The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-05-16
THE REBEL YELL.
ORIGIN OF THE FAMOUS CON-
FEDERATE WAR-WROOP.

1t Thrilled the Soldiers at San Jacinto,
at Yorktown and at Shiloh-First
Used by the Tennessee Indians.
From the st. Louis Republic.
After superficial research into the
"Genesis of the Rebel Yell" our some
times scholastic friends who write
American historical essays for eastern
readers have inclined to the opinion
that it is Texas modification Of the
cultural Comauche whoop. This is
clearly a mistake, based on insufficient
information. The yell was heard in
the Texan war for independence. 1t
came clear and strong from the throats
of the men who followed Houston at
San Jacinto, but that was not its gen.
esis by any means. The Texans of
that day were all, or nearly all, ma
tives of other western states, and their
war cry was part of the equipment
they carried to Texas with them.
All the reliable evidence shows that
the rebel yell was contribution of
the great west to the cause of Ameri
can freedom in the rebellion against
England. Before the Revolution a
handful of Virgilians had pushed
across the Alleghanies and built at
Walauga, in what is now Tennessee,
one of the first out posts of American
civilization in the then unknown west
lying between the Alleghanies and the
Pacific. They had in check the 49,
600 Cherokee warriors who were in
cited by the English to attack the
rebels of the seaborG in the rear, and
when these eastern rebels seemed
hopelessly demoralized, when Corn
wallis, with Tarleton and Ferguson
under him, had cut the confederacy
in two, "the rebel yell'' was heard for
the first time east of the mountains.
1t was the accompaniment Of style
of fighting with which the English
regulars were entirely unfamiliar the
massing of small force against the
weakest point of scattered opposing
force, and then without regard to the
numbers of the opposing force, a head
long rush and the wild charging cry
which has since become memorable as
"the rebel YELL"
When the brave Col. Ferguson re-
treated to Kings mountain and in
| trenched himself there in what he
supposed to be an impregnable posi-
tion his second in command, DuPey-
ster, said to him, as the western men
charged up the mountain under the
| CALLING fire of his superior force
"There are those yelling devils again.
| Six hours later the yelling rebels from
/ iIl- L. 4 a. al of
Mountain, captured its surviving de-
tenders, and turned the tide of the
Revolution back against England
sending CORVALLIS in confused retreat
to the surrender at Yorktown.
| There is no doubt at all of the gen.
esis of the rebel yell as it was heard al
Kings mountain. 1t was the war cry
of men as brave as ever died in defense
of homes-the Tennessee Cherokees,
whose language has made the river;
and mountains of their old hunting
grounds musical with names that are
soft as Italian. With the possible ex
ception of the Natchez, they were the
most intelligent and least cruel o
North American Indians, holding tht
universal Indian law of retaliation
but more capable than any others O
the Indian stock of forgiving injuries
Under Oconostata and Old Tarse
they made heroic fight against th'
westward advance of civilization, ant
their battle cry was heard in defens'
of Tennessee soil at the first fight OF
Lookout mountain as defantly as a
the second. It was turned agains
them by the white Tennesseeans whs
followed John Sewer in over a hun
dred fights with them, in every one 0
which the Cherokees were loosers
Before SERVERS time most of the fight
ing against Indians had been don,
from behind stockades or in skirmish
ing from behind trees. With militia
ry genius that was Napoleonic befor
Napoleon, Sewer adopted and neve
swerved from policy of sudden at
tack in the open field, always in tn
enemy's country. without waiting &
reckon up how many men the enem
could bring against him if given time
This art of war was defined in 1856
by the Tennessee calvarynan whom
Gen. Lee called the greatest of hi
generals in. the west getting ther
first with the most men" Agains
this method of fighting the untraine
Cherokees could do nothing. The
fought for every foot of territory, bu
always with great loss of their ow
warriors, inficting little in return
The author of the "Rear Guard .
the Revolution" has no theory of hi
own concerning the origin of the rebt
yell, but the facts he has collecte
make it certain enough that it wa
; originally the battle cry of these re
Tennesseeans, VINO called their wal
riors "Sons of Fire" (Cherahkees
3 In all mouths but theirs it has been
rebel yell invariably. It was raised b
{ rebels at Kings mountain; again
few years later at Jonesboro, wher
7 300 Tennessee rebels assembled
rescue John Sewer, who had bee
kidnapped by North Carolina an
carried across the mountains to
4 tried for treason as the head of Il
: Tennessee rebel, ion against Mort
& Carolina; it was rebel cry at tt
!. Alamo and San Jacinto; later on
9 was heard again at Shiloh and Chic
|, amauga from the throats Of Tennessee
Z Z ans who rebelled against Tenness
!. for the Union, and of other Tennesse
{ ans who rebelled against the. Unit
: for Tennessee.
Il is in accord with eternal ithe