The National tribune., 1906-10-11
WAR SLANG.
- ...iG
Some Of the, Bpithets, Phrases
and Nicknlsgmes Born Of the
Great Struggle.

| - d
1 Brander Matthews once said in ar
article on slang and colloquinl isms
Every art and every science, every
trade and every calling, every sect and
every sport has It's own special lexicon
the most Of the, words in which must
always remain outside of the general
speech of the Whole people"
Especially IS this true Of the war OF
| the rebellion period, 1t was particu-
larly rich in catching colloquialisms. in
slang expressions with a military color
and in oftimes annoying sobriquets
Many of these have fallen into disuse
since the old landmarks were swept
away. and it is only occasionally that
they are revivified or recalled.
There is the word AboIitionist for
| instance. Nobody uses it now, except
| in the past tense. 1t existed before the
war-in fact but for its existence, war
would lot have been. 1t was applied
to ultra-anti-slavery advocates as a
| term of distinct opprobrium at first.
and to add that 4 man was 4 black
Abolitionist was to heap obliquy upon
him. 1t lost its force when slavery was
wiped out. Free SoiIer'. was another
ante-war time term often on the lips
of Southerners, and the accompanying
emphasis and Sneer testified to the ut
ter contempt in which its bearer who
pIoltSltu tut tSltIlSloH VI
slavery in the Territories was held by
pro-slavery agitators. "Squatter SOW
ereign' was another term. a Douglas
colloquialSm this. which thinly vailed
the States rights doctrine. These
terms really antedated the war, but
were freely used until the cause for
which they were created was dead.
"Seccssa' was born the day the
South seeded. The seeding States
known SpcpSsiD and n N
as 'Secessiondom," the people as Sc
ccssionists. and the act Of treason as
secession. The Secessionists' official
term applied to the South was the
"Confederacy;" hence the term Con-
federateS for the Southern soldiers. In
Contradistinction the Northern troops
were known as Federals "Rebeldom"
was another term for the South, and
rebels for its people. While the old
sting has gone from the words they
are no less descriptive of certain To-
cality and a certain class of people.
a dersive term for the masculine
portion of the Southerners was But
ternut." This appellation was born of
desire for some distinction descrip-
tive of the peculiar color of the home
spun woolen attire. u color compound
ed of butternut hulls and cOpperas. AS
a kind of rctort the Northerners were
punched rs Yankees" a term OF
question: BILE origin. but said to have
been applied to the North when it re-
fused to take a hand in the Cherokee
row. The word, so Southern lexicO-
Cherokee "eankke," which means
coward" The Southern fondness for
the term is thus explained. In return
for this pleasantly the boys in blue
dubbed the rebels !"Johnny Bulls" be-
cause of Englapd'sn interest in the
Southern cause.ns When demonstrated
with by indignant sons of the South the
term was changed TO Johnny Rebs."
and finally to 'Johnnies' OF course
this called for Fetaliation, and Mud
silis" was the nice, term bestowed on
the loyal boys. ~ IT meant everything
that was mean. Il The South applied it
to the lowest Icaste, among its own
people. .,.I.--
Northern ingenuity was equal to the
occasion, however, and "grayback"
was evolved. 1t lis the name of an in
sect of clingingr habits and productive
proclivities which ,abhors cleanliness.
1t was gfeefully attached to the boys
in gray" and stuck hike it's prototype
They never gotHaway from it. The
term was also applied to the Confeder-
ate scrip, which was gray in color, as
plentiful as its insect relative, and as
worthless.
fcueTdl money IN cOntradlStlnctlOn
became at once 'tgreenbacks:" the one
deprecated as the other appreciated
Fire eater" was another term for the
Southern chivairy. Mr. Cobb, of
Georgia, is responsible for it. He said
in Congress: "A fire has been kindled
which all the waters of the ocean can
not put out and which only seas of
blood can extinguish." Naturally this
distinctly insulting term had to be met,
srp ii in. .Tln hfra
but it didn't hurt. If the South had
had man like Lincoln at its head, the
history of the Southern confederacy
would have been less of farce.
"COpperhead" was a comprehensive
term given the skulkers in the North
who. like the venomous snake that lies
in ambush and strikes without warn
ing, were lying in wait to deliver their
friends to the enemy. These despic-
able creatures fatter. ID off the Govern
ment, and lent their aid and money
to the South. They were hated at
home and despised abroad. and pa
triots North and South branded them
as traitors.
queer term among the "hiIr' peo-
pie of the South is "critter." used to
designate all four-Iegged animals in
general and horses in particular, SO it
was that our dashing cavalry boys
came to be known as "critter' cOmpa-
nies and the infantry as dough boys"
why the latter term no lexicon relates,
no memory tells. "Skedaddle" was a
word that came into common use dur
ing the war, and is supposed by many
to be born of the times. but it is an
old Scotch expression, which means to
spill or to scatter 1t was adopted here
with the latter meaning. To be routed,
is its exact signification. as the
Johnnies knew when they .'skedaddled"
away from high-water mark at Gettys-
burg. July 4, 1868. Skedaddle is said
to be old Greek.
Drafted men were called Com
scripts" and a conscript's path was
not paved with asphalt on his entrance
into army life. He had to prove that
he was made of the right kind of stuff
before he was admitted into full fell
lowship, and How are you, conscript?"
was the insulting title that he had TO
bear Indefinitely. A dough face" was,
according to Mr.. Lowell" contented
lickspittle. common variety of North
ern politicians who We're all things to
all men and out for the stuff 1t is
not necessary to state that a dough-
face herded by himself in the SOS, and
has no standing among loyal men
today. Another lonesome creature at
n soldiers Reunion Would be n bounty
jumper" There were hundreds of such
miscreants during the war, but the
brand they got there was burned
too deep for time TO efface Coffee
cooler" was another deI'isive term
None of these men wear Grand Army
badges.
The substitute" Vas a man who for
a consideration went out as target