The TRAVELERS of Middle Tennessee refer to a family of horses considered by authorities of their time to be the greatest group of saddle animals that ever lived.  The head of the family was McMEEN'S TRAVELER, without question one of the most outstanding sires of saddle horses that America has produced.  McMeens Traveler was a great Saddlebred stallion from central Tennessee. He was captured when the Union army attacked his hometown. The Union soldiers took Traveler and six or eight of his colts and fillies. The kidnapping of McMeens Traveler was a huge loss to the town. One woman decided to rescue him. She rode 30 miles to plead with a Union general to help her find the stallion. She convinced the general that Traveler was too old to be useful to the Union army. The woman's concern for the horse persuaded the general and he agreed to help her find the stallion. Together they searched for the horse. They found McMeens Traveler lying dead on the side of the road. Traveler was lost, but 57 of his sons and daughters fought with the Confederate army. More than 40 of them lived through the war. They passed the Walking Horse gaits to the next generation. It has been said that Traveler never sired a 'sorry' offspring, and his colts always brought fancy prices.  Records show that one of his sons, a 12 year old grey gelding, brought $1,000 in gold during those hard times. 

This Middle Tennessee family is not to be confused with the mount used by General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War.   While many of McMEENS TRAVELER's colts distinguished themselves in that war, no evidence has been found which would tie Lee's horse to the Middle Tennessee family.  In fact, one Thomas L. Broun, writing July, 1898, issue of "THE CONFEDERATE VETERAN" magazine states that he bought Lee's horse as a two year-old and that the animal was bred in Greenbriar County, Virginia, and was from the GREY EAGLE Thoroughbred family. 

Unlike some of the other family heads that contributed to the Walking Horse, the pedigree of McMEEN'S TRAVELLER was royal in nature, although there is some disagreement between breeds as to the actual carriers of the bloodline.  On his sire's side McMEEN’S TRAVELLER was by STUMP THE DEALER, by TIMOLEON, by SIR ARCHY, by DIOMED,  the Thoroughbred that won the first English Derby in 1780.  On his dam, Betsy Baker's side he traces to ALGERINE, a distinguished product of the WHIP family.   Betsy Baker was also the dam of Pat Malone F-27.   

The Foundation Walking horse descendants of McMeen’s Traveller are: Eddie Hal F-14;  General Hardee F-21; John A. F-32;  King Allen F-34;  Walter Direct F-68; Dillard Direct F-87; Billie Coffey F-92; Napoleon Direct F-94;  Eddie H. Hal F-95; John Stovall F-104;  Country Boy F-105;  Allen Brooks F-107.

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