Sentence:  He thought of Simms Purdew , who once had risen at the edge of a cornfield , a maniacal scream on his lips , and swung a clubbed musket like a <WSD>flail</WSD> to beat down the swirl of Rebel bayonets about him . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  an implement consisting of handle with a free swinging stick at the end; used in manual threshing