Billy Yank
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Billy Yank or Billy Yankes , was the personification of the Northern States , the Union, during the War of Civilizations (1861-1865) in the United States of America .
Billy Yank in the Civil War
When the American Civil War began in 1861, the country split into the Confederate States of America and the Northern States that remained in the Union. Billy Yank and Johnny Reb were the personifications of soldiers on both sides. The Northern Army was represented by all ages. About three-quarters of the Northern Army were American, surprisingly many from the South. The largest non-American group were the Germans. Irish, Canadians and British were among others also represented in the Northern Army.
Many soldiers spent their free time improving their living conditions during the war. This became particularly necessary in winter, as they would not fight on the fronts until spring. During this time they concentrated on setting up comfortable winter quarters. The soldiers tried to improve the quarters with their remaining personal belongings. A group of soldiers belonging to the Irish Brigade built a church. The church had a fireplace and a chandelier made from tin cans. In their spare time the soldiers played dice and smoking their pipes. Drunkenness was a problem for the often bored soldiers in the camp. The officers tried to keep their soldiers busy during this time, for example by making church services available to them. A total of around 2.5 million soldiers served in the Union Army, of which around 400,000 died from fighting or disease. About 280,000 soldiers were wounded.
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Billy's last name is derived from Yankee , a slang term for New English. On average, Billy Yank was 25 years old in the first year of the war. While there were around 100 different professional groups in the Confederate States Army , there were well over 300 professional groups in the Army of the North.
Billy Yank was generally less religious, but more interested in politics and more intellectual than his opponents in the south. Billy Yank was usually depicted with a woolen uniform, a light woolen coat with four brass buttons and a field cap with a leather visor. Most of the Billy Yanks came from rural areas and small towns. Most of them were self-sufficient and hunters, so they had a great advantage in the war against the south. Billy Yank is described as a patriot, someone who has a strong sense of duty to the country.
Union soldiers' uniforms were blue and Confederate soldiers were gray.
Victory, Jewel of the Soul Statue
The more than five meter tall bronze statue by the artist Rudolph Thiem was built in 1904 in Hamilton , Ohio . The artist named the statue Victory, Jewel of the Soul , but nowadays the statue represents Billy Yank to the people. The statue represents a young soldier who has little facial hair. The statue stands 100 meters above the ground, on a kind of pavilion . Beneath the soldier statue, the monument houses a collection of war weapons and swords, records from residents of Butler County who served in World War I, World War II, Korean War , Vietnam War, and Gulf War .
Billy Yank statue in Hackettstown
The JW Fiske & Company was after the end of the civil war mandated the five-meter-high bronze statue erected in Hackettstown. The statue was dedicated to the Union soldiers who fought during the Civil War. There was a parade in honor of the statue at the opening, and veterans, firefighters and children carried the American flag.
In 1926, under a court order, the statue was overthrown and the metal sold. In 1998 there was a campaign to replace the statue. The new Billy Yank statue was completed in 2001.
Calvary Monument
The Calvary Monument , in the middle of Calvary Cemetery in Queens, honors the Union soldiers who fell in the Civil War. It was commissioned by the City of New York and erected in 1866. The monument shows a 15-meter-high granite obelisk, decorated with golden garlands and flags, with a bronze figure that is supposed to represent peace. The artist who came up with the idea and implementation is Daniel Draddy . Draddy is known for his church altars, including the Coleman Monument in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan . In 1929 a new fence was erected around the monument and the bronze and granite details were partially replaced and restored.
Use in art and music
In the album Songs of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb by Jimmie Driftwood it comes to stories from the American Civil War. They are all written from different perspectives, including that of the slaves in the southern United States. One of the twelve songs on the album is about Billy Yank and Johnny Reb. Frank Giacoia, an American comic author, drew a comic about Billy Yank and Johnny Reb from 1956 to 1959, which always appeared on Sundays.
Use in film
Gods and Generals is a historical drama from 2003, based on the novel by Jeff Shaara . It is a prequel to the 1993 war film Gettysburg. A familiar spot in the film is when Billy Yank and Johnny Reb are exchanging Christmas presents on the river.
literature
- Alexander Boettcher: Billy Yank and Johnny Reb: The American Civil War from the perspective of the soldiers at the front. Grin Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-3640112074
- Susan Beller Provost: Billy Yank and Johnny Reb: Soldiering in the civil war. Twenty-first century books, 2008, ISBN 978-0822568032
- Belle Wiley: The Life of Johnny Reb and the Life of Billy Yank. Essentials of the Civil War series. Book of the month club, 1994
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Alexander Boettcher: Billy Yank and Johnny Reb: The American Civil War from the point of view of the soldiers at the front. Grin Publishing, 2008, pp. 9-13.
- ^ Susan Beller Provost: Billy Yank and Johnny Reb: Soldiering in the civil war. Twenty-first century books, 2008, pp. 26-29.
- ^ Susan Beller Provost: Billy Yank and Johnny Reb: Soldiering in the civil war. Twenty-first century books, 2008, pp. 11-14.
- ↑ Super Heroes: Origins ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed February 15, 2018
- ↑ Essential civil war curicculum: Billy Yank , accessed on February 15, 2018
- ↑ Rudolph Thiem: Victory, Jewel of the Soul , accessed on February 16, 2018
- ↑ Hamilton Statue: Statue in Hamilton , accessed March 10, 2018
- ↑ Historic Hackettstown: The Story of Billy Yank , accessed February 15, 2018
- ↑ Calvary Monument: Soldiers Monument , accessed March 11, 2018
- ↑ Album: Songs of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb , accessed March 10, 2018
- ↑ Song: Jimmie Driftwood , accessed March 10, 2018
- ↑ Comic: Stripper's Guide , accessed March 10, 2018
- ^ Film: Gods and Generals , accessed March 10, 2018
