crease range and conserve lead. They enlarged and strengthenedrnthe trigger guard to withstand rough handling. They increasedrnthe size of the sights to ensure good aim over greater distancesrnon the frontier. They made the hickory ramrod andrngrease patch standard.rnThe result of all these innovations was the famed Kentuckyrnrifle. Known at first as the Long rifle, the piece got its new namernbecause of its vital service on the Kentucky frontier, that “darkrnand bloody ground.” Wherever the frontiersman went in therntrans-Appalachian West, he was not without his Kentucky. Arngood rifle and steady aim meant food on the table and protectionrnfrom the Indians.rnThe rifle also made American frontiersmen valuable soldiers.rnWhen George Washington joined British Gen. Edward Braddock’srnexpedition against the French at Fort Duquesne, Washingtonrnhad 400 frontiersmen with him, all armed with theirrnown Kentucky rifles. The French and their Indian allies surprisedrnBraddock’s force and inflicted heavy casualties on thernmusket-armed British. Washington’s frontiersmen took coverrnbehind trees and carefrilly aimed every shot, dropping one Indianrnafter another, enabling the survivors of Braddock’s ill-fatedrnexpedition to retreat. Later in the war, Pennsylvania frontiersmenrnused their Kentucky rifles to clear the way for British Gen.rnJames Wolfe’s successfril assault on Quebec.rnDuring the American Revolution, the British felt the stingrnof the long rifle. Gol. William Thompson’s battalion ofrnPennsylvania riflemen killed British troops with such great regularityrnand from such great distances that the British War Officerndeclared, “The settlers from the backwoods of America usedrntheir hunting rifles with so much effect that the only rejoinderrnwas to pit rifle against rifle; for this purpose Jagers were recruitedrnon the Gontinent.”rnThe Battle of King’s Mountain in western North Carolinarndemonstrated what an American frontiersman could do withrnhis Kentucky. The British held the high ground and thoughtrnthat their musket fire and bayonet charges would rout the buckskin-rnclad mountain boys. Instead, American sharpshootersrnfound their marks again and again, until 225 British soldiersrnwere dead and another 163 wounded. The Americans sufferedrnonly 28 killed and 62 wounded.rnNeither the British nor the Indians could stop the Americanrnfrontiersman with his Kentucky rifle. Frontiersmen became sornexpert that, at 70 paces, they could “snuff the candle” by passingrna ball through the candle’s flame without hitting the wick orrn”drive the nail” by putting round after round on the nail’s head.rnSome even dared to shoot cups of whiskey off each other’s head.rnThey practiced with their rifles from boyhood on. The rifle wasrna tool more common than the plow. The American languagernbecame filled with rifle-inspired colloquialisms—”a flash in thernpan,” “lock, stock, and barrel,” “a straight shooter.”rnIn addition to being America’s finest gunsmiths, the PennsylvaniarnDutch were also America’s best farmers. They introducedrnor greatly refined several important farming techniques.rnThey rotated crops, allowed fields to lie fallow, used manure forrnfertilizer, and brought their livestock into specially designedrnbarns to protect them during winter months.rnDespite all this and more, the Pennsylvania Dutch are, likernthe Gornish, ignored when “diversity” is considered today. Occasionally,rnwe hear of the Amish, but only for their quaiutness.rnMoreover, few seem to understand that the Amish were but onernelement of the religiously diverse Pennsylvania Dutch. Therernwere also the Mennonites, Moravian Brethren, Hutterites, BaptistrnDunkers, Sehwenkfelders, Reformed, Lutherans, andrnGatholics. Most of these groups conducted their religious servicesrnin German until well into the 19th century. A few werernstill doing so on the eve of the Givil War. It is no accident thatrnthe first Bible published in the American colonies was printedrnin German and that the publisher was Ghri,stopher Sauer ofrnGermantown, Pennsylvania.rnNot only are whites now treated as a monolithic group, butrnthey are regularly misnamed. The misnaming first arose in Galiforniarnand the Southwest. Since Mexicans successfully lobbiedrnin the I920’s to be recorded in the census and under variousrnlaws as “white,” it was technically wrong to speak of whitesrnand Mexicans. It could be literally wrong as well. Some Mexicansrnare of pure Spanish (or other European) descent, andrnmany others have only a small portion of Indian blood in them.rnThis led some writers, by the I960’s, to begin using the termrn”Anglo” for non-Mexican whites. All of sudden, I became anrnAnglo! I found this particularly ironic, considering the differencesrnof opinion my Gaelic ancestors had with the English. Irnhad been called a lot of names in my time, but never an Anglo.rnToday, in Galifornia and the Southwest, whites with non-rnSpanish surnames are Anglos. We now have German Anglos,rnNorwegian Anglos, French Anglos, Italian Anglos, Polish Anglos.rnThe irony of it all, in an age when all peoples and culturesrnare supposed to be preserved, embraced, and honored, is stunning.rnAn otherwise excellent book about the Lincoln GountyrnWar in New Mexico that I reviewed some years ago referred tornall non-Hispanic whites as “Anglos.” The use of the term wasrnespecially jarring because most of the major players in the LincolnrnGoimty War were not Anglos but Scots and Irishmen.rnThe whites certainly did not consider themselves part of arnmonolithic group. When the Rev. Taylor Ealy, a Presbyterianrnminister, arrived in the town of Lincoln, Alex McSween, arnGanadian Scot and former Presbyterian minister turned lawyer,rnwelcomed him in his home. Ealy wrote to his superior that McSweenrnwas a noble man and that his rivals for power in LincolnrnGounty—Murphy, Dolan, Riley, and Brady—”are a dirty set ofrnIrish cut throats, and you know what their religion is.” The U.S.rnArmy had a different opinion. Three of the four served with distinctionrnin the Indian wars and in the Givil War. The GountyrnWexford-born Murphy and the Gounty Gavan-born Brady eachrnrose through the ranks from private to major.rnThe diversity of European peoples in America might againrnbe recognized through an appeal to the Evil Wliite Man themerndear to the hearts of the politically correct. The Gornish canrnonce more gain prominence by being portrayed, through theirrnmining activities, as the principal despoilers of a pristine wilderness.rnEqual consideration can be given to the PennsylvaniarnDutch, who not only supplied the vehicle that carried the Indian-rnkilling pioneer westward, but also created the weapon thatrnmade the Indian’s demise inevitable. The possibilities are limifless.rnThe term “Anglo” might even fall into disuse if enough isrnmade of all these so-called Anglos slinging pejoratives at eachrnother, and occasionally killing each other, over ethnic and religiousrndifferences. Today, at Galifornia universities, separaterngraduation ceremonies are held for blacks and Latinos, featuringrn”traditional” music, language, food, and dress. Should thernrest of us expect similar treahnent? At my ceremony, I want fliernpipes, Gaelic, a kilt, whiskey, and a sword —especially the latterrntwo. crn16/CHRONICLESrnrnrn