I've just done an extensive data search of sheet music, books, periodicals, and newspapers.

The only new information I can report is that the "Civil War" version is *not* (as some believe) the same song or tune as "The Bright Sunny South," by F. M. Prince and A. Scherzer, published by Klemm & Bro, of Philadelphia in 1848:

http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/sheetmusic&CISOPTR=23969&REC=1

It looked like a good lead, though.