Other Wars

Yesterday was also the anniversary of the battle of first Manasses. And what should I find in this morning's paper but a link (well, a citation anyway; this was the paper version of the paper) to a sound clip of an authentic rebel yell. Private Thomas Alexander, late of the 37th North Carolina Regiment, Confederate States Army, recorded his version of a rebel yell for WBT radio in 1935. The rebel yell of legend is blood-curdling and terrifying. Alas, this version is, well, not. But then Private Alexander was, as the newspaper pointed out, 90 years old at the time of the recording. And technologically, high fidelity - never mind mp3 quality - was far in the future. Roll back 60 years and give Private Alexander back his rifle and a thousand or so of his companions and no doubt the blood would indeed run cold.

You can listen for yourself at the links found on this page.