The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-12-31


of the phrase Grab a ROOT" as given in The
NATIONAL TRIBUNE of Dec 10 is quite in
teresting, but the incident related occurred
several months too late to account for the
phrase. In the Army of West Tennessee
the phrase had become threadbare, or, in
modern language. chestnut, long before
the episode at Lake Providence occurred.
Probably the most potent thing in continu-
ing the senseless phrase was the impression
that it was putting into words the bugle-call
which was SO frequently heard while on the
march forward, which sounded something
like toot-a-toot, and in Imagination the
transposition was very easy to grab q root"
There is another story of its origin, and
one that more nearly conforms to the time
when first heard. Unless someone comes
forward with date earlier than this shall
maintain that this is the most likely to be
the true one.
Some time near the close Of the month Of
July, 1862, the regiment to which / had the
honor to belong was in camp on the west
side of the wagon-road half-mile north of
the town of Bolivar, Tenn. Between our
camp and the town the railroad crossed the
wagon road in the form of an <. The cross
ing was in a cut four or five feet deep, and
on the west side Of the cut there grew a
number of small jack-oak trees, the roots of
which had grown out or had become un-
covered of earth, and lay upon the ground
| with one end fastened in the bank, the
whole remaining green and tough.
| On first hearing the phrase asked the
comrade using it what it meant, and he told
me this story in explanation:
Yesterday number of us were lettering
away time down at the crossing. An officer
of the 18th Mich. came riding along on a
mule. When he arrived at the crossing his
mule stepped and refused TO cross the track.
| The officer urged him, and we offered sug-
gestions but the mule would not bulge.
The officer lost his temper, dismounted and
grabbed one of the long roots that lay there.
but finding it fastened in the bank, dropped
| il aud grabbed another. 1t too was fast.
He grabbed root after root, but all were un-
yielding. While this was going on we were
suggesting to him to grab q root, grab a
root He turned upon us and heaped cpl
thets on our heads, more forceful than
polite, and we in turn only the more force
fully tainted him with grab a root The
officer finally, by dint of jerking the bride
and vigorously using his boot-toe on the
mule, got him over the track, mounted, and
rode away swearing at u.s. and we in turn
calling after him to grab root. '"-SIMEoN
GILLIs, Co. K, 6sth Ohio Bryan, o.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: read with
a good deal of interest the communication
of Comrade S. E. Chandler, in which he
| gives Comrade Perry's version Of the origin
of the slang phrase, Grab a root!"
While interesting, ! am of the opinion
that the incident is rather "pat" use of
the phrase than its origin, and base the
opinion on the fact that during the Summer
and Fall of 1862 it was in daily might say
hourly-use among the men in parole camp
at Benton Barracks.
/ have always understood that the phrase
originated among the men of the 5Sth Ill.
who were captured at Shiloh, and were in
parole camp at that time, and was first used
as cry of derision to member of Co. X,
Odd No., who was acting as mounted Or
derry at Post Headquarters, and who had
rendered himself unpopular.
The circumstances which led to it's origin
would scarcely be suitable for publication in
your columns, and / would advise that the
investigation be dropped.
New troops-those enlisted in 1S62-were
constantly coming and going to and fro from
the Barracks, and thus aided in its rapid
spread in the West. So general was its use
that a mounted man could scarcely ride
through camp or along the road on a march
unless someone would make a forceful use
of the phrase. w. Cores, Co. /. 18th
Iowa, Taicott, S. ID.