On May 17, 1876, George Armstrong Custer, Myles Keogh and the 7th Cavalry departed Fort Abraham Lincoln en route to the Little Big Horn valley and a rendezvous with destiny. Before leaving, Custer ordered a parade of the regiment, intended to invoke pride among the troops and comfort the families that would remain at the fort. Each company was assigned horses of a specific colour, with Company E and the regimental band mounted on the grays.
Accompanying the jangle of horse bridles, the tramping of hooves and an occasional whinny from a horse was the music of the 7th's band. As the men paraded in columns of four, the regiment's unofficial tune - 'Garryowen' - played in the background. Soon after, just outside the fort, the men said goodbye to the loved ones before reforming into their companies. When the two-mile-column moved away from Fort Lincoln, the band struck up a tune that had long been a favourite among combat-bound soldiers -- 'The Girl I Left Behind Me'
Much folklore has arisen regarding this tune. One source states the tune was popular as far back as Queen Elizabeth's (Elizabeth I) reign and was played whenever a regiment left town or a man-of-war set sail. Another theory is that the tune originated in 1758 when Admirals Hawke and Rodney were watching the French fleet off the coast. It is also thought that the tune was known in America as early as 1650 being a traditional fife tune, imported from England as 'Brighten Camp.' The tune became generally popular during the Revolution and was soon to be a favorite with the troops at Fort Snelling during the early 19th century. Even today it is played at the United States Military Academy, West Point, as part of the medley during the cadet's final formation for graduation.
The tune was known in Ireland as 'The Rambling Laborer' and 'The Spailpin Fanach' and was first published in Dublin in 1791. Another early version of the song was printed about 1810 in Hime's "Pocket Book for the German Flute of Violin" under the title 'The Girl I left Behind Me.'
The version most common among the officers and troopers of the 7th Calvary was probably the following:
The hours sad I left a maid
A lingering farewell taking
Whose sighs and tears my steps delayed
I thought her heart was breaking
In hurried words her name I blest
I breathed the vows that bind me
And to my heart in anguish pressed
The girl I left behind me
Then to the east we bore away
To win a name in story
And there where dawns the sun of day
There dawned our sun of glory
The place in my sight
When in the host assigned me
I shared the glory of that fight
Sweet girl I left behind me
Though many a name our banner bore
Of former deeds of daring
But they were of the day of yore
In which we had no sharing
But now our laurels freshly won
With the old one shall entwine me
Singing worthy of our size each son
Sweet girl I left behind me
The hope of final victory
Within my bosom burning
Is mingling with sweet thoughts of thee
And of my fond returning
But should I n'eer return again
Still with thy love I'll bind me
Dishonors breath shall never stain
The name I leave behind me
