Also known as "Root Hog or Die" because it was sung to the tune of a popular minstrel melody of the same name, this song commemorates the smashing Confederate victory at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861. The title refers to the mad dash of the "Yankee Doodles" back to the safety of Washington following their defeat.

"Old Fuss-and-Feathers" Scott was Army veteran General Winfield Scott, Commander in Chief of Union forces at the time of the battle. The "Tiger" from the Crescent City was a member of the New Orleans Tiger Rifles, who wore on their hatbands the motto "Lincoln's Life or a Tiger's Death."

The term "root hog or die" is an old country expression meaning that one must often "work like the devil under terrible conditions" in order to survive -- or, as Emma Dusenberry of Arkansas put it, "All of us have got to work to make our own living. Hogs has to root in the woods or starve, and you have to work or starve."

This song is dedicated to Dennis Maggard.

"Flight of Doodles"