"Lorena" is an antebellum song with Northern origins. The lyrics were written in 1856 by Rev. Henry D. L. Webster, after a broken engagement. He wrote a long poem about his fiancée but changed her name to "Lorena", an adaptation of "Lenore" from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven". Henry Webster's friend Joseph Philbrick Webster wrote the music, and the song was first published in Chicago in 1857. It became a favorite of soldiers of both sides during the American Civil War. "Lorena" was recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford on his album Tennessee Ernie Ford Sings Civil War Songs of the South which is where I learned it. Other Civil War era songs in this collection are: "The Bonnie Blue Flag" "Dixie" "The Faded Coat of Blue" "Goober Peas" (in the Tunes section) "Just Before the Battle, Mother" "Marching Through Georgia" "Union Dixie" "The Vacant Chair" "The Year of Jubilo"