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This article is about the North Carolinian nickname. For the athletics teams of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, see North Carolina Tar Heels. The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Postcard published during the American Civil War showing the image of a Tar Heel from the North Carolina Archives
Postcard published during the American Civil War showing the image of a Tar Heel from the North Carolina Archives

Tar Heel is a nickname applied to the state and inhabitants of North Carolina

The exact etymology of the nickname is unknown, but most experts believe its roots come from the fact that tar, pitch and turpentine created from the vast pine forests were one of North Carolina's most important exports early in the state's history. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Tar is a viscous black Liquid derived from the Destructive distillation of organic matter Pitch is the name for any of a number of highly viscous Liquids which appear Solid. Turpentine (also called spirit of turpentine oil of turpentine wood turpentine gum turpentine is a fluid obtained by the Distillation of Resin obtained from trees This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. [1]

Because the exact history of the term is unknown, many legends have developed to explain it. Some people believe it to be a nickname given during the U. S. Civil War, due to the state's importance on the Confederate side. "The North Carolina's troops stuck to their ranks like they had tar on their heels," you will hear some Southerners say.

A town in Bladen County, North Carolina, is also named Tar Heel. Bladen County is a County located in the US state of North Carolina. Tar Heel is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, in the United States. The term Tar Heel gained popularity during the civil war.

Contents

History of term

Front page of the first issue of The Tar Heel, which was later renamed The Daily Tar Heel.
Front page of the first issue of The Tar Heel, which was later renamed The Daily Tar Heel. The Daily Tar Heel (commonly referred to as the DTH) is the independent student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In its early years as a colony, North Carolina settlements became an important source of the naval stores tar, pitch, and turpentine especially for the English navy. Naval Stores is a broad term which originally applied to the Resin -based components used in building and maintaining wooden Sailing ships a category which includes At one time, an estimated 100,000 barrels of tar and pitch were shipped annually to England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland [1] Historians Hugh Lefler and Albert Newsome claim in North Carolina: the History of a Southern State (3rd edition, 1973) that North Carolina led the world in production of naval stores, from about 1720 to 1870. [2] Tar and pitch were largely used to paint the bottom of wooden British ships in order to both seal the ship and to prevent shipworm from damaging the hull. Shipworms are not worms at all but rather a group of unusual saltwater clams with very reduced shells notorious for boring into (and eventually destroying wooden structures which [3]

At the time, tar was created by piling up pine logs and burning them until hot oil seeped out from a canal. The vast production of tar from North Carolina led many, including Walt Whitman, to give the derisive nickname of "Tarboilers" to the residents of North Carolina. Walter Whitman (May 31 1819 &ndash March 26 1892 was an American poet, Essayist journalist, and humanist. [1] North Carolina was nicknamed the "Tar and Turpentine State" because of this industry. [1]

Somehow, these terms evolved until the nickname Tar Heel was used to refer to residents of North Carolina and gained prominence during the American Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South During this time, the nickname Tar Heel was a pejorative, similar to how the nickname white trash is used today, but starting around 1865, the term began to be used as a source of pride. White trash is a Pejorative term targeted at lower social class White people with poor prospects and/or low levels of education Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year [1]

In 1893, the students of the University of North Carolina founded a newspaper and christened it The Tar Heel, which was later renamed The Daily Tar Heel. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC, North Carolina, or simply Carolina) is a public, Coeducational Research The Daily Tar Heel (commonly referred to as the DTH) is the independent student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [1] By the early 1900s the term was embraced by many as a non-derisive term for North Carolinians by those from and outside the state of North Carolina. [1]

Legendary explanations

The following legends and anecdotes have arisen trying to explain the history of the term Tar Heel.

River fording by General Cornwallis

According to this legend, the troops of British General Cornwallis during the American Revolutionary War were fording what is now known as the Tar River between Rocky Mount and Battleboro when they discovered that tar had been dumped into the stream to impede the crossing of British soldiers. Charles Cornwallis 1st Marquess Cornwallis ( 31 December 1738 &ndash 5 October 1805) was a British military commander and colonial In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" The Tar River is a River that is approximately 346 kilometers (215 miles long of northeast North Carolina flowing generally southeast to an Estuary of Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award -winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the U Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award -winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the U When they finally got across the river, they found their feet completely black with tar. Thus, the soldiers observed that anyone who waded through North Carolina rivers would acquire "tar heels. "[1]

Ability to hold ground

In the third volume of Walter Clark's Histories of the Several Regiments from North Carolina in the Great War, the author explains that the nickname came from the North Carolina troops ability to hold their ground during a battle. According to the book, North Carolina troops held their ground during a battle in Virginia during the American Civil War while other supporting troops retreated. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South For other meanings see Withdrawal (disambiguation. A withdrawal is a type of Military operation, generally meaning retreating After the battle, supporting troops asked the victorious North Carolinians: "Any more tar down in the Old North State, boys?" and they replied: "No, not a bit; old Jeff's bought it all up. Tar is a viscous black Liquid derived from the Destructive distillation of organic matter North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Jefferson Finis Davis ( June 3, 1808 &ndash December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as President of the " The supporting troops continued: "Is that so? What is he going to do with it?" The North Carolinian troops' response: "He is going to put it on you'ns heels to make you stick better in the next fight. The ComBat was an Aluminium Cricket bat and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA cricket ground in Perth in December 1979. "[4]

Reluctant secession

The State of North Carolina was one of the last states to secede from the United States of America (Tennessee was the last to do so) and as a result the state was nicknamed the "reluctant state" by others in the south. Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity The joke circulating around at the beginning of the war went something like this: " Got any tar?"- "No, Jeff Davis has bought it all. Jefferson Finis Davis ( June 3, 1808 &ndash December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as President of the "- "What for?"- "To put on you fellow's heels to make you stick. " As the war continued, many North Carolinian troops developed smart replies to this term of ridicule. Such as when the 4th Texas Infantry lost its flag at Sharpsburg. Passing by the 6th North Carolina a few days afterwards, the Texans called out, "Tar Heels!", and the reply was, "Ifin you had had some tar on your heels, you would have brought your flag back from Sharpsburg. "[5]

Robert E. Lee quotation

The book Grandfather Tales of North Carolina History (1901) states that:

During the late unhappy war between the States it [North Carolina] was sometimes called the "Tar-heel State," because tar was made in the State, and because in battle the soldiers of North Carolina stuck to their bloody work as if they had tar on their heels, and when General Lee said, "God bless the Tar-heel boys," they took the name. (p. 6)[6]

A letter found in 1991 by North Carolina State Archivist David Olson somewhat supports this theory that Lee might have stated something similar to this. The letter dated from 1864 (in the North Carolina "Tar Heel Collection") a Colonel Joseph Engelhard described the Battle of Ream's Station in Virginia. First Battle of Ream's Station was a battle during the American Civil War. In that letter he states: "It was a 'Tar Heel' fight, and . . . we got Gen'l Lee to thanking God, which you know means something brilliant. "[7][8]


Early known uses of the term

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Article on history of term from UNC Alumni webpage.
  2. ^ State Symbols from NC library
  3. ^ Article on shipworm
  4. ^ Tar Heel Traditions. Carolina Traditions. Retrieved on March 22, 2005.
  5. ^ Origins of the Term Tarheel. 1st NC Cavalry. Retrieved on November 1, 2006. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  6. ^ NC State library page
  7. ^ Link to scan of actual letter
  8. ^ Link to NC State library page
  9. ^ Link to Diary of William B. A. Lowrance, November 2, 1862-February 6, 1863.
  10. ^ Link to NC State library page
  11. ^ Link to pdf of Sheet Music.

See also

Further reading

External links

Dictionary

Tar Heel

-noun

  1. A native or resident of the American state of North Carolina.
  2. A player on a sports team representing the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  3. A student of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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