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)