Here is another version as to the author.My Dad sang this song in the 1930s and maybe the words he used weren't the same as they are today but they were very close as I remember.He said he brought this song to Idaho from West Virginia in 1915 and he also said it was written bya Negro(meaning no disrespect to anyone and if I offended anuone by using the word Negro I apoligize)but these are his words in 1930 and he also said it was written in 1863 during the Civil War and if you listen to the words I'm sure it is true.How many years will the cannon balls fly before they're forever banned----How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry---How many years can people exist before they're allowed to be free and many other lines throughout the entire song,Anyway I know the original song was written many years before 1960 Louie Roy