Sadly, they were too old and lacking in lung strength. Federals facing them, always stressed the "unearthly' sound of the Yell. I suspect that it was a yodel, originally a communications tool in mountain country, and not a show thing. The deep lung sound trailing to a falsetto would carry for miles. It would indeed be bloodcurdling to hear 50,000 men do it at once. Note James Blunt (sic,) trying to do that! * "newsartist", 35th VA Cavalry, reenactor. *

This footage was shot at Camp Nicholls, a home for Confederate Veterans in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 20, 1932. As best I have been able to determine, the soldiers in the film are as follows: The first speaker is Dr. Ernest S. Lewis, who was president of the board of directors of Camp Nicholls and had served as a surgeon in the 3rd Georgia Cavalry; he introduces Superintendent Robert H. Hackney, who was in charge of the Camp Nicholls veterans home. Hackney served in Company D, 30th Louisiana Infantry during the war. The first to give the Rebel Yell was James Dinkins, who served in the 18th Mississippi Infantry and 18th Mississippi Cavalry. Dinkins was followed by Leonard Waller Stephens, who was commander in chief of the United Confederate Veterans; during the war he was a member of Company E, 27th Louisiana Infantry. Next was Charles P. Jones, who served in the 25th Tennessee Infantry. After Jones came Paul Villavaso, who served in Gaudet’s Company, St. James Regiment, Louisiana Militia. I believe he also served in the Pelican Light Artillery of Louisiana. Next came Cyrus LaGrange, who was a member of the 7th Louisiana Cavalry, Company B. After LaGrange came J.W. Manney, who was a member of Company A, 2nd Louisiana Cavalry, and may have served in Morgan’s Cavalry as well. Next came James M. Blount, who I believe served in Company A, 13th Louisiana Infantry. After Blunt came Frank E. Powell, who was a member of Companies A/E, 10th Louisiana Infantry in the Army of Northern Virginia. And last but not least was James Augustus Pierce, who fought with Company D, 7th Alabama Cavalry during the war.

That was wonderful. In the song,"White Wedding" the singer says, "With a rebel's yell.." I've alway wanted to know what it sounded like. Now I do. Thank you and forever live southern courage.

The film was made in New Orleans in 1929. (If I remember correctly, by the Times-Picayune.) It was one of numerous pieces of historic film footage rescued for posterity by the efforts of the city's late Don Perry. As I understand it, this was one of many decaying reels he rescued from the trash and remastered at his own expense. He used to bring a copy to local film fests. I was surprised and disappointed when it wasn't used for the Ken Burns Civil War series; apparently Burns wasn't familiar with it. I'm glad to see it's now on line.

With sounds like that it's no wonder the Yankees were shooting at them. I'd want to shut them up too.

i have never been more happy to be a northener born and raised.

Haha! Was the one around 3:30 named James Blunt? How appropriate.d

People make a State. The States make the Federal Government. The Federal Government invading a sovereign State is an act of treason. The constitution limits the Federal Government's power. We now have a tyrannical Federal Government because we have stopped exercising our rights. Our representatives vote on bills that they don't even read for the sake of "national security." I don't think it about slavery.....come on!

I wonder- if states rights and not slavery was the reason the South rebelled, then what rights besides slavery were they fighting to uphold? In my experience, everything always comes down to the money. Always did and always will.

That's the same sound I make when someone puts a tack on my chair and I sit on it. Yee-OWWW!

SOUNDS LIKE MARINES

Federal troops invaded the South. Certainly, the average Southern defender was no more fighting for slavery than the present day American soldier is fighting for gay marriage.

"A random sample of 100 mainstream books will clearly support that the states rights issue was the driving force." That shows the influence of the Lost Cause. Ignoring what came after the Civil War says nothing about what came before it. "Approximately 25% of all southern soldiers who served during the war were either killed or severely wounded. These were indeed simple subsistance agrarians that never owned or could afford slaves." The south was a slave society in much the same way that Nantucket was a whaling society. Only a minority owned slaves, or had an ownership interest in a whaling boat. Nonetheless, most of the rest had both commercial interests and cultural ties to the major industry of the society in which they lived. The documents the seceding states drafted to explain their secession made clear that slavery was their primary cause. The fact that the Confederate Constitution was more restrictive than the US Constitution, and made slavery a permanent feature, belies the claim that the southern states were interested in federalism or states rights. They fought for slavery. Those who can't face that simple historical truth need to go back and read the source documents. Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/video/What-Did-the-Rebel-Yell-Sound-Like.html#ixzz236oBR35W

This was incredibly informative. I often read about this sort of war cry, but had nothing to base it off except Hollywood, so thank you so very much for making this available for all to see, hear and experience.