The combination became the “jayhawk,” a bird unknown to ornithology. The name was inspired primarily by the predatory habits of the hawk, but it implied, too, the noisy, mischievous nature of the jay. “Jayhawker” originated in Kansas, and according to some authorities, it came into use in the late 1840s. Originally, “jayhawker” referred to Union sympathizers, “bushwhacker” to Confederate sympathizers, but the distinction lost much of its meaning in the chaos of war. While their application and meaning were never precise-a problem compounded by being woven into postwar folklore-they generally bore negative connotations. Jayhawker and bushwhacker designate the principal warring parties in the Civil War’s guerrilla conflict, although the names were not unique to Arkansas and actually predated the war by many years. You can find this and other Civil War Arkansas entries at. Another Civil War Arkansas entry from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, this one on Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers by Daniel Sutherland of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |