Posted on 06/28/2005 6:51:41 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
Civil War mystery may be solved by modern technology.
(PRWEB) June 28, 2005 -- One of the mysteries of American Civil War lore may have finally been solved.
The famous rebel yell, long known to have an unnerving effect on Union soldiers in the American Civil War, has just been examined by the History Publishing Company. Using as its core base, the only known yell by a living Confederate soldier recorded early in the Twentieth Century, History Publishing Company, through the use of sound technology, has emulated the sound of a company of soldiers charging a Union line.
“The effect was startling, “said Don Bracken, Senior Editor of History Publishing and Civil War author( Times of the Civil War, ISBN 1-4208-0694-7). “It wasn’t a frightening sound in the nightmarish or fiendish sense. It was an audible sensation of being overwhelmed. It was like having a sonic tidal wave approach you. What might have unnerved the Union soldiers who reportedly fled from it was a sense of helplessness.”
The rebel yell has long been a source of curiosity to students of the Civil War. It was a recognized fact that seasoned Union veterans would become unnerved by it. “When we came across the recorded yell made in the early Twentieth Century, of an actual Confederate veteran of the Army of Northern Virginia, we knew we had to take it a step further,” said Don Bracken.”Technology has made it possible to do that.”
History Publishing Company, a company dedicated to furthering the study of history through modern technology will make the sound recording of the Confederate charge available to schools or Civil War study groups for educational purposes.
Yeeeeehaw!
SWEET.
How do I get to hear it?
(I didn't need this to tell me that it was unnerving to be charged by a whole gang of Confederates screeching at the tops of their lungs. Plenty of contemporary reports from Union soldiers confirm that the sound scared 'em $#!+less.)
I prefer the bourbon type, myself.
I clicked on this because I thought they were talking about our Freeper rebelyell. ;)
It is a particularly odd headline, given the short article reaffirms the effectiveness of the Rebel Yell.
I'm working on it. Will post if I get a sound bite.
My question also - I'd like to hear it.
A group of wild-eyed Southern boys charging my way shrieking "Hillary's Thighs!" would scare hell out of me too...
Imagine the effect of 10,000 of them doing in all at once.
Shelby Foote, noted author of several War of Yankee aggression books, and a talking head on PBS's The Civil War, told a story about a Confederate Veteran who described it this way.
"The yell could not be done at anything less than a full run and it was a cross between a foxhunt yip and a squawling Banshee."
The old Vet, in his words, was too well fed and too comfortable to try and recreate it for the ladies at the gathering.
Thanks friend.
I'm sure that by now , you have heard of Shelby's passing yesterday.
God rest his soul. I met him once, and he was a nice man.
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