Edward Zane Carroll Judson Sr. (March 20, 1821 – July 16, 1886), known by his pseudonym Ned Buntline, was an American publisher, journalist, and writer. Early life and military service Judson was born on March 20, 1821, in Harpersfield, New York. He moved with his parents to Bethany, Pennsylvania, in 1826, and later to Philadelphia in 1834. His father, Levi Carroll Judson, was a lawyer and wanted his son to be a clergyman. In November 1834, Judson ran away to sea as a war soldier, and the next year shipped on board a Navy vessel. A number of years later, he rescued the crew of a boat that had been run down by a Fulton Ferry in New York's East River. As a result, he received a commission as a midshipman in the Navy from President Martin Van Buren on February 10, 1838, and was assigned to the USS Levant. He later served on the USS Constellation and the USS Boston. As a seaman, he served in the Seminole Wars, but he saw little combat. After 4 years at sea, he resigned. During the Civil War, he enlisted in the 1st New York Mounted Rifles and rose to the rank of sergeant before he was dishonorably discharged for drunkenness. Early literary efforts Judson's first publication was an adventure story in The Knickerbocker in 1838. He spent several years in the East starting up newspapers and story papers, only to have most of them fail. An early success that helped launch his fame was The Mysteries and Miseries of New York, a gritty serial story of the Bowery and slums of New York City. He was an opinionated man and strongly advocated nativism and temperance; he also became a leader in the Know Nothing movement. In 1844, he adopted the pen name "Ned Buntline". "Buntline" is the nautical term for a rope at the bottom of a square sail. In 1841, Buntline's father, Levi Carroll Judson, his wife, and his daughter moved to Pittsburgh, where Levi set up a law practice and his wife and daughter Irene opened a select school in the basement of the First Baptist Church. Here, the Judson and Allen families became acquainted. Rebecca Allen and Irene Judson were teaching at the time and became social friends. Through this connection, William and George Allen, Rebecca's brothers, became friends with Buntline when he arrived in Pittsburgh in December