1851 in R. Glisan Journal Army Life (1874) 377: I [...] had the pleasure of seeing all the elite of the town, and the ‘big guns’ of the Oregon Legislature.at big gun (n.) under gun, n.1
1851 in R. Glisan Journal Army Life (1874) 90: I occasionally made him a little envious by my nigger-luck, as he is pleased to term it.at nigger luck (n.) under nigger, n.1
1853 in R. Glisan Journal Army Life (1874) 123: His first two sermons sounded very much like good old hard shell baptist harangues.at hard-shell, adj.