Nebraska advertiser., 1864-07-07
re RLUE HEN,s CHICKENs.

The following account OF the origin o.
the tile Of the blue Hens Chickens,
which the Delawarians are proud to
claim, IS authentic, and was vOuched for
BY the late John M. Clayton:
Atthe commencement Of the Revolu-
tiOpary war there resided in Sussex cOun-
ty,, Delaware. q gentleman Of f~OrtHne'
.urbanity Of manners, and popularity in
that and the adjoining county of Mary
lara, named Caldwell, in the language
Of the county called "Kildwell." He
wa a sportsman, whose breed Of horses
and eame-cocks obtained wide celebrity;
and his Judgement Of the points of a
horse or the make Of q fowl none ven
tured 10 dispute. His favorite axiom
was, the character of the progeny depends
more on the mother than on the father,
and hence his reply TO all questions re-
specsing the breed of game fowls was, be
your cock ever so game, you cannot de-
pend on his progeny, but must look to the
hen. NV observation has led me. to Sc
lect a blue hen, and in no instance have
Ifailed to hatch a good game-cock from
abIue hens egg. In consequence Of such
an opinion expressed by sucha man, at
all matches and cock fights, the first,
question was as TO the color of the hen,
and frequently a certificate sworn to be-
fore a magistrate accompanied the fowls.
Such questions engaged the time of the
peaceful men Of Delaware when the
news reached them Of the battle of Lex
ingtOn, fought on the 18th day Of April,
IT'S, between the royal troops and the
militia of, Massachusetts. This reused
the people to arms, and nowhere was
there more martial spirits displayed than
in the State Of Delaware. Ina very shor.
time a full regiment was raised, and a
day appointed to organize on Dover
Green. On the morning Of that ever
memorable day a full company firm Sus-
sex county was the first to enter the field,
1nder the command Of Captain Kildwell.
Peering above the loaded baggage wag-
on was a coop of fowls, the famous blue
hens chickens, Growing Justify.
Having been the first on the ground,
Captain "Kildwell's'' company was as.
signed 10 the right and before the reg
iment took up the line of march, the
boys were already called the game cocks,
who retorting to their comrads, called
them the chicknes. After their gallant
conduct in Conceiving the retreat on
Long Island, the whole army saluted the
whole regiment as the "blue hens chick.
ems"
HISTORY TELLS Us or THEIR DEEDS.
They were on Long Island, and cover
ed the retreat; they were at Trenton
and Princeton, at Brandywine, German
town and Monmouth, in the north and
when the tories in the Carolinas had
made their peace with CORVALLIS, and
driven the wings to the mountains, lower
Virginia over rum, her Governor and
legislature fed to Carriers mountain, a
force was gathered at the North, under
GsSeral Gates, and pushed South; TO
these were attached the troops sf Della
ware and Maryland, forming a brigade
under the Baron De Kalb. Or the fatal
field Of Camden " KLdwell fell-there
the game cock fought his last round
Lee, in his memoirs of the Southern war,
tells US:
"The regiment Of Delaware was near
y a~nnihilated, and Lieutenant Colonel
Vaughan and Major Patton being taken,
Its remnant, less than two companies,
were afterwards placed under the orders
Of Kirkwood, senior captain. Contrary to
the usual course Of events and the gener-
al wish, the Virginians (who broke and
fed at the FIRST fire, and who set the In
curious example which produced the de-
~struction Of our army escaped entirely"
But the spirit of Delaware was not to
be subdusd fresh recruits soon joined,
and again we find the "Chickens" fight.
ing under Green at Guilford-and final
ly present at Yorktown on The 18th of
October, 1881; Wien CORVALLIS surren-
dered, and the war of the revolution
closed in triumph.
OF DELAWARE!
The FIRE kindled on the 10th of April,
l775. al Lexington, bIazed in the breast
of your sires. Above, you have a brief
record of their deeds,
The FIRE on Sumpter, on the 18th of
April, IS6l-where it took seven thous.
and of the descendants of the tories of
The Revolution to overcome seventy half
starved defenders Of our glorious flag
has reused you to arms. Soon you will
be in the field. Garry with you the re-
nemberance Of the deeds performed by
your fathers.
When you enter Virginia remember