"Eating the Dog"

[Coffee]

One of my four great grandfathers was in Hardeman's 1st Texas Cavalry - Arizona Brigade. He said that taking the oath to the Union after the war was called "Eating The Dog" Many ex-Confederates did not "Eat the Dog" and many fled to the colony of Americana in Brazil and became what the local population called "Confederados." In 1865, Col. Peter C. Hardeman, commander of the 1st Texas Cavalry - Arizona Briagade refused to take the oath to the Union , took a sawmill and his family to Briazil and never returned.

Has anyone else seen "Eating The Dog" or could have it have been a phrase my great grandfather invented.

[samgrant]

Don't know about that, but here is a story I found:

"the story of the captured Rebels who appeared before General Ben Butler to take the oath of allegiance to the United States:

One of them, a wag in his way, looked at the General, and with a peculiar Southern drawl, said: "We gave you hell at Chickamauga, General!"

The General was furious at the man's familiar impudence and threatened him with all sorts of punishment, but again came that drawling voice, repeating the first part of the statement, but he was stopped by the General, who ordered him to take the oath of allegiance to the United States at once or he would have him shot.
After some hesitation, looking into General Butler's fierce eye, he reluctantly consented to take the oath.
After taking the oath, he looked calmly into General Butler's face, and drew himself up as if proud to become a citizen of the United States and a member of the Yankee Army, and said: "General, I suppose I am a good Yankee and citizen of the United States now?"
The General replied in a very fatherly tone, "I hope so."
"Well, General, the rebels did give us hell at Chickamauga, didn't they?"

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