Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-01-28
(ro BIZ coN1INUID.)
THE ARMY YELL.
How the Soldiers Took Up the Cry
Until the Whole Army Was
Involved.

II is hardly necessary to explain, and
l could not do il If l wanted to, how
the simple matter of yelling or halloo-
ing grew to be of such gigantic propor-
lions and with what wonderful rapidly
these simple things spread. Start rab-
bit, and one yell meant a yell from
everyone in the regiment, and that
meant brigade yell, and so on, until
the whole army rapidly took up the con-
tagion. Soldiers never stopped to in
Quire what it meant; they didn't care;
they heard the-yoll far away, faint o.
first, gradually swelling toward them
until, like a huge wave. a terrific
cyclone, it swept past to die away in
the far-away TANKS of the army.
During the spring of 1864, when we
were retiring from the Knoxville cam
paign to our position near Chattanoo-
ga, an old friend of mine of the
Eighty-sixth Indiana passed me, and
merely remarked: How are you,
Tom?" That was followed by How are
you, Tom" from the balance of the
company, then by the regiment. The
brigade and division took it up. and
probably before that How are you,
Tom" died away two-thirds of Thomas
old third division had paid that courtesy
to Tom.
But the grandeSt and most enthusiasts
tic yelling l ever heard was when the
army lay around Atlanta after its cap
ture. Away toward Atlanta we heard the
yell coming closer and louder, and in
stncuvely it seemed that the soldiers
knew something of unusual Importance
had occurred, and they yelled louder and
with great spirit. 1t was probably an
hour thereafter that news from Sher-
mans headquarters reached us of Sheri-
dams splendid victories in the Shenan-
doah.
Toward nightfall, or even when very
dark, whilst weary and foot sore from
tedious marching, yell coming along
the road from toward the front meant
going into camp ahead, but how far
ahead depended whether you were very
far in the rear Of the army or not. II
you were, you were probably consider
able distance from camp.
Whilst the picket lines were within
less than hundred yards of each other
before Atlanta, in July. 1864, our pick cts.
by way Of demonstration, were required
to make almost daily charges upon the
rifle pits of the enemy. Sometimes we
captured several prisoners, and usually
held the rifle pits until the reserves
drove us out again. During these
charges, OF course, the usual yell accom-
panied. One day the spasmodic and IN.
accountable army yell was passing
around, and, of course, was taken up
by the pickets. The rebel pickets, think
ing 1t meant the daily charge. pulled
out and ran for the works behind. See
ing that they had been victims of a
huge joke, one by one you could see
| them slipping back into their holes and
resuming hostile positions. This picket
yelling was reduced to a considerable
| system by the pickets themselves.
| / remember that the day of thePeach
Tree Creek battle our division was away
around to the left and just before sun
| down our pickets became holly engaged
| and after seeing they were in for IL for
| awhile they began firing with a seeming
| preconcerted action from the left. and
| as the last one fired to the right you
could hear simultaneous yell then the
| firing by file again and so on until dark.
Hundreds of incidents of the army wells
might be given, but they are too famil-
lar to be of interest-C. A. Brasher. I'm
American Tribune.
II