[4V50 Gary]

George Hanger served in Cornwallis' Army that fought in the Southern Colonies. He wrote about the American riflemen.

This distinguished race of men are more savage than the Indians, and possess every one of their vices, but not one of their virtues. I have known of of these fellows to travel two hundred miles through the woods, never keeping any road or path, guided by the sun by day, and the stars by night, to kill a particular person belonging to the opposite party: he would shoot him before his own door, and ride away to boast of what he had done on his return. I speak only of the back-woodsmen, not of the inhabitants in general, of South Carolina; for, in all America, there are not better educated or better bred men than the planters. Indeed, Charlestown is celebrated for its splendour, luxury, and education of its inhabitants: I speak only of that heathen race known by the name of Crackers.

Joseph Doddridge also had some interesting things to say about the Revolutionary War era riflemen and their methods of personal combat against each other.

When originally coined, cracker was a corruption of the Gaelic word, "craic" which meant entertaining conversation. It was used in Shakespeare's The Life and Death of King John. "...what cracker is this who deafes our ears with superflous breath?" For the ethyomology of "cracker" and "redneck", please refer to Craig L. Barry's The Unfinished Fight, Vol I: Essays on the Confederate Material Culture, pages 207-11.