The Invalid Corps is a popular song dating from the time of the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, circa 1863. The first stanza tells the story of a Union

Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...

 conscript attempting to join the military, only to be rejected because of his poor health. The rest of the song humorously depicts the rejected conscript's experience in the Invalid Corps. The words and music were composed by Frank Wilder.

The Invalid Corps, or the Veteran Reserve Corps

Veteran Reserve Corps

The Veteran Reserve Corps was a military reserve organization created within the Union Army during the American Civil War to allow partially disabled or otherwised infirmed soldiers to perform light duty, freeing able-bodied soldiers to serve on the front lines.-The Invalid Corps:The corps was...

, was indeed a real branch of the military during the Civil War, created within the Union Army to allow partially disabled or formerly disabled soldiers to perform some form of light duty, thus allowing able soldiers to be sent to the front lines.

Song Lyrics

I wanted much to go to war,

And went to be examined;

The surgeon looked me o'er and o'er,

My back and chest he hammered.

Said he, You're not the man for me,

Your lungs are much affected,

And likewise both your eyes are cock'd,

And otherwise defected.

Chorus:

So, now I'm with the invalids,

And cannot go and fight, sir!

The doctor told me so, you know,

Of course it must be right, sir!

External links

• http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/usa/invalid.htm, full lyrics.