Urine became a critical commodity when, in the Confederacy during the Civil War, urinary nitrates were reclaimed for the manufacture of gunpowder. In fact, a particularly energetic and enthusiastic agent of the Nitre Mining Bureau at Selma, Alabama placed the following advertisement in the newspaper: "The ladies of Selma are respectfully requested to preserve the chamber lye collected about the premises for the purpose of making nitre. A barrel will be sent around daily to collect it. - John Harrolson, Agent / Nitre Mining Bureau" This came to the attention of a poet in the Confederate Army who responded lyrically, thus immortalizing not only the practice, but the ingenious agent as well. The poem was printed on toilet paper and circulated all over the Confederacy. A copy was smuggled across the lines and fell into the hands of an anonymous Yankee poet who replied with an equally jocular lyric. The two poems are listed below. Rebel Joha Harrolson! John Harrolson! You are a wretched creature. You've added to this bloody war a new and awful feature. You'd have us think while every man is bound to be a fighter, The ladies bless the dears, should save their P for nitre. John Harrelson! John Harrelson! Where did you get the notion To send your barrel 'round the town to gather up the lotion? We thought the girls had work enough making shirts and kissing, But you have put the pretty dears to patriotic pissing. John Harrelson! John Harrelson! Do pray invent a neater And somewhat more modest mode of making your saltpetre; For 'tis an awful idea, John, gunpowdery and cranky, That when a lady lifts her shift, she's killing off a Yankee. Yankee John Harrolson! John Harrolson! We've read in song and story How women's tears through all the years have moistened fields of glory. But never was it told before amid such scenes of slaughter Your Southern beauties dried their tears and went to making water. No wonder that your boys are brave, who wouldn't be a fighter If every time he fired his gun, he used his sweetheart's nitre; And vice-versa, what would make a Yankee soldier sadder Than dodging bullets fired from a pretty woman's bladder? They say there was a subtle smell that lingered in that powder, And as the smoke grew thicker and the din of battle louder, That there was found to this compound one serious objection, No soldier boy could sniff it without having an erection. Back to The Zouave Vol II No. 2 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1988 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com