The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-07-17

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the Glnerl, cause he had big cooked
hat an shad-belly coat with big brass
buttons on it, an sword. Them regi-
mentals had been handed down in the
family by somebody or other th't fit in
the lnjun wars. But pop didn't git to
be Giner'l, an so he listed ez a soger.
purpose to let folks know, b'gosh, th't
ne had the makin's of Giner'l, an ca.
clated to wear 'em. The res o the COM
pny mowt ha' ben Never Sleepin' Sem
tlnels, but Wen the fife an the drum
struck up on that great day in Sugar
Swamp, my pop were the only Powder
Burnin Son O Liberty 'mongst 'em, fer
not another soger or Giner'l or any
thing else had gun. To see nv pop
marchin in the ranks, wearin' his
cooked hat and feather and his
reg'lar regimental coat an brass but
tons, with his ancestors sword strapped
| round him, an his gun on his shoulder.
tell ye, Peleg, it were sight th't
filled me so full O the spirit O. Bunker
Hill th't l riz up on the fence and hol-
Tered:
Make way fer liberty an my old
popp
''Giner'l Hannibal Tidfit was ridin' on
1ossback, with no sword but corn-cut-
ter, an wearin' coonskin cap. He
didn't hev brass button nowhar' about
him, an my pop were jist a walkin' soger
an rugged out like a Ginerl. The
Colonel was a-hossback, too, an so was
all OF 'em clean down to the Corp'l, who
carried big brass hoss pistol an wore
white hat with squirl's tail in it, an
a red woostid comf'te tied around his
waist. The arms o the sogers, sides
my pops gun an sword was an eel spear,
carried by Lippy Conkright's pop,
brush hook shouldered by Joe Hosslip,
an two-tined pitchfork which Pete
Smiley handled. Pete's pop had been
a secret lodge man O. some kind down in
Jersey, an mongst his belongings Pete
had found wife apron wit a lot O. plas-
term tools pictured on it, long with
big wide-open eye.
"'That wide-open eye II fit the Never
Sleepin' Sentinels amazin', says Pete.
AN SO he tied the apron on hisself,
an mex to my pop had the takin'est uni
form o. the hull comp'ny.
''It were a-cheerin' sight to see the
Never Sleepin' Sentinels an Powder
Burnin Sons O Liberty make their fust
start at trainin' Ginerl Tidtit slung
up his sword arm with the corn-cutter in
it, and hollered:
'For-r-e-e-e-d motchv
THE sogers started forrid. but the
Giner'l hollered:
Z" Halt there, gol ding YEP
'"The sogers halted, an the Ginerl
| tol' 'em th't they want to start till the
order got down to 'em reg'lar. Then
he hollered: For-r-e-e-e-d-motchv
wunst more. The Colonel took it up,
an the Major took it up an hollered it
down to the Leftenant- Colonel. Lippy
Conkright's pop an Joe Hosslip thort
| the order were reg'lar enough by this
| time, an begun to march. Giner'l Tidft
| yelled to 'em tc halt an fall back or he'd
hev em court-martialed fer goin' agin
the rules o. war. Then he started the
| order all over ag'in, an it went to the
Colonel, an on to the Major, an from
him to the Leftenant-Colonel, an from
| him to the Captain, who yelled it to the
Fust Leftenant, an the Fust Leftenant
passed it to the sergeant Then nv
pop an Toby Grindle, the ifer,
got it in their heads th't the time
was to hand fer movin'. Toby struck
up tune, an him an pop begun to
march. They was halted by the Giner'l,
who said he had half notion to borry
my pops gun an shoot both him an
Toby with it fer mutiny in the camp.
Then he started the order to forrid
march ag'in. 1t got all down along the
line to the Corp1 this time, an then it
we're reg'lar fer the sogers to march but
not a consarned soger moved. The
rules of war had got 'em all mixed up.
The mex time the order kim down the
line from the Giner'l to the Corp'l things
was straigh tened out, an away the
Never Sleepin' Sentinels went.
carter it were all over the comp'ny
were halted in front O. the tavern, an
GinerI Tidfit perceeded to give 'em
partin' drill. Wen he hollered out to
em to ground arms my pop let his gun
come down pooty heavy, an she went
off with bang that shook the tavern
winders. Ginerl Tidfit's boss hadn't
keered much for the Never Sleepin'
Sentinels, but wen it kim to the Pow
der-Burnin' Sons part O. the sogerin'
he pertested. Wen the gun went off
he give an all-pervadin' snort an
sprung ten foot in the air. The Giner'l
quit the saddle in hurry He went up
piece an then kim down in G curve
head fust. He plunked squar' inter the
head O. Simon Filkins' drum an
went clean through it. He got up
with the drum hangin' to him an
his head showed inter it clean to the
shoulders. The drum wouldn't let go of |
him till my pop grabbed the Giner'l by |
the heels an Simon Filkins grabbed
the drum. They both yanked, an |
yanked, an by an by pulled the Giner'l |
out. Toby Grindle had happy idee
jist then, an struck up on the fife See
the Conquerin' Hero Comes list ez the I
Giner'l come out o. the drum. But tn +
want no uset. The Giner'l's idees o. /
the rules o. war was all upset. an he rix |
up an hollered:
Break ranks, or I'll pitch in an
break eV'ry Powder Burnin' Son O. Lib T
erty's headr
''The ranks was broke to wunst. The
never sleepin' sentinels struck a bee /
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