Language History: 5 August

by | Jun 13, 2016 | Archive, Argief, General information

brokkie taalmuseum alibama

5 August 1863

On 5 August 1863 (during the American Civil War) a Confederate ship, the Alabama, captured a Union ship just outside Table Bay during battle. Experts do not agree about the origin of the folk song “Daar kom die Alibama”, but there is a theory that the song has its origins in this battle.

Sources:

Dae uit ons geskiedenis, p218
Burden, M: The American Civil War and an Afrikaans folk song: Theories on the origin of ‘Daar kom die Alibama’, unpublished paper.