The Rebel Yell Lives: Part II - Reenactors Charge Forward 

Seeing all those Confederate Reenactors makes me realize why I love to reenact myself. We bring history back to life.

Rebel Yell used by the American Army during the Philippine American War 1899 while dislodging the Filipinos out of their trenches.

Now imagine 10,000 of them doing that, hearing the cannon shots from both sides, there yells get louder, union commanders giving orders, and the entire row of union rifles lights up, just adds more drama to the battles in my mind, just that long loud yelp.

When they first start howling and coming toward the camera, it is intimidating. Of course, I'm a Yankee.

This is real historical re-enactment - re-creating lost history. Thanks.

If you look at the video "Rare Footage of Civil War Veterans Doing the Rebel Yell," it looks like every soldier had his own slightly different version--which probably sounded even crazier when you put them all together. Any intimidating effect the yell had on their opponents was probably along the lines of, "My God, these guys are NUTS."

Somewhere in this house I have a Commission To Chaplain William Reeves in the 16th Mississippi Regiment... He was my fathers great grand father. My grandfather would give that yell in the early morning to greet his farmer neighbors, and they would yell back, in Carbon, Texas.Your recording gave my sister and I chills and old memories.

I think the actual thing--though this is closeish--would have been even more spirited, with more spontaneity and individuality; it would have been as much more scary as would this group of reenactors if they'd sprinted, dashing at the camera, bent low, with all energy and life, not necessarily in this meant-for-safety best formation while walking for the sake of their safety and that of their fellow reenacotrs, but moving FAST with anger and fear and truer violence and elation in mind, and not thinking so hard at the next step to yelling. I bet it was a lot fiercer, wilder, with more than twice as much spirit, youthful vigor, higher, with more variety, and less self-consciousness of "we're reenacting and have to behave still somewhat civil/normal/safe/sane".

As a United States Marine, I have to fully agree with you.

rebel yell.sound of freedom.god bless the good old south.best wishes from germany

if i was a yankee in the war and i heard this sound i would be scared to death because in my mind this yell stands for no mercy, long live southern pride

4:14 "Boys, fetch me my brown pants!"

This is one of the best ones I have heard it sounds like the real thing and would be nice if I I was here I am proud of my ancestors and I am glad to be a confederate reenactor thanks for posting this

I think you would have to be there to really appreciate the terror, you'd have to hear it from the throats of men who meant it.

Holy crap I definitely got chills. Now imagine 20,000 men doing this. I mean no disrespect to modern day soldiers, but warfare is NOT the same as it was when you had to coolly march across an open field towards another standing army in order to engage them...

It would scare the hell outta me, I could only imagine how my Great Great Grandpa would have felt hearing that.

if you check you tube you can find where real southern veterans recreate the rebel yell. it was video taped in black and white.

I take neither side as my own. My people fought on both sides. Very well done and very informative. Many thanks.

Sometimes as reenactors we forget we are just pretending and the effects of battle get pretty real. If they were to record the troops doing that in the heat of battle it would sound hella more spine tingly than it did here.

Give em the cold steel, boys!

I am with Ernst...I come from a house dividend. I am a history buff and have to say this is one of my favorite parts in history. This was very well put together and sent chills down my spine..can you imagine what it did to the counter parts. Best to all of you and keep up the good work on the living history!!!!

this is nice but i have always read that each reiment/company/ etc. had its own variation.

I recall hearing that same whoop "yell" in Ken Burns last instalment of the Civil War. You can see it on you tube, where Us veterans and Convedaerate veterans are shaking hands over a wall at the 75th anniverasry of Gettesburg. I am surprised they didn't start there. I can see why it made people's blood pressure rise.

They sounded kind of like ewoks. My teem used this in an air-soft game the other team gave up no joke.

gave me chills

THAT was fantastic! Finally got it right....I did the same mistake when I was reenacting. Semper Fi!

@MrWileyk dude do you have the MOC's CD? They have actual recordings of two different confederate veterans living in two different regions of the country giving the rebel yell in the early 1930's. They are identical.

This sounds like what they said the battle cry of ancient Celts or Athenians (I forget which) sounded like. Very interesting. The Spartans had no war cry - their silence as the marched also freaked their enemies out but the Athenians marched in formation with a war chant like alllellllelllellel or sum such and this was in a hoplite formation very similar to what I am seeing in this video.

The audio of vets doing their rendition of the yell shows it was done in many different ways. It is really weird to think that the confederates all agreed on one way to do the yell, as if were even practical in the field of battle. Remember in the battle of First Bull run, the only instructions Jackson gave to his men, was to yell like furious. Obviously this instruction has a subjective meaning to every single soldier, and without having done the yell, (I presume) they would have simply given what they thought get that air up, to the best of their ability. Maybe over time the yell morphed into some kind of steady rolled out cadence of highs and lows, (I doubt that), but it would be impossible for anyone to teach this yell, as if it were something that needed to be taught.

The 48th Alabama? Part of the Hardee Gaurd? I've met some of the 48th and they are good people. I'm hoping to join the 34th or 37th Georgia! Either way both hang with the 48th. Terry H. and his wife Amber are really nice. Hope to see you at an event.

Sad thing is from what I understand is that the "Yell" was difference in the West. So what we have is the Eastern "Yell" And there are a number on recording on the net of the "Yell".

@MrWileyk I would not call him a joke, sounds like he has done some research on the subject. besides, you got to remember that the old Confederate Soldier in the Gettysburg reunion video was at least 80 years old, maybe he don't remember so good. There could be different versions of the yell. I could see the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee and Army of Mississippi all having their own version of the yell.

lol now looks like there have been two come by. "The peculiar cork-screw sensation that went up your backbone when you heard it. And if you claimed to have heard it and weren't scared...then that means you never heard it" >union soldier on the rebel yell :)

Nice but I think the re enactment was still off a bit, the old recordings I listened to sounded more guttural.

i hope they got it right. it would be so awesome to not only find all the physical and tangible artifacts from this war, but the sounds too.

There is a vid on youtube about real rebel vets doing the yell...it is different ...

@Kroniedon, So you know exactly how it sounds? Would you like to demonstrate? Where are your sources?

Funny thing is, the Spanish-American War is less the 6 months war. The Filipino-American War is from1899-1902 and it dragged on to the offset of the First World War. Filipino Army was wearing the Spanish style uniforms called the Rayadillo also. Moro wars is another segment of the Philippine War.

Consider me one more scared Yank.

Has this caught on with other reenactment organizations? It's been 12 years since I've been in the field or at an event.

charge'em boys givem hell boys

the low pitched bark reminds me of 300 and Butler's Spartans.

Interesting ! No soldier's accounts recall them being "coached," on how to give the yell. Being from different backgrounds or even Yankees or foreigners, Confederate soldiers must have "learned," the yell.

Do you know what would be terrifying. If the enemy were completely silent. They just marched towards you in complete silence even once they had engaged.

Cherokee Indians did this, that's where they got it from. Right?

The Civil War was fought primarily by volunteers, not the draft of young 20 yo's, which amounted to 2% or less. Today's re-enactors are older, more interested in the history that has led us to where we are, whereas the young folks today are more interested in where they are going and are not so much into re-enacting, with some exceptions.

Sounds like a flock of Turkeys

very intimidating

Jonah Begone gently suggests that this other video is definitive - search on youtube for "Rare Footage of Civil War Veterans Doing the Rebel Yell" from a 1930's newsreel. (I can't link here.) Actual veterans, video uploaded from the Smithsonian. Not *quite* the same thing.

Terrifying. :D But no offense to people proud of their Confederate heritage (I don't think me being related to a Missouri bushwhacker counts), but the real rebel yell sounds like something the Ewoks would cry in Star Wars.

very cool video.

and, like in this video, theres jus no emotion behind it, not a real passion, the rebel yell was supposedly sounding like a shrill fox cry, now ive always lived by the woods, and ill tell ya, if youre in the woods at night and u hear one red fox bark and cry, itll make ur blood run cold, i cant imagine the sound of thousands of men making that exact sound, itd b enough to make ur blood practically freeze lol

I have that video you are talking about on my channel

I have heard better Rebel yells in movies. I think the old James Stewart movie, Shenandoah, has a good Rebel yell.

The Carolina legion does it the Best hands down.

I cant imagine this being the rebel yell. Every man is different and would have made different high pitch yelp. It would have been a cacophony of different yelps. Not this type of regimented sound. There is no right way to do it only certain guidlines being of high pitched. If a soldier wanted to do a type of chirp or long howl so be it. Stop trying to imitate and go about it in a way more natural as in respective to each individual. 4:17 - 4:23 is what i would think more authentic.

None taken. :D But let me tell you, with modern weaponry, it would be perfect suicide to fight with these tactics. Also, losses are much less for the side more technologically advanced...for which I am immensely grateful.

7 Yankees, comrades!

Many Union veterans found it comical. Read the enlisted men accounts. The 13th NJ book is a good account as they served both in the East and west. Just saying these Union boys were not all scared.

@JozefKPilsudski That pissed off Yankee went and got his friend too. Oh look! Make a comment reply and the Bonnie Blue Flag will show up under your text box! Funny though. For some odd reason it has "Comments may be held for uploader approval" next to it. Hmm. Ah, I'm sure it's nothin'!

It is true that a LOT of the renactors are fat. But, a quick search on the internet told me that between 16% and 33% of children and adolescents are obese. So, people are just shaped different today. After all they are renactors, not soldiers.

@cha0scl0ud yeah i know right lol

Interesting?

@cha0scl0ud War is Far more impersonal today. it's lost the flair that made Humanity love it for so long.

@klangmassaker the Yankees had the same reaction

@JozefKPilsudski Dont mistake us Poles for Yankees ;)

LoL

The Carolina legion does it better.

sound like indians

@farmall51 The Soviet Union does it better.