"The Dixie Volunteers" expresses the pride of Southern soldiers going to war. Southern soldiers had great pride in their heritage and fighting prowess. Veterans of the German Wars of Unification bore the scars of battle and were idolized by their children and grandchildren.  In the early 20th century, the younger generation of German men practiced fencing using the mensur technique; a dueling style that was believed to develop courage and a calmness in the face of danger.  The mensur practice was intended to produce the scars their grandfathers bore as a sign of their courage. In the American South, a similar mentality existed. Sons and grandsons of Confederate soldiers had no great war of which to boast. World War I provided an outlet for their Southern pride.

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"Peaceful sons have shouldered guns, 
And now they're going to be,
Fighting men like Stonewall Jackson
 and like Robert E. Lee;
When they hit that line;
And they cross the River Rhine;
You'll wish you came from Dixie, 
With the Dixie Volunteers."