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As an old army sergeant, Ernest Chapel tells about his life in the cavalry. Uniforms, guide-ons, battle flags, and the old soldiers he knew. A guideon is a small, swallow tail flag, each company has their own, and he relives his days back at the end of the Civil War.
With the war over, talk of anticipated wars with Indians are had over pulls from a whiskey bottle. The displaced Irishman bemoans not having a flag to follow. That being the case, the company battle flag has served the same purpose as a flag to follow.
Time unfolds,, and Ernest tells about life in between the battles with Indians. Times to hunt, or fish. His old Irish sergeant has caught a bullet, and has a last request. Fiddler’s Green, or Gary Owens are terms to suggest the final resting place of old soldiers. Now, all these years later, and the legacy of the guide-on lives on, Ernest finds out for himself what it means, and why he can’t get into Fiddler’s Green.
