Joe-

In the notes (Traditional Ballad Index) it gives a reference to Sweet Sunny South (I). My original post was refering to "Sweet Sunny South (II). Thank you for posting Traditional Ballad Index info. As you can see Laws divided the song into two versions.

Version 1 is the "Northern" version I refered to about the Civil War and relates to the "Rebel Soldier." Version 2 is posted above.

Traditional Ballad Index says, "Rorrer notes sheet versions of this dating back at least to the Civil War period, and possibly to several decades before that, but gives no details."

I think Rorrer was refering to the Sheet music for "The Bright Sunny South, words by F. M. Prince and music by A. Scherzer," printed by Klemm and Bro., 1848, that is at American Memory. This is not the same song. It is a completely different song in 3/4 time. Someone probably told Kinney (Rorrer) about it and since probably had no access to it (as we do) he thought it was the same song.

The lyrics of WE SHALL SEE HER NO MORE By C. Hart; Music By F. Buckley from American Song Sheets, Series 1, Volume 10 seem to echo the cadence and general content of the "Sweet Sunny South."

WE SHALL SEE HER NO MORE:
(Oh, the bright sunny South, where the sugar cane grows,
And the cotton flow'rs gracefully bend in the wind
Where life, like a dream, full of happiness flows,
And Massa, dear massa, was always so kind)

THE SUNNY SOUTH:
(Take me home to the place where I first saw the light
To the sweet sunny south take me home
Where the mockingbirds sang me to rest ev'ry night
Oh, why was I tempted to roam?

Take me home to the place where my little one sleeps,
For Massie lies buried close by
O'er the graves of my loved ones I long there to weep
And among them to rest when I die.)

It just seemed like they were related when I first saw the lyrics. Perhaps there is some relationship.

-Richie