The
Rebel Yell was the
war cry of the Confederate soldiers during the American
Civil War.
Union troops, even when greatly outnumbering their attackers, described it as being extremely unsettling. The Rebel Yell, along with the mystique of the invincible rebel soldier, aided the Confederate armies greatly. This was especially true early in the war when the rebels were only
greatly outnumbered, as opposed to later in the war when they were
ridiculously outnumbered.
Supposedly, though, no one today knows exactly what the rebel yell sounded like. It definitely was not "Yee-Haw!" "Yee-haw" conveys a message of, "Oh boy! We's gonna' have some fun now!" The Rebel Yell conveys more of a "Oh boy! We's gonna' do some killin' now!" message. It's more like "Yee Yee Yee Yee!", which sounds silly in print. Union soldiers described it as a sort of swirling discordant scream that grew louder and more horrible as the attackers approached. The desired effect requires an entire horde of southerners with an extreme case of battle lust.