It was written by Dan Emmett in 1861 as a sequel to the immensely popular walkaround "Dixie".
The sheet music was first published that same year by Firth, Pond & Company in an arrangement by C. S. Grafully.
Despite the publisher's claim that "I'm Going Home to Dixie" had been "Sung with tumultuous applause by the popular Bryant's Minstrels", the song lacked the charm of its predecessor,[1] and it quickly faded into obscurity.
[2] Its tune simply repeated Emmett's earlier walkaround "I Ain't Got Time to Tarry" from 1858.
Hence it is but fair to conclude, that all south of the Mason's & Dixon's Line is the true "Dixies Land.