"Every Union soldier who heard the Confederate battle cry known as Rebel Yell and said he was not scared, probably never heard it," wrote in his monumental work The Civil War. A Narrative by the distinguished historian Shelby Fotte. The famous screech of southern rebels was an integral part of most battles in the American conflict, and remains the subject of discussion and research to this day.
The blood-curdling howl was supposed to scare the opponent, announcing his imminent death, like the lament of a banshee - a ghost from Irish mythology. Those who had the chance to come into contact with it described it as the piercing, deeply flowing and rising coyote whine, or the rabbit's scream that breaks off abruptly with the order to attack . We do not have any recordings of Rebel Yell from the Civil War period, but the preserved presentations of Confederate veterans from the beginning of the 20th century seem to confirm its extremely destructive effect for the audience.
However it sounded, it was "the ugliest sound a mortal has ever heard" - one of the Union officers recalled years later. However, it was indispensable on the battlefield. Lt. Col. Arthur Lyon Fremantle, a British observer (it is worth adding that he was unofficial) present at the Unionist staff during the Battle of Gettysburg, even said with a sneer:
Confederate officers declare that the scream of the rebels has special merit and always has a salutary and beneficial effect on their opponents.
The earliest records of a rebel howl are known from the Battle of Bull Run in July 1861 - the first major battle of the Civil War. But historians and cultural scientists look for the sources of the famous battle cry of the Southerners long before the conflict broke out. It has been suggested that the Yell Rebellion was inspired by Indian war cries, something well known to the inhabitants of the wild frontier. And some speculate that it was based on ancient Gaelic or Celtic war calls that appeared in the New World with Scottish and Irish immigrants.
Whatever it was, the Rebel Yell was neither the first nor the only battle cry in history. Here are some of them.
"Alala" and barritus
The ability to emit battle cries over the centuries has been a very welcome trait in a true warrior in a number of cultures over the centuries. And we find some of the first combat calls known to us today in the age of antiquity. In Iliad Homer, we have loud cries of all the heroes fighting at Troy, and we read about Diomedes' voice that "everyone penetrates".
But not only mythical heroes were able to make use of their voices. It is known that Greek hoplites marching to the battlefield usually sang battle hymns to ensure the favor of the gods and to calm the nerves . However, when it came to the clash, the Greeks asked for the blessing of Alala - the daughter of the embodiment of war Polemus and goddess of the cry - shouting her name as loud and fiercely as possible. The call uttered by thousands of hoplites, additionally reinforced by blows of weapons against shields, was to deprive the opponents of any illusions as to the result of the clash.
Greek hoplites marching to the battlefield usually sang the battle hymns
Unlike the Greek combatants, who usually chanted for battle, the Roman legionaries mostly marched in silence. Probably to maintain the discipline and order in the ranks, so characteristic of the Roman art of war. It was only when there was a clash that the soldiers were supposed to emit terrifying war cries.
The late Roman army was particularly fond of the barritus described by Roman historians. Originally it was probably a battle song of the Germans, which was supposed to inflame courage in their own ranks and at the same time intimidate the enemy. The intensifying battles with the Germanic tribes and the increasing presence of their members in the legions meant that barbaric customs found their place in them.
In the Roman edition, the barritus turned from a song into a growing murmur. "It begins with a faint hum, then gradually grows, like the roar of the ocean waves crashing against the cliffs," wrote Ammianus Marcellinus in Acts of Rome . And according to Tacitus, in order to increase the horror effect, the soldiers of Germania "hold shields in front of their mouths so that the voice is fuller and deeper, reverberating and swelling", in which their legionaries probably imitated it later.
God wills it because He is great
“So let all quarrels between you cease, quarrels cease, battles end, and all disagreement cease. Set out on the way to the Holy Sepulcher and save this country from the evil race ”- with these words Pope Urban II was to end his ardent oration inviting European Christians to the crusade in 1095. Then many of those present at the Council of Clermont, carried away by the words of the head of the Church, began to shout, "Deus vult!" ("God wants it so!"). Surprised by the enthusiasm of the audience, the pope was then to reply:
Let this be your battle cry because that word is given to you by God. When an armed attack comes on the enemy, let this one cry be raised by all God's soldiers:This is God's will! This is God's will! .
As a result, the Pope-sanctioned call echoed bloody on dozens of battlefields of successive crusades.
The Pope-sanctioned cry echoed bloody on dozens of battlefields in successive crusades.
The Crusaders, however, were not alone in invoking God's name. For, as it were, at the end of their swords sounded an equally lofty slogan - the Islamic tabkir, or the Arabic term for the famous exclamation "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is great!").
This phrase was and is used by Muslims in various circumstances, not necessarily related to the war. Its first combat use is attributed to Muhammad when, after his victory at Badr in 624, he was to say in thanksgiving:"God is great , glory be to God who has fulfilled His promise, has given His servant victory… ”. However, the glorification of Allah that terrified enemies turned out to be more vital than the crusade. It survived through all the conflicts where the Prophet's green banner was flown, until the infamous appropriation by Islamic terrorists.
"Remember Alamo!"
This recall was the battle cry of the Texans during the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836. It was supposed to spur General Sam Houston's people to bloody revenge on the Mexican army, which only a few weeks earlier had mercilessly murdered the defenders of the Alamo mission in San Antonio.
The slogan turned out to be very effective, as foreseen by the Texas commanders who, after General Huston's fiery speech ended with a call for the memory of the Alamo, were to say: "To hell! There won't be many prisoners after this speech. ”
Indeed, the smaller Texan forces easily defeated General Santa Ana's army, wiping out nearly half of its state and capturing the commander responsible for the Alamo massacre himself.
The famous cry survived the annexation or - as some wanted - annexation of Texas to the USA and was also used during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.
"Banzai!"
The ominous cry of Japanese soldiers on the Pacific front of World War II is perhaps one of the most famous and recognizable combat calls in history. Originally, however, it had nothing to do with a life-and-death struggle. On the contrary - the word borrowed from the Chinese language can be translated as "ten thousand years" and has always been used to wish you a long and happy life.
And this was also the message of the cries of the soldiers of the Land of the Rising Sun, who, on their way to the attack, had the habit of shouting at the top of their throats: "tennōheika banzai!", Which roughly translates as "long live the emperor!" .
The cry, most often shortened to "banzai!", Became the calling card of the masses of Japanese soldiers striking in suicide attacks on Allied positions.
However, as the war dragged on and its impending end result did not seem to fill the optimism of the Nippon command, the cry, most often shortened to "banzai!", Became a showcase of masses of Japanese soldiers striking in suicide attacks on Allied positions.
For many years, a romantic legend has said that with this shout on their lips, the kamikaze pilots also died when they crashed into American ships with their machines. However, it has not really been proven that this was the case.
Geronimo jumps from Currahee
The Japanese exclamation, although familiar, did not enter the public consciousness as much as "Geronimo!" Shouted by American paratroopers. The originator of this call is considered to be Col. Aubrey Eberhardt, who served in an experimental unit testing the use of airborne troops in hostilities.
In 1940, Eberhardt and his companions underwent a murderous training at Fort Benning, Georgia. And it is there that the movie Geronimo was watched as part of the camp entertainment about the brave Apache leader was to inspire Eberhardt to use this Indian name during his first parachute jump. The young soldier, as well as many of his colleagues, simply terrified the prospect of leaving the plane with a piece of silk over his head. He told his companions about his idea, but on their part he only met with disbelief and jokes.
After the US entered the war, "Geronimo" even became, with the consent of the descendants of the brave Apache, the official motto of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment inscribed in the insignia of the unit.
The private, however, offended to the living, got his way, and when the next day he jumped from the transport douglas, everyone actually heard the long "Geronimooooo!" The rest of their friends didn't want to be worse, so she picked up his battle cry during her jumps.
After the US entered the war, "Geronimo" even became, with the consent of the descendants of the brave Apache, the official motto of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment inscribed in the insignia of the unit.
The shouted name of the Indian chief, although it quickly settled in other parachute units, soon found its competitor. The commander of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Colonel Robert Sink, wishing to distinguish his unit from the rest of the soldier's mass, ordered shouting "currahee!".
It was the name of a mountain in the Toccoa training camp where Colonel. Sinka went through backbreaking preparations for fighting at the front. According to the commander, it was the over 500 m high Currahee, which soldiers in full gear had to conquer again and again, that made them real and brave paratroopers. And although the memory of the hard training in Toccoa was not pleasant for them, they were always encouraged by the thought that by shouting "currahee", they were announcing to everyone:"we have no equal" (this is how the name of this mountain is translated from the Cherokee language).
Initially, the American command was generally against any screams during the airborne landing. It was feared that screaming paratroopers might reveal their position to the enemy. However, reports on the successes of airborne troops from the front, despite shouted battle slogans, sanctioned their use. Whereas "Geronimo!" survived subsequent conflicts, and its popularity spread beyond the military sphere, permanently entering the world pop culture.