Old Soldier Barnes was a Civil War veteran from Pennsylvania who became a very popular professional ultrarunner in his early 50s. He must have not worn his age well, because people always thought he was much older than he really was. He entered the sport when the six-day race was making a comeback in Pennsylvania, about 20 years since its heyday in the 1800s when it was a huge spectator sport, watching walkers and runners go in circles for six days trying to travel as many miles as possible.

There was a brief resurgence of six-day "go as you please" races in America from 1898-1903 until states passed laws to halt these all-day and all-night running affairs along with similar six-day bicycle races.

Soldier Barnes, in his 50s, became a highly competitive tough multi-day runner who was well-respected and always a crowd favorite. He was one of the most prolific six-day runners of that time. This article will follow his participation in the sport and hopefully leave readers with a deep understanding of the fascinating six-day running races that were held about 120 years ago.