Them Tarheels

From the July 8th Keeping it Heel "So What Is a Tarheel?" by Bryant.

People know the name TARHEEL is the nickname of the state's university and of the state.  But where did they get it?  Exactly what is a Tarheel?  Surely it isn't a type of a goat as the school's mascot appears to be.

There are two stories.  One I will blog here and the other in a bit on my Civil War blog "Saw the Elephant."

The first story goes to the Revolutionary War.  British soldiers under Lord Cornwallis were fording a river in the eastern part of the state on their way to Yorktown.  When they got to the other side, they discovered their feet were covered with tar, a product of the pine trees and naval stores that the state produced.

Some say the North Carolina soldiers dumped tar in the river to slow the British advance down.  The British supposedly said that if you wade in a North Carolina river you're likely to get tar on your heels. 

I wonder if they were fording through the Tar River or going to Tarboro?

Well, Shiver Me Timbers and Patch It With Tar.  --Cooter