Secession. The song was used in attempts to foster a unique Southern national culture to distinguish the Confederate States from the United States. The hymn was later included in The Soldier's Companion, the hymnal distributed to all Confederate soldiers.

Some considered "God Save The South" the de facto national anthem of the Confederacy. The song was published in Virginia with the subtitle "Our national Confederate anthem" with the image of a Confederate soldier carrying the Stainless Banner with "God Save The South" on it. Its main rival for the unofficial title was "Dixie", was popular among Confederate soldiers and citizens as a marching and parade song.

In 1950, Richard Harwell wrote: "[Dixie] can hardly be said to meet the requirements of a national anthem, [although] it has become a truly national tune, permanently enshrined in the hearts of Americans in both the North and the South. That honor rightly belongs to 'God Save the South' not just by virtue of its status as the new nation's first published song but also because of its stirring poetry and its outstanding musical setting."

Composition
While the anthem mostly used Ellerbrock's music, it was also set to the tune of the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen". Because of this association, as well as a perceived lack of originality, “God Save the South” was criticized in Southern Punch, a weekly periodical modeled after Britain’s Punch. De Cœniél wrote another tune for "God Save the South" after Ellerbrock's original.

The fifth verse has been cited as an example of the citizens of the Confederacy's perceived affiliation with George Washington, a rebel of the American Revolutionary War.