The Press., 1889-09-19

S0G 64o66, DuI IOun0- 66vcf6l Ot10f pOOf boys who were in the same boat, and we run in gang to ourselves that day; none of us knew anything abont secession, and word but we were secessionists all the same, and were willing to fight for 1t. And, by Saint Paul, we did light for 1t besides this, we were good fighters, and let me tell you, during the next four years, we killed more Yankees than we had soldiers in our whole army 1; i and even now they say there Is more old union soldiers draw ing pensions from the government than we ever had soldiers in all the confederaey. Put this fin your pipe and smoke 1t, Mir. Yankee, whenever you feel like you want to bkag about licking somebody, now, now.
 Before the secession, question came upon us, we didn't have any solid south down here, but we had some mighty solid men. Among those solid men was Scotch Irish man, whom we will now call sSquire." He was union man, and was invited to
 make . speech at this secession meeting.
 The squire said in his speech that we had the best government in the world, and that the union was heritage left us by our fathers; and he said that the politi- tians who were favorine secession in the south didn't know what they were doing, 0uu tilat tu0y W0E6 CfAXys .... .......... ta ... The old major, with his kersey brooches on and red russet shoes, then took the stand, and there 1t was that saw the first bioW-hard wah hoes had up to that time ever seen. The old blOW-har major was tolerably drunk, therefore got his couraoe up, and he shut off his mouth at the suuire and the union and the Yankees but his neighbors said when the war was over that he never shot of anything else but his mouth during the whole war. Albeit. he deserves full credit for shooting off his mouth, mind you, because we all heard him do it.
 He said in his speech that the union was the creature, and the people the ere at0r. and that the creature never could be greater than its creator. When the old major brought this out, we all whooped and hollered, and the old major had red headed nigger overseer at the meeting who would sometimes scream and yell a most inspiriting and yariegated yell, which yell was sort of blend between the yowl of tom cat and the scream of & panther.
 This was the first yelling of the kind that l had ever heard, therefore believed that this red-headed rOoster-overseer, mean is fully entitled to the discovery of the celebrated and historical ''rebel yell" The old major. had his way, however the state seceeded, and then came the tug ot-war, but the twenty niggers exemption law, passed by the democratic confederate congress, somehow prevented the old ma lor and all of his boys from taking an act i've part in the confederate army: and there being nothing mean about the major. he made bogus sale of twenty niggers to his red-headed overseer, and kept him out ot the army too. Soon after this meeting the state seceeded, and we made up a company to go off and clean out the Yan- kees-to have little fun, then come home and tell about 1t.
 The most of our company were school boys, but we had one married man among us, and he was, as old General Lee would have said, Ca bad man" very bad man, from the pine flats, on Hoss river. He was always getting drunk and wanting to fight somebody, and he could talk bigger and blow harder than the old major him
 The very first night after y,sun we stopped at the co1a1k
 this blow-hard wan ~ |,|
 and slipped up behind had boarding house and stuck all 1
 in him. The boys were all afraid that when we got to where the Yankees were,
 
 before the balance of us conld get one.a- piece, and I really felt sorry for the poor Yankees, because was sure that he wOnld kill them in some very brutal and inhuman manner.
 In due course of time one beautiful Sun day morning, when we were out looking for Yankees, we found some up there at Shiloh then we formed a tsstreak of fight" Shortly after the old caanons be- gan to boom, boom, boom. boom, and I saw our blow-h hard hoss slip deck of cards out of his pocket and throw them on the ground, then the musketry tore loose on our right, like ten thousand clattering wheels of h-h-hereafter itself, and then came courier at full speed on his horse and said something to our colonel. The colonel then wheeled his horse and in loud voice gave this command: "Atten- tion, battalion Forward double quick Marchl" then he yelled, "Charge bay onets," then we. raised that red-headed rooster's rebel yell and, went through the Yankees like whirlwind, but Great God erlmighty, you ought to have seen our blow-hard wah hoss charging over the bushes and small trees and going tother way. ...-, ,., 'o...s,
 In two or three days we returned to OOAAAbls auu HI ulSub, OE bO hIU6I OUT blow-hard wah hoss made his appearance and answered at roll-call; when he answer cd, to his name, our captain said, ssStep two. paces to the front, sir r The blow hard stepped out, then the captain told him that he was a coward, that he had dis graced the company, and were it not for bringing, 8 stain. upon the name of the company and our state that he would have him drummed out of the service the blow hard stood and, took it, and the captain shook his finger at him and said, s'You de- serted your flag on the battle field" Af- ter this the blow-hard was assigned to post duty, and got situation as nurse in some hospital. Since the war found another blow-hard wah hoss; he was what we call ed white leaguer, and was candidate for. recorder on the white league or demo- cratic ticket. ssez .,.t t..,. .,-~..E r...
 He boasted about being white, and to let the people know that he was white he went all around among them. and told them about it. He told them, too, that it was contrary to nature and to the law of God for c nigger to holdia efiice over white man, or for . white man to be any way un- der nigger. ,r, ,oa,sfy :, .,,-at,....,
 A big black nigger; was nominated on the republican ticket for the same office. and he beat the white leagner and was elected. Immediately after the election this same white leaeuer took the appoint tr,E 1>.~