River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-07-13
IN 1870.
Men ana Manners In America One Hundred
Years Ago.

OF history, biography, personal feml.
niscences, letters, and cosby sketches
Mr.. Scudder has selected mass Of
diversified material for the illustration
of life in the American Colonies at the
era of the Revolution. Amid the
heterogeneous collection, there are
entertaining portraitures Of individual
character, delineations of local Gus.
toms, recitals of influential events and
of lively anecdotes, that throw much
light on interesting period our his.
tory, The compiler has contented him.
self with choosing and arranging his
extracts in consecutive order, introduce
ing only such comments Of his own rs
were necessary TO a clear understand.
ing of fragmentary passages. lmita-
ting his eXemple, we Gull from his
store Il few paragraphs that bear a
promise of interest for our readers:
"The stalwart backWo0dsmen who
FASTENED on the first call to the Ameri.
can camp, to engage In the defense Of
their country, were noted for their
skill in the use Of the rifle by practice
from childhood in shooting 1t a long
range. they had acquired a keen eye
and a steady aim, and the mark at
which they pulled trigger was rarely
missed. a company Of these expert
rhemen under the command Of Capt.
Cfesap, stopped, on their way to the
general rendezvous, at Lancaster, Pa,
and there astonished the citizens with
IN exhibition of their sharp-shooting.
The Virginia Gazette published an &C.
count Of the affair, in the course of
which it remarked:
.These men have been bred in the
woods to hardships and dangers from
their infancy. They appear as ii they
were entirely unacquainted with. and
had never felt. the passion of fear.
With their rifles In THEN hands. they
assume kind of omnipotence over
their enemies. One cannot much won.
der at this, when mention fact which
can be fully attested by several Of the
reputable persons who were eye.wit-
nesses Of il. Two brothers in the com.
pany took a piece Of hoard 8 inches
road and inches long, with o bit Of
white paper, about the size Of q dollar,
nailed in the centre. and while one Of
them supported this board perpcndi.
cnlarily between his knees. the other.
at distance of upwards OF 80 yards.
and without any kind Of rest. and
shot eight bullets through it success
siyely, and spared brothers thigh.
Another OF the company held 4 barrel.
stave perpendicularly in his hands,
with one edge close TO his side while
one of his comrades, at the same dis.
lance and in the manner before men.
toned. shot several bullets through it
without any apprehension of danger
on either side. The spectators, appear
ing TO be amazed ut these feats, were
told that there were upwards Of fifty
persons in the same company who could
DO the same thing that there was not
one who could not plug nineteen bal.
lets out Of twenty, rs they termed il,
within an inch of the head of a ten.
penny.nail. In short, to evince the
conf ence they possessed in their dex.
terity ut this kind of arms. some of
them proposed to stand with apples on
their heads, while others, at the same
distance, undertook to shoot them off
but the people who saw the other ex.
periments declined to be witnesses of
IT,"
In the early part Of the War Of the
Revolution, the American army was
wretchedly equipded with arms and
munitions, and was almost entirely
wanting discipline Tie study Of
military regulations had not entered
into the education OF the colonists,
whose activities had been chiefly en-.
ployed in subduing the forests, break
ing wild lands, and developing the
agricultural and commercial resources
of new and thinly.settlcd country.
When they seized their guns and rang.
ed themselves with the militia, il was
with little idea of acknowledging sll.
periors, obeying orders, or submitting
to the rigid routine of the soldier i
profession Each one regarded him.
self as holding an independent com.
mand, and at liberty to do his lighting
ION his own hook. The army was,
In fact, scarcely more than q mob clad
In motley, and in unison upon the sin.
gle idea Of resisting the encroach.
ments Of the enemy. An incident
illustrating the general insuhnrdina-
ton of the rank.and.lile is told hy
Elkanah Watson in his "Nlen and
Times of the Revolution. The writer
had charge Of the delivery of uuant.
ity Of gunpowder ut Cambridge. and
says, in narrating the circumstances
"While passing through the camp !
overheard a dialogue between a Cap
tain Of the militia and one Of his pri
Yates, which forcihly illustrated the
character and condition of this army
"Bill, said the Captain, "gn ant
bring pail Of water for the mess.
~ shant was the reply of Bill. 1T
Is your turn, now, Captain | got TIN
last. Even the elements of suhnrdi
nation had then scarcely been intro
duced. officers and men had rushed
to the4 field under the ardent impuls,
of a common patriotism and the Sc
lectuns of the former hy the troops
or their appointments, which first oe
Cured, were rather accidental ant
temporary than controlled from ans
regard TO superior position or require
ment. All, to great extent. had oc
cupied AZ home a social equality, til,
influence of which still remained. Tie
distinctions Of rank and the restraint,
of military discipline and etiquette
were yet TO he established.
The same chatty author. who. after
short career IS a soldier, entered on
the pursuit Of merchant, furnishe,
some amusing recollections of Ms
Wright, M eccentric woman with I
remarkable talent for modelling por
traits in wax. Her cutlery of wax fg
ures was vely popular IN Londo ant
she herself excited 4 good deal OF al
tcntion by her original character m,
independent manners. She was at