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Post by Paws on Sept 13, 2004 7:00:55 GMT 12.75
Let's hear your very best Rebel yell! ;D
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Post by shiloh on Sept 15, 2004 6:17:03 GMT 12.75
Eeeeiiyyyy! Eeeeiiyyyy! ;D
At a UDC meeting in the 1920-30s or so, it was reported that there was an actual living Confederate vet in the audience at dinner. After the dinner was winding down, the speeches began, and a UDC speaker acknowledged his presence. Reportedly, she asked him to let out his old "Rebel yell" since nobody in the audience had ever heard one. His reply, according to reports, was to decline trying, saying that he didn't think it could be done well-rested and on a full stomach.
I read of another similar account from roughly the same era where a vet was asked to demonstrate the yell for a crowd. He declined saying that it can't be done away from a battlefield and on a well fed stomach. A similar account stated that some vets themselves declared the yell should fade into history. Sadly, we will never really know what the yell sounded like, or how it spread so rapidly through Southern armies in all theatres. It began at First Bull Run, but within about 6mos it was described in all major battles.
It was supposedly a conglomeration of many individual versions of indians' war whoops, hog-calling, dog calling, and random screams. This all joined to make a high wailing rolling screech that went on and on. When a full strength reg't of 1000 men joined rank and file went into action, all it would take was a few to begin to scream and all would add their own version of the scream as they moved. It would only stop when they were hit or had to stop to load and fire. Add the jarring stepping to that scream and that would cause the random jerkiness to the wail. Then, think of a brigade made up of 3-5 regiments taking the field! It must have been something!
All reports of Yankees that first heard it spoke of fear caused directly by the yell. Some described a wail of banshees (ghosts) and others that of demons. Some descriptions said it was screams of mad men (insanity). Some Yankee soldiers began doing their own version of a yell themselves, but the famed "Rebel yell" was the only given on a Civil War battlefield. Whatever it was, many Yanks were reported to drop their muskets and flee as soon as it began! I really do doubt a re-enactor can possibly make the sound. It takes the hatered, fear, anxiety, bravery, under-fed, voice of a real life-n-death battle, and likely it takes their own personal traits from their days of hound or hog calling to make it sound right. I have heard a decent yell once that did send chills down my spine. It was made by some TN & AL infantry of about 200 men. They rushed from the woods in decent order and formed a line within a few seconds, fired a volley, and advanced the field. For some reason, their yell was very loud and higher pitched than normal that day, almost like they knew that they were all doing a good job in line and were all "into" it that day. Oh well, 10 of our Union guns let loose a volley on them and that put an end to their yell. ;D They attempted it again, but they never did quite get the same effect in that battle.
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Post by RogueWarrior1957 on Sept 15, 2004 15:25:58 GMT 12.75
YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
And what else would a Rogue be besides a Rebel?
About the yell: A lot of the Southerners (especially my clan) had ties to the great country of Scotland. The Highlanders were well known for their bagpipes and terrifying yells to confuse and frighten the enemy. I would be curious to know if this had any influence on the Rebel Yell. The Scottish traditions and even the accent carried down the generations even to my grandfather who spoke with a slight Scottish accent to his Southern drawl.
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Post by shiloh on Sept 16, 2004 6:30:37 GMT 12.75
You know, there are remote parts of Appalachia that still have the exact same accent and language style as the Appalachians people did from the Civil War and earlier. THere is a lot of Irish and Scottish in their culture. THat is why so much of the Appalachian region's music and dance is Scotch-Irish. Look at Bluegrass, and compare it to the Irish fiddling. Look at "clogging" and compare it to the now famous Irish dances.
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Post by 7th on Jan 20, 2005 6:35:27 GMT 12.75
born and reared and still fitten fer Mother SOUTH. I also speek Apelasha... ;D
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Post by Paws on Feb 2, 2005 6:04:28 GMT 12.75
Yep unfortunately that's where my kin is from! Dumb as we all are I'm surprised we figured out how to cross the river!
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Post by shiloh on Feb 3, 2005 5:38:01 GMT 12.75
My mom and I have been working hard together on our geneology for a couple of years. Last Sunday I was up there and she was excited because she'd just found another link to a line that we'd not been able to move further back than about 1870. She'd lucked into a line that came from Blount Co. (Smoky Mt.s Nat'l Park) in TN. Then she linked it to the last ancestor of our line and it opened a whole new realm with names that match many places in Appalachia TN! I grew up vacationing 2-3 weeks a year up in Cades' Cove (a part of that park) and I recognized the names immediately. I have several books about that area so now we have to re-read the books to see if our ancestors are discussed.
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Post by Paws on Feb 18, 2005 7:10:19 GMT 12.75
What is the status of your ancestor search? ;D
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Post by shiloh on Feb 18, 2005 10:13:03 GMT 12.75
I haven't gotten that book out yet. It's packed away someplace upstairs. I'm going to get back into the searching after things queten down at work some. Been really busy so fat this year!
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K-Bob
Fire Builder
Posts: 27
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Post by K-Bob on Mar 15, 2005 6:48:34 GMT 12.75
I've been re-reading a fascinating and inspiring book titled, 'Born Fighting' which was written by James Webb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan administration.
Subtitled 'How the Scotch-Irish Shaped America', the book traces their history from the Scottish lowlands to the Ulster plantations to America.
Revisionist historians have long tried to ignore or minimize the Scotch-Irish role in shaping America, this book helps to keep the record honest.
God, guns and guts made America free and this book tells the story of the unique people who had the faith, guns and guts to make that happen.
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Post by Paws on Mar 16, 2005 5:39:10 GMT 12.75
You sure it wasn't the Scotch and Irish whiskey? ;D By the way, God did make America free, then the white man with guns and guts enslaved it. JMHO By the way K-Bob, only 6 more posts to go and you get promoted!! ;D
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K-Bob
Fire Builder
Posts: 27
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Post by K-Bob on Mar 21, 2005 10:18:58 GMT 12.75
pawclaws wrote: "God did make America free, then the white man with guns and guts enslaved it. JMHO".
You are touching at the fringe of something that I find very fascinating and which might be called the first chapter in American history. Who were the first inhabitants of North America ? I do not have the academic backgroup to properly evaluate the various claims so strive to be neutral. As I understant the on going analysis and debate there are four different schools of thought.
1) MAINSTREAM Man first came to N. America about 12,000 years ago across a land (ice) bridge in the Bering Straights. These early arrivals were from Asiatic stock being the forerunners of what we now call Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. Their oldest settlement was found in Clovis, NM from where they traveled in all directions.
2) NATIVE AMERICAN The Bering Straight theory is a figment of the white man's imgaination. Many (most?) Native American religions have their own unique creationist theory, which vary from factual, detailed accounts to allegorical references. Most all support some version indicating that they were mankind's first people.
3) SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGE to MAINSTREAM Modern scientific tools are being used to study the Clovis culture and yielding unexpected results. The few DNA studies that have been made show no genetic similariy to early Asians, but have features that match with early European DNA. Artifacts and skull shapes closely resemble those found in Europe and have no Asian counterparts.
4) CHRISTIAN We are all descendants of Adam and Eve.
The next big question is when did the white man first discover (re-discover?) America during the Current Era?
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Post by Paws on Apr 2, 2005 5:53:53 GMT 12.75
I do not have a problem combining all of the theories. Just depends on which direction you think folk might have walked across that theoretical land bridge! ;D
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K-Bob
Fire Builder
Posts: 27
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Post by K-Bob on Apr 2, 2005 20:25:13 GMT 12.75
Everytime I think about genealogy I am reminded of an old joke. Two old ladies are bragging about their lineage and one says rather snootily, " MY ancestors came over on the Mayflower". The other replied, " Oh dear, we had our own ship".
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Post by Two Tales on Apr 2, 2005 23:06:17 GMT 12.75
Actually I think the first folks in the Americas came (or left over the polar cap...from (to) Scandinavia and Russia...Actually I lean to the left here theory...in a good portion of the Native American legends/stories etc of creation, the "People" came out of the earth or the ground or through the openings and from beyond...
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