Walkin' Slow and Singing 'em Ol' Sad Songs

Walkin' Slow is not about plumed hats elegant graceful generals and gentlemen with extensive education bowing and curtseying to each other. It is not about great ballroom waltzes fabulous gowns and elaborate dinning halls with all manners of wonderful foods. It is not about Glory and Excellence. It is about real down to earth hard fighting and hard working people with common sense - no theatrics. They enjoyed square dancing fiddles banjos and seldom had enough food to keep that old demon called Hunger away from their tables. They didn't apologize for their dirty work clothes brogans and their small dirt farms. They took pride in their freedom beliefs rights and honor - always honor! Their desire for state rights and freedom drove young Moses A. Haralson and his cousin Rufus Haralson of Atkins Arkansas into the War Between the States. Their state was being invaded from the north and they felt sure they would have to fight or surrender all they held dear to the Union. Any genuine person who had any honor or guts at all would fight - never surrender and fight they did! Moses and Rufus volunteered together to fight for the Confederate States. Providing their own horses and rifles they were assigned to the Second Arkansas Mounted Rifles Co. B. Under Colonel James McIntosh. Their first taste of battle was near Springfield Missouri. Thereafter they fought through Missouri Arkansas Mississippi Tennessee Kentucky Alabama and Georgia. Moses was seriously wounded in the Battle of Chickamauga. He was later captured in Mississippi and sent to a POW camp. Rufus continued in battle through Georgia South and North Carolina. Moses was released from prison in Alabama two months after Lee surrendered. He made his was home desperate destroyed and starved. He found the homefolks safe - but desperate and starving. Ten years of reconstruction was no better than the war had been: destruction theft and battles. Moses participated wholeheartedly!