It seems pretty clear, since no one can come up with who Abner was, that he was a mythical character. Or was he?

In what is clearly a song based on an historical incident, it strikes me as odd that the Yankees would come all the way to Baldwin (or Baldwyn) expecting to find old Abner only to learn that he had given them the slip.

People, not even Yankees, don't mount expeditions to strange places looking for an old slave or someone's mule, or vice versa.

I think Dale Cox, Steve Mayeaux, Bryan Howerton, Art Bergeron, Dave Edmonds or some other big WBTS gun needs to weigh in on this one. Attn: WBTS scholars, thesis topic here!

Not even the minstrels know! Amazing.