There is audio of the 50th anniversary of Gettysburg. Some of the Confederate veterans (mind you, then in their 70s) fired up an authentic rebel yell, and the Union veterans confirmed by their statements that it was authentic.
It’s not all that impressive, coming from the throats of two or three pensioners, but it would be truly terrifying to hear it from a charging regiment.
I was privileged to have a guided tour of Gettysburg a few years back with a Joint Forces Staff College group. I can’t even imagine what Pickett’s Charge must have been like - what a truly terrifying event. And I have a couple of ancestors who actually lived through it. Anything to bolster one’s courage would have been sorely needed. What incredibly courageous men those were, on both sides.
Here is some first hand accounts of the ‘rebel yell’.
Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Missouri, August 10, 1861
: “Wilson’s Creek proved to be one of the most brutal battles either army would face. Particularly disconcerting to Union troops was the war cry the Cherokee soldiers employed combined with the battle cry of the Rebels.
Battle of Hominy Creek,Dec. 26, 186l,
Colonel McIntosh ordered a bugler to sound the charge for a battle that would last three hours. In his official report, he stated:
“One wild yell from a thousand throats burst upon the air, and the living mass hurled itself upon the foe. The sharp report of the rifle came from every tree and rock, but on our brave men rushed, nor stopped until the summit of the hill was gained and we were mingled with the enemy. There for a short time a desperate struggle took place, marked by hand-to-hand conflict. Forced to give way, the [Union] Indians fled in wild disorder.”
Pea Ridge: One of the Southern Cherokee recruits told of their part in the battle and being outnumbered, outgunned and on foot.
“I don’t know how we did it but Watie gave the order, which he always led, and his men could follow him into the very jaws of death. The Indian Rebel yell was given and we fought like tigers three to one.”
From the book: http://jesusweptanamericanstory.blogspot.com/