Wichita eagle., 1889-04-05
THAT REBEL YELL.
It Was Originally the Battle Cry
Of the Tennessee Cherokeea
The Genesis Of the Whoop as It Was
Heard at Kings Mountain-A Contri-
button Of the Great West to the
Cause Of American Freedom.

''Genesis Of the Rebel Yell,' our some
times sclolistic friends who write American
historical essays for Eastern readers have
inclined to the opinion that 1t Is Texas
modification of the cultural Comanche
whoop. This is clearly mistake, based on
insufficient information, says the st. Louis
Republic. The yell was heard IN the Texan
war for independence. 1t came clear and
strong from the Threats of the men who
followed Houston at San Jaclnto, but that
was not its genesis by any means. The
Texans of that day were all, or nearly all,
natives Of other Western States, and their
war-cry was a part Of the equipment they
carried to Texas with them.
Ali the reliable evidence shows that the
rebel yell was a contribution Of the great
West to the cause of American freedom in
the rebellion against England. Before the
revolution a handful OF Virginians had
pushed across the Alleghenies and built at
Wautauga, in what is now Tennessee, one
of the first outposts CT american civilization
IN the then unknown West, lying between
the Alleghenies and the Pacific. They held
in check the 1900 Cherokee warriors who
were melted by the English to attack
the rebels OF the seaboard in the rear, and
when these Eastern rebels seemed totally
demoralized, when CORVALLIS, with Tarle-
ton and ferguson under him had cut the
confederacy in two, .'the rebel yel'' was
heard for the first time east Of the mount
aims. 1t was the accompaniment Of a style
of fighting with which the English regulars
were entirely unfamillar-the massing Of
small force against the weaker point of
scattered opposing force, and then, without
regard to the numbers Of the opposing
force, a headlong rush and the wild charg-
ing cry which has since become memorable
as ''the rebel yell"
When the brave Colonel Ferguson re-
treated to Kings Mountain and intrenched
himself there in what he supposed to be an
impregnable position, his second in COM
mand, Du Peyster, said to hun as the West
ern men charged up the mountain under
the CALLING fire Of his superior force:
There are those yelling devils again"
Six hours later the yelling devils from the
West had won the battle OF Kings Mount
ain, captured its surviving defenders, and
turned the tide of the revolution back
against England, sending CORVALLIS in
confused retreat to the surrender at York
town.
There is no doubt at all Of the genesis of
the rebel yell as it was heard at 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 rivers and mountains Of their old
hunung-grounds musical with the names
that are as soft as Italian. With the posi-
bic exception Of the Natchez, they were the
most intelligent and least cruel OF North
American Indians, holding the universal
Indian law Of retaliation, but more capable
IL, T. IL, g..
giving injuries.
Under Oconostata and Old Tarsel they
made heroic fight against the Westward
advance Of civilization, and their battle cry
was heard in defense of Tennessee soil at
the first fight on Lookout Mountain as de-
family as at the second. 1t was turned
against them by the white Tennesseeans
who followed John Sewer in over hun
dred fights with them, in every one of
which the Cherokees were losers. Before
Sewers time, most of the fighting against
Indians had been done from behind stock
AIDES, or in skirmishing from behind trees.
With military genius that was NapoIeonic
before Napoleon, Sewer adopted, and never
swerved from, policy of sudden attack in
the open field, always in the enemy's coun-
try, without waiting to reckon up how many
men the enemy could bring against him if
given time. This art of war was defined in
1865 by the Tennessee cavalryman whom
General Lee called the greatest of his Gener-
ais in the West, as getting there first with
the most men" Against this method OF fight
ing the unframed Cherokees could do moth
ing. They fought for every foot Of terri
tory, but always with great loss Of their
own warriors, inflcting little in return.
ba IF n,J % Ia
Revolution" has no theory Of his own con-
corning the origin of the rebel yell, but the
facts be has collected make it certain
enough that it was originally the battle cry
of these red Tennesseans, who called their
warriors "Sons of Fire" (Cherahkees). In
all mouths but theirs it has been rebel
yell invariably. 1t was raised by rebels at
Kings Mountain; again few weeks later
at Jonesboro, where 800 Tennessee rebels
assembled to rescue John Sewer, who had
been kidnapped by North Carolina and car
ried across the mountains to be tried for
treason as the head of the Tennessee rebel
lion against North Carolina; it was rebel
cry at the Alamo and San Jacinto; later on
1t was heard again at Shiloh and Chicka-
manga from the throats of Tennesseeans who
rebelled against Tennessee for the Union,
and of other Tennesseeans who rebelled
against the Union for Tennessee
1t is in accord with eternal fitness that
the rebel war-cry should trace its origin to
above all others is the
rebel State-the only State Of the second
rebellious Confederacy which waived all
discussion of the constitutional right Of Sc
cession, and, standing sQuarely on its rebel
lious record against England and North
Carolina, rebelled out of the Union instead
of seeding out of it.