1962-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1962 May Voice | Page 7

Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse 5 Wilder Brigade's Theft Of Stallion In '64 Changed Breed History (Writer's Note—The following discussion of a Maury County event that took place in 1864—and changed Tennessee Walking Horse history—is based in large part upon att article written in 1927 by the late William J. Web­ ster, Jr., of Columbia. He died Aug. 8 , 1928. He authored an extended article on “The Origin of the Tennessee Pacer" that was published in book form. He also owned such Tennessee Walker sires as Allen Brooks and Major Allen, and also had noted mares. The administrator’s sale of his estate listed 26 horses. Me often selected the pacers driven by tlie immorLal Ed "Pop" Geers, a Maury County native who started his strides to worldwide fame at the old Maury County Fairgrounds. BAG.) Bin for a single incident of war­ fare in 1864—the veriest speck of an incident involving theft of a horse— it is fair to assume that Maury County might well have been “the Cradle of the Tennessee Walking Horse." Thus Columbia, not Wartrace in Bedford County 40 miles away, might have be­ come the focal point for breed devel­ opment some 55 years earlier than Wartrace won the name (in the 1920’s.) And the agricultural history of at least two countries, maybe all of Mid­ dle Tenn., could have been changed. And all the resultant developments about the breed in the 12-county Ten­ nessee Walking Horse Country of the state would have been entirely differ­ ent-including the Spring Jubilee with its two-night horse show featur­ ing the Walking Horse at Maury County Park on June 1-2, 1962. “Traveler” Seized By Union Raiders All these "ifs" and "maybes” are based upon conjectures of what might have happened if Union General John Thomas Wilder had not raided Mau­ ry County in 1864 shortly before he left the Union Army. At that time he and his Indiana Lightning Brigade seized McMeen’s Traveler—possibly the most prepotent Tennessee Walk­ ing Horse sire in all history—and left him dead by the roadside during his brigade's race to elude possible pur­ suers on horseback. And among those pursuers was one of the unsung “heroines of the Con­ federacy"—Mrs. William J. Webster, the Third, widowed daughter of Sheriff Nimrod Porter. (And on the basis of a long evening spent in study­ ing Sheriff Porter’s diary of Civil War days at the home of a relative now living in Columbia, the Voice Editor concludes that Mrs. Webster’s long ride amid great excitement may have contributed to her fatal illness from pneumonia a few months afterwards.) These ideas entertained by the Voice Editor are not mere imaginings —but logical thoughts evolved from an analysis of the article printed in Vol. 1, No. 1 of the Tennessee Walk­ ing Horse Magazine, published by the late Jimmy Joe Murray in January, 1945. It was written by the late Wil­ liam J. Webster, Jr., mentioned in the fore word. Mr. Webster’s acute information on Lhe general subject of the Tennessee Pacer was derived through his heri­ tage. He was 52 years old when he wrote the article in 1927, and his father was then active at age 79. The writer was the fourth in name and line descending from a W. J. Webster who came from North Carolina in the early settlement of Maury County. All were horse-lovers and horse-breeders. Pioneer Horse-Breeders His father and Major Campbell Brown and Capt. M. C. Campbell were pioneers in development of high milk productivity in Jersey cows—im­ porting animals from Denmark. Ma­ jor Brown and Captain Campbell were also pioneers in developing pac­ ing speed in the native saddle horse, then known as the “Copperbottoms." W. J. Webster branched off into the Thoroughbreds while his Son “went both ways." The son had access to a very thorough and painstaking written record of letters, catalogued and left by Major Brown. His published article drew much material from these let­ ters. This article says, in part: "That the early settlers brought their saddle horses with them there is no doubt. That later on this became a great Thoroughbred breeding and racing center is proved by the history that this strain made in both service and racing. These Thoroughbred stal­ lions are close up in the pedigrees of saddle stallions that we have been able to trace. Sought Running Walk Gait “The early breeders of this strain of saddle horse had but one object in view, that of gait. They sought to produce a horse that could fox-walk or running-walk naturally. It must be done naturally in order to be main­ tained over the long distances en­ countered at that period. It must be easy to both rider and horse. A tired horse makes a tired rider. That they succeeded is borne out by the fact that at this late date, there does not exist a family or strain of horses than can go these gaits over a distance, but the Hal. (Note—this article was written before the great Tennessee Walking Horse family traced to Allan F-l had become so prominent. Later when the Tennessee Walking Horse Breed­ ers’ Assn, was formed in 1935 Lhere was conjecture whether Allan (Black Allen) or Tom Hal F-20 would be chosen the No. I sire. This factor is discussed in the book— Biography of the Tennessee Walking Horse, ft is indicated that the many different prom­ inent horses named Tom Hal militated against a No. 1 selection. An entire chapter is devoted to this discussion.) “- ■ ■ As before noted, there was for a long early period a continual move­ ment of horses between this section and the Carolina. And the towns of Halifax and Wartenton, N. G., show most frequent mention. “In Willoughby Williams’ corre­ spondence with Gen. Andrew Jackson will be found reference to the bringing of ‘Free and Easy’ (the General’s mount) to Warren County, N. C. in 1790. ‘As was his name, so was his gait.’ He was later followed by Ranger of the same Narragansett strain. While still later, in 1823, Cop- perbottom, a Canadian and Thor­ oughbred, was brought from Ken­ tucky as a colt. “Further on in this correspondence, Mr. Williams alluded to Old Copper- bottom having been brought from North Carolina to Tennessee in 1843 at the age of 20, where he made three seasons and died in 1846. He was described as a chestnut or liverroan, and a great sire of saddle horses. “Tradition tells us that this strain of saddle horses was much improved as to appearance upon the free use of Thoroughbred in this section. But they began to lose that precision of gait, which became forced and diffi­ cult of maintenance. Four Copperboltom Sires “And about this time we have the arrival of Old Copperbottom, a tried and proven sire of saddle horses. This was in 1843. As a check on this old horse, we find that from 1848 to the beginning of the Civil War, there stood in this section four chestnut roan Copperbottoms as follows: Morrill's Copperbottom at Corners- (Continued on Page 6)