Charles Mackay. Our Way Across the Mountain, Ho! Composed & Respectfully Dedicated to M.M. Noah, Esq. As a Slight Token of Grateful Remembrance of Early Kindness to a Stranger, by Henry Russell.

Henry Russell (1812 or 1813-1900) was an English pianist, baritone singer and composer. Born into a distinguished Jewish family, Russell was a great-nephew of Chief Rabbi Solomon Hirschell. The composer lived in the United States from 1835 to 1841, whereupon he returned to England and spent the remainder of his artistic career producing musical extravaganzas. The present song is one of many instances of collaboration between lyricist Charles Mackay and musical composer Henry Russell. Other songs of theirs are: "There's a Good Time Coming," "Cheer, Boys, Cheer," and "To the West." Mordecai Manuel Noah (1785-1851) has rightfully been described as the most influential Jew in the United States in the early nineteenth century. In 1813, he was appointed American Consul to Tunis, where after a two year posting, Noah returned to the United States and for the next several years was editor of the National Advocate, whereby he gained access to Tammany politics. In addition to his career as a newspaperman, Noah wa a prolific playrightt, but is perhaps most famous today for his "Ararat" scheme, which was an attempt to establish a semi-autonomous Jewish colony on Grand Island in the Niagara River near Buffalo, New York