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North and South
Stories and Genealogy of Theodore Charles Anderson and Sara Carlene Shuttleworth
Company G, 9th Arkansas Infantry,
"The Arkansas Travelers"
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From the Harper's Weekly, 9 November, 1861
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The Civil War in Arkansas
The Civil War pulled about 70,000 Arkansas men into military service, with close to 9,000 of them fighting for the Union (most from the northern counties along the Missouri State line), all the rest for the Confederacy.
Prior to the Civil War, people rarely traveled more than forty miles from home (except, of course, for the Black's who thought nothing about going back to Alabama and South Carolina frequently).
Most of the Regiments raised during the War came from neighboring counties of the same State. A Regiment was organized into Companies of about 100 men, originally along county lines; thus, each Company was composed of a soldier's friends, neighbors and relatives.
Confederate soldiers from Arkansas fought mostly with the Army of Tennessee or the Army of Northern Virginia. Most of their battles took place on the Eastern side of the Mississippi; but, early in the War, one significant battle did take place in Arkansas, the "Battle of Pea Ridge".
The Battle of Pea Ridge, called the "Gettysburg of the West," was fought early in the War on March 6th and 7th, 1862 in northwest Arkansas, near Bentonville, just south of the Missouri border, in the north-western corner of Arkansas.
Painting of the Elkhorn Travern and the Tanyards at Pea Ridge, 1862
In the battle, Union Army forces led by General Samuel R. Curtis defeated a surperior number of Confederate troops, mostly from Arkansas, under General Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the battle essentially cemented Union control of Missouri and Arkansas. One notable fact of this battle is that it was one of the few in which a Confederate Army outnumbered a Union Army.
But the poorly-trained, raw-volunteers from Arkansas lost badly, really badly. Approximately 2,000 Confederates were killed or wounded outright, including a large number of officers. 4600 Confererate Soldiers were captured. Federal forces suffered only about 1,400 casualties.
On the night of March 6, the Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn set out to outflank the Union position near Pea Ridge, dividing his army into two columns. Learning of Van Dorn's approach, the Federals marched north to meet his advance on March 7. This movement--compounded by the killing of two Confederate generals, Brigider General Ben McCulloch and Brigider General James McQueen McIntosh, and the capture of their ranking colonel--halted the Rebel attack.
Van Dorn led a second column to meet the Federals at the Elkhorn Tavern and Tanyard area. By nightfall, the Confederates controlled Elkhorn Tavern and Telegraph Road. The next day, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, having regrouped and consolidated his army, counterattacked near the tavern and, by successfully employing his artillery, slowly forced the Rebels back. Running short of ammunition, Van Dorn abandoned the battlefield.
With the defeat at Pea Ridge, the Confederates never again seriously threatened the state of Missouri. Within weeks, General Van Dorn's army of Arkansas Volunteers was transferred across the Mississippi River to bolster the Army of Tennessee, leaving Arkansas virtually defenseless.
With his victory, the Union General Curtis proceeded to move farther into undefended Arkansas with the hope of capturing Little Rock, but there was still a lot of fighting to do on the way. Over 750 military engagements are recorded in Arkansas after the Battle of Pea Ridge, some by what was left of the Arkansas Army, many by insurgents who had been "paroled" by the Union who wouldn't quit fighting.
In an attempt to relieve federal pressure on besieged Vicksburg and give the Confederacy a much-needed victory, on the 4th of July, 1863, at the same time the Battle of Gettysburg was raging, the Confederates staged a desperate attack on Union troops at Helena, Phillips County, in eastern Arkansas on the banks of the Mississippi. Once again, it was a total defete for the Confederates.
A Wisconsin soldier who visited the area around Graveyard Hill in Helena shortly after the battle wrote,
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"The battlefield is no pleasant place to visit, covered with men wounded in all ways-some with brains exposed, others shot through the body with grape shot, or a larger ball still sufficient to nearly cut the body in twain. But if there is anything that calls on the sympathy of a man it is to took upon a wounded man, with deathlike and pale face, groaning and wreathing with the greatest possible pain."
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Another soldier wrote to his father,
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"Just to see the rebels lying in piles where they charged up the hill. it was awful. I never want to spend another such a "Fourth of July."
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But another Union soldier, Minos Miller, was upbeat. He wrote to his mother,
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"We celebrated the Fourth of July here by giving the rebs one of the worst floggings they ever had."
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The defeat at Helena was compounded by Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg. It was the turning point for both Arkansas and the entire "Southern Cause."
Little Rock finally fell on September 10, 1863.
The state's Confederate government fled south to Washington, Hempstead County, where it remained until the close of the war. By the end of the year, Union forces controlled all of the state except for the southwest corner around Hempstead County.
The Civil War did not bring the wholesale destruction visited upon some regions in the South to Arkansas, but significant property was destroyed and many lives were lost.
After the Battle of Pea Ridge, the war was all but over in Arkansas, but it wasn’t over by a long shot for the 9th Arkansas Volunteers in the Confederate Army.
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The Arkansas Blacks during the Civil War
The Arkansas Civil War records list 118 men with the surname Black who fought for the Confederacy and 10 more who fought on the Union side. All those 10 lived in the far northern counties of Arkansas along the Missouri border.
Unfortunately, many of the Arkansas records list only the soldiers initials, his rank and Regiment. Sometimes a first name is given and some times a middle initial is included, but no information is given as to his parentage or where he came from. This makes it very difficult to sort out exacty who there people were.
Since the Regiments were initially organized along mostly county lines, you can guess where a person came from, and if you had some knowledge of who you were looking for, you could figure out who he was, if you were lucky.
The three Blacks in Company G, 9th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry, Adam D. Francis P. and John C. Black all came from Union County and were fairly easy to identify as Ted's ancestors, but the three Blacks in Company D of the same Regiment, Alexander D., William C., and William E. (F.?) Black were not so easy and have not yet been positively identified. They are undoubtedly Ted's relatives too but which ones we haven't figured out yet.
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The Parsons Regiment
The 9th Regiment, Arkansas Volunteers, was organized at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, about July 20, 1861, with ten companies from southeast Arkansas including Union, Drew, Bradley, and Ashley counties.
County Map of Arkansas
The Counties of Southeastern Arkansas:
Ashley
Ashley County was created in 1848 from a part of Drew County. The community of Hamburg is its county seat. It is named for Chester Ashley, a U.S. Senator and land speculator. Cotton, corn, clover, alfalfa, wheat, peanuts, potatoes and fruits are grown in the county. Crossett, Fountain Hill, Hamburg and Parkdale are its main communities.
Bradley
Bradley County was split off from Union County in 1840. It features three water sources - the Saline River and Moro and Eagle Creeks. The county was named after Hugh Bradley, an officer who served at the Battle of New Orleans with General Andrew Jackson. The county seat is located at Warren, which is the largest town in the county. Today, Bradley County is known for its world-famous tomatoes. Hermitage and Warren are its largest communities.
Calhoun
In 1850, Richard Byrd, acting governor, created Calhoun County from parts of Dallas and Ouachita counties. It was named Calhoun in honor of the South Carolina statesman and supporter of nullification, John C. Calhoun. The county seat is located at Hampton.
Drew
Named after Arkansas's third governor, Thomas Drew, Drew County was created in 1846. Its seat of government is at Monticello. The city also hosts the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Union
Created in 1829 from land in Clark and Hempstead counties, Union county is the largest county in the state. The county seat was originally located at Camden before moving to El Dorado in the 1840's (visit Arkansas Pioneers for a description of how Robert Johnson Black was involved in that move.) Union County is best known for an oil boom of the 1920s, which made it a wealthy area for a while. Hutting, El Dorado, Mount Holly, Strong, Junction City, Smackover and Norphlet are a few of its larger communities.
The 9th Regiment of Arkansas Volunteers was nicknamed the “Parsons Regiment” because over 40 ministers from various Protestant denominations served in its ranks.
The field officers were:
 Colonels John M. Bradley and Isaac L. Dunlop;
Lieutenant Colonels W. Y. McCammon, R. W. Millsap, and Jefferson W. Rogers;
Majors John C. Bratton and William J. Wallace.
Except for the Battle of Pea Ridge, the regiment served east of the Mississippi River throughout the war, much of the time in Reynolds’ Brigade in the Army of Tennessee. It fought at the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Baker’s Creek, Coffeeville, Jackson, Resaca, Franklin, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville, and the final battle of the war at Bentonville, NC.
The 9th Arkansas lost so many men at the Battle of Shiloh between April 6th and 7th, 1862 that it was forced to consolidate two of its companies.
It served under Generals Rust, Buford, and Beall in the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, and saw action at Champion's Hill, Jackson, and Port Hudson where the whole Regiment was captured on July 9, 1863.
After being exchanged and assigned to General D. H. Reynold's Brigade, the unit participated in the campaigns of the Army of Tennessee from Kennesaw Mountain to Bentonville.
By April 1865, the regiment was so depleted from battle losses (one report has it that only 137 survived) that the remnants of the 9th Arkansas Volunteers were consolidated into only two companies which were attached to the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles.
The 9th AR Infantry served in the following engagements:
Engagement, Belmont, MO (Nov. 7, 1861)
The Battle of Shiloh, TN (April 6 - 7, 1862)
Advance on and Siege of Corinth, MS (April 29 - May 30, 1862)
The Battle of Vicksburg, MS (May 18 - July 27, 1862)
Affair, Grand Gulf, MS (May 26, 1862)
Engagement, Grand Gulf, MS (June 9, 1862)
The Battle of Corinth, MS (Oct. 3 - 4, 1862)
Engagement, HatchieBridge (Davis Bridge), Big Hatchie (Metamora), TN (Oct. 5, 1862)
Operations on the Mississippi Central R. R. from Bolivar, TN to Coffeeville, MS (Grant's Central MS Campaign) (Oct 31, 1862 - Jan. 10, 1863)
Action, Water Valley Station, MS (Dec. 4, 1862)
Engagement, Coffeeville, MS (December 5, 1862)
Action, Hernando, MS (April 18, 1863)
Action, Perry's Ferry, Coldwater River, MS (April 19, 1863)
Operations against Scout from LaGrange, TN into Northern MS (April 29 - May 5, 1863)
The Battle of Champion's Hill, Baker's Creek, Edward's Depot (Midway Hill), MS (May 16, 1863)
Engagement, Big Black River Bridge, MS (May 17, 1863)
The Siege of Jackson, MS (July 10 - 16, 1863)
Assault, Jackson, MS (July 12, 1863)
Evacuation, Jackson, MS (July 16, 1863)
Expedition from Vicksburg, MS to Meridian, MS (Sherman's Meridian Campaign)(Feb. 3 - Mar. 2, 1864)
Operation about Atlanta, GA (June 5 - Sep. 8, 1864)
Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain, GA (June 10 - July 2, 1864)
Combats about Pine Hill, GA (June 11 - 14, 1864)
Combats about Lost Mountain, GA (June 15- 17, 1864)
Assault, Kenesaw Mountain, GA (June 27, 1864)
Operations on the line of Nickajack Creek, GA (July 2 - 5, 1864)
Operations on the line of the Chattahoochee River, GA (July 5 - 10, 1864)
The Battle of Atlanta, GA (July 22, 1864)
The Siege of Atlanta, GA (July 23 - Aug. 25, 1864)
The Battle of Ezra Chapel, GA (July 28, 1864)
Operations in Northern GA and Northern AL (Sep. 29 - Nov. 3, 1864)
Skirmish, Moon's Station, GA (Oct. 4, 1864)
The Siege of Decatur, AL (Oct. 26 - 29, 1864)
The Battle of Franklin, TN (Nov. 30, 1864)
The Battle of Nashville, TN (Dec. 15 - 16, 1864) (visit The Battle of Franklin for a narrative of that terrible battle where the Army of Tenneesse was decimated and the war in the South was lost)
The Battle of Averysborough (Taylor's Hole Creek), NC (Mar. 16, 1865)
The Battle of Bentonville, NC (March 19 - 21, 1865)
What little remained of the once 1000-strong regiment surrendered at Bennett's Place, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.
There were 6 Blacks we know of who were in the Arkansas 9th Regiment. They were:
Company D of Bradley County
Alexander D. Black Corporal
William C. Black Private
William E. (or F.) Black Private
Company G of Union County – the “Arkansas Travelers”
Adam Davis Black 3rd Lieutenant
John Columbus Black, Jr. Sergeant
Francis Putnam Black Private
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The Battle of Bentonville, March 19-21, 1865
After General William Tecumseh Sherman's march through Georga to the sea, he turned north during the late winter of 1865, into South Carolina in what became known as "The Carolinas Campaign".
That Spring, Sherman's Union Army cut a swath of destruction through South Carolina, much worse than he had done in George, burning everything to the ground. He felt that since South Carlonia was the first to succeed and had effectively started the Civil War at Fort Sumter, it derserved all the destruction he could render upon it (visit Crumbling Defences for a description of the distruction by Sherman of the Melrose Plantation).
On March 8, Union soldiers crossed into North Carolina as a collection of Confederate units vainly tried to concentrate and block their path.
Sherman divided his command into two parts, a Left Wing commanded by Major General Henry W. Slocum and a Right Wing commanded by Major General Oliver O. Howard. The two wings marched separately toward Goldsboro beginning on March 13.
The Confederate knew about this division of the Army, and General Joseph E. Johnston attempted to concentrate his entire Confederate Army on Slocum's wing before it reunited with the rest of the Union column. The Confederate attacked on March 19, as Slocum's men marched on the Goldsboro Road, two miles south of Bentonville.
Slocum was convinced he faced only enemy cavalry, not an entire army; therefore, he initially notified Sherman that he was facing only cursory resistance near Bentonville and did not need any assistance.
But, in the afternoon, the Confederate infantry rushed out of the woods along the Goldsboro Road and drove the Union left flank back in confusion. Confederates under Major General D.H. Hill filled the vacuum left by the retreating Federals and began to attack the Union troops left along the front lines. After a heated engagement, Union reinforcements arrived and checked Hill's assault. Fighting continued after nightfall as the Confederates tried without success to drive back the Union line.
Slocum finally did call for aid from Sherman during the afternoon attacks, and Johnston, even though he knew he would soon be heavily outnumbered, refused to let his left flank cover his only available retreat path over Mill Creek. Sure enough, Howard's wing arrived on the field late on the afternoon of March 20 and extended Slocum's right flank. Johnson effectively lost the battle at that turning point.
On March 21, Union Major General Joseph A. Mower launched an unauthorized attack on the Confederate left flank, which was defending Mill Creek Bridge. Mower's men managed to come within one mile of the crossing before they were driven back. Among the Confederate casualties was Lieutenant General William J. Hardee's 16-year-old son, Willie. Hardee had reluctantly allowed his son to attach himself to the 8th Texas Cavalry just hours before Mower's attack.
During the night, Johnston withdrew his army across Mill Creek and burned the bridge behind him. Sherman took little notice and did not pursue the Confederates, but continued his march to Goldsboro. The Confederate army had failed in its last chance to achieve a decisive victory over the Union army in North Carolina.
Surrender at Bennett's Place, April 26, 1865
Sherman offered an armistice on April 17 and Johnston, whose army was vastly overmatched and totally defeated at the Battle of Bentonville, agreed. The two generals met three times in a farmhouse located seven miles from Durham Station (now Durham, North Carolina) known as Bennett's Place, before they agreed upon surrender terms.
Bennett's Place, photographed in 1904
The difficulty in reaching an agreement lay in part because Johnston's wanted more than the purely military surrender Sherman offered. Shernam's original terms matched those offered by Ulysses S. Grant to Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House. But Johnston, knowing it was all over, insisted on the resolution of political issues such as the reestablishment of state governments after the war.
Finally, the two generals did agree on terms of surrender, including the political issues, but Government officials in Washington turned them down flat in favor of a purely military surrender. Washington was really mad over the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln which had happened only a week before on April 14 and they wouldn't give an inch.
The next day, General Johnson met with Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Greensboro, North Carolina to discuss the tentative military surrender. Davis was irate at Washington's intransigence, and ordered Johnston to disband his infantry and escape with his mounted troops, but Johnston, disobeying these orders, signed the surrender terms anyway on April 26, 1865, thus ending the war for 90,000 men in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, including the three Black brothers of Company G; Adam Davis, Francis Putnam and John Columbus Black, who miracously somehow had survive the war.
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Adam Davis Black
Adam Davis Black (Ted's Great Granduncle) was born in Willington County, Al in 1830. He was the 3rd son of John C. (Columbus) Black (Ted's 2nd GreatGrandfather) and Jane Davis. His two older brothers were William Franklin Black (1826-?) and John Joseph (JJ) Black(1827-1854).
JJ died before the Civil War in 1854 at the early age of 27. It's possible that William Frank was in the war but we don't know for sure. A certain William E. Black is listed as a private in Company D from Bradley County, but there is some confusion about his middile initial. It is listed in one record as "F?". It's possible this was William Frank but we can't be sure because we don't know when or where he died.
At any rate, we do know that Adam Davis married a woman named Sophorina in Harrison Township, Union County, AR in 1854. We know they had at least 2 children, Mary in 1855 and Florence in 1858.
He and his family are listed as living with his father, John C., in Harrison Township, New London Post Office, Union County, AR in the 1860 Census.
Together with his younger brother, John Columbus, Jr., he helped raise a company of soldiers, nicknamed the "Arkansas Travelers' which became part of the 9th Arkansas Volunteers.
We know for sure that he enlisted at Pine Bluff, Arkansas on July 27, 1861 as a Sergeant. He was elected a 3rd lieutenant on March 13, 1863. He is listed as present in Company G on April 30, 1864. He is also listed as among those present at the surrender of the 9th Arkansas at Bennett's Place, North Carolina on April 26, 1865.
We don’t know what happened to him after the war. No record of him or his family has been found after 1865.
No further record of his father, John C. Black, has been found either. He must have died sometime during the Civil War or shortly thereafter in or near Harrison Township, but we just don't know.
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Francis Putnam Black
Francis Putnam Black (Ted's Great Grandfather) was born in Willington County, AL in 1833. He was the 4th son of John C. (Columbus) Black, and Jane Davis.
He married Mary Frances Miller in El Dorado, Union Co., AR on 23 December, 1858. Their first child, Susan Ida Black (Ted's mother's namesake) was born there in 1859.
He enlisted in the CSA at Corinth, Mississippi on May 11, 1862, shortly after the Battle of Shiloh and about a year after his 2 other brothers had signed up.
The Civil War records of the 9th Arkansas Infantry, Company G show that he was captured less than 2 months later at The Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4, 1863 and was paroled 4 days later on July 8, 1863.
Early in the war, because there were no places to detain prisoners, both sides released them on parole, on their oath not to take up arms until they had been formally exchanged for an enemy captive of equal rank. This practice evolved into a formal exchange system, but it didn’t work. Late in the war, the parole system was discontinued completely as the parolees on both sides simply picked up arms right away and started fighting again.
He was exchanged 5 months later at Demopolis, Alabama on November 14, 1863. He was probably at home in Union County from July to November, 1863.
He is listed as being present in Company G on April 30, 1864. The Regiment was in Mississippi at the time.
A year later, on April 9th, 1865, just before the Battle of Bentonville, he was transferred along with all the other survivers of Company G to Company I of the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles.
He was present when General Johnson surrendered to General Sherman at Bennett's Place, North Carolina on April 26, 1865 and went home.
Francis Putnam Black was probably at home in Union County, Arkansas several times during the war because two of his four sons were born there during it: John Frank in 1863, Raleigh Miller (Ted's Grandfather) in 1865. You can’t have children if you’re not there (well, your wife can, but then they are not yours then, are they?).
After the war, Francis Putnam Black’s two other sons were born: Edmond H. in 1867 and James Oscar in 1870.
Francis Putnam Black died on 31 December, 1874 in Hot Springs, Garland County, AR at the age of only 41.
We know that Mary Frances (Miller) Black married again in 1877 to a man named Issac Albaugh, by whom she had a son Charles Issac Albaugh. She died in Shereveport, LA in 1922 at the age of 82.
His 3rd son, Raleigh Miller Black married Katherine Susan Sarah (Kate) Irby on May 15,1900. Ted's mother, Susan Ida Black was born to them in Shreveport, LA on April 14, 1902.
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John Columbus Black, Jr.
John Columbus Black, Jr. was born on 8 August, 1836 in Willington County, AL, the 5th and final son of John C. Black and Jane Davis. Jane either died in childbirth or shortly thereafter. Some of the records indicate that John Columbus Black was a Jr.; therefore, it's possible the initial C. in his father’s name stood for Columbus, but this has never been proved by a written document. His father's name was always recorded simply as John C.
At the start of the Civil War, together with his older brother, Adam Davis, he mortgaged almost all of his property to raise a company of soldiers, which was nicknamed the “Arkansas Travelers”, which became part of the 9th Arkansas Volunteers.
He enlisted as a Corporal at Pine Bluff, Arkansas on July 27, 1861.
The 9th Infantry was in the famous charge on April 6, 1862 known as the "Hornet's Nest" at the Battle of Shiloh (visit A Family Divided) where General Albert Sidney Johnston died leading the 9th and other regiments, which were opposed by General Prentice's Federal brigade.
John Columbus was wounded in that action, but recovered and was promoted to Sergeant
on March 1, 1863.
Along with his brother Francis Putnam Black, he was captured at The Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4, 1863 and paroled 4 days later on July 8, 1863.
With what was left of Company G, he was exchanged at Demopolis, Alabama on November 14, 1863. While Francis Putnam probably went home in July, John Columbus is still listed as present in Company G at the exchange camp at Demopolis, Alabama as late as January 31, 1864.
The regiment was in the fighting at Corinth, Coffeyville, Edward's Depot, Baker's Creed and in the siege of Jackson, Mississippi.
From there the regiment went to Moulton, Ga., and was in all the great battles from Resaca to Jonesboro, and was at the fall of Atlanta. The regiment then followed General Hood in the Tennessee campaign, being engaged in the battles of Moon Station, Dalton, GA, Tuscumbia, AL, Spring Hill and Columbia,Tenn., and the fierce fighting at Franklin, TN, where 60% of the 9th's soldiers were lost.
Later, the regiment was in the fighting at the siege of Nashville, and was cut off when the defeat took place and was forced to fight its way out.
As were the few remaining members of the origional "Arkansas Travelers", John Columbus was transferred to Company I of the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles on April 9, 1865. He is listed as present in that unit on April 30, 1865.
The 9th was in the last charge at Bentonville, N. C., under General D. H. Reynolds of Arkansas, and surrendered with only a handful of men left.
He, too, is listed as present when General Johnson surrendered the entire Condeferate Army at Bennett's Place, NC on April 26, 1865.
Prior to the war John Columbus was fairly well off, owning a good sized farm and 10 slaves. After the war he was almost destitute, without slaves or property. He tried to start over in Arkansas. 4 of his 11 children were born there from 1866 to 1871.
But, life was difficult for John Columbus in Arkansas after the war, during the reconstruction, so he moved to Texas in 1872. The remainder of his 11 children were born there. He died in Rule, Lamar County, TX on 4 Nov, 1900.
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Tune "The Arkansas Traveler"
The introductory tune used on this page is "The Arkansas Traveler".
The Legend of the Arkansas Traveler
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The Traveler was exasperated. Lost in the woods with night coming on, needing food and shelter for himself and his horse, he had learned exactly nothing in a half-hour's conversation with a sassy Squatter who seemed interested only in endlessly fiddling a single tune.
"What are you playing that tune over so often for?" demanded the Traveler. "Only heard it yesterday. 'Fraid I'll forget it." "Why don't you play the second part of it?" "It ain't got no second part."
"Give me the fiddle," the Traveler ordered. He tuned it for a moment, then swung into the second part. The Squatter leaped up and began to dance, the sleeping hound awoke and thumped his tail, the children hopped up and down, and even the "old woman" came through the door with a smile twisting unaccustomed muscles on her face.
"Come in, stranger," roared the delighted Squatter. "Take a half a dozen cheers and sot down. Sall, stir yourself round like a six-horse team in a mud hole. Go round in the holler, whar I killed that buck this mornin', cut off some of the best pieces and fotch it and cook it for me and this gentleman directly. Raise up the board under the head of the bed and git the old black jug. Dick, carry the gentleman's hoss around under the shed, give him some fodder and corn, as much as he kin eat. Stranger, ef you can't stay as long as you please, and I'll give you plenty to eat and drink. Play away, stranger, you kin sleep on the dry spot tonight!"
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So goes the part of the dialogue that accompanies one of the nation's best-known fiddle tunes, "The Arkansaw Traveler." The state's historians are generally agreed that both the story (which is narrated, not sung) and the melody were composed by Colonel Sandford C. Faulkner (1803-74). Faulkner, a prominent planter, is supposed to have been inspired by a conversation with a backwoodsman in 1840. A few folklore students have credited the authorship to an Ohio Valley fiddler named Jose Tasso, but Faulkner's claim was so fully recognized during his lifetime that the manager of the old St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans is said to have lettered "The Arkansaw Traveler" in glit above the door of a room reserved for him.
Lyrics by the Arkansas State Song Selection Committee, 1947.
Music by Colonel Sanford (Sandy) Faulkner, about 1850
On a lonely road quite long ago,
A trav'ler trod with fiddle and a bow;
While rambling thru the country rich and grand,
He quickly sensed the magic and the beauty of the land.
Chorus
For the wonder state we'll sing a song,
And lift our voices loud and long.
For the wonder state we'll shout hurrah!
And praise the opportunities we find in Arkansas.
Many years have passed, the trav'lers gay,
Repeat the tune along the highway;
And every voice that sings the glad refrain
Re-echoes from the mountains to the fields of growing grain.
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This page and all genealogical data contained on it are Copyrighted © 2007
by Theodore C. Anderson
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