How Far Away Could Civil War Battles be heard?

[Rich Travsky]

From Rich Travsky <RTRA...@uwyo.edu>

How far away could (U.S.) Civil War battles be heard?

The question arises from a bit of "trivia" about the movie
Gettysburg. It was related to me by a colleague of mine here
on campus that the cannon fire done for the movie could be
heard 60 miles away. The movie, he said, used around 40 field
pieces, using half charges. The actual Gettysburg battle, of
course, used a far greater number of cannon, and of course
used closer to full charges.

My friend is really in to this period of U.S. history (for
example, he helps run the living history class held at Fort
Laramie, had chances to be an extra in "Dances with Wolves"
and Gettysburg [couldn't make it, tho, and hates himself
for missing out]). Anyway, he says he's not so far been able to
find any references - say, newspaper accounts, or diaries of
individuals - relating hearing battles from long distances.

Would any learned members of this list per chance know of
any references to peruse that might give mention of hearing
battles from long away?

Thanks in advance for your time,

Rich Travsky Division of Information Technology
University of Wyoming rtravsky @ uwyo . edu
"We tottered together upon the brink of the fall. I have some knowledge,
however, of baritsu, or the Japanese system of wrestling...I slipped
through his grip..." _The Return of Sherlock Holmes_

[rov...@oc.nps.navy.mil]

From rov...@oc.nps.navy.mil

In <Cn2tE...@law7.DaytonOH.NCR.COM>, Rich Travsky <RTRA...@uwyo.edu> writes:
>
>From Rich Travsky <RTRA...@uwyo.edu>
>
>How far away could (U.S.) Civil War battles be heard?
>

Except under unusual conditions, the atmosphere tends to cause
sound energy to refract away from the earth's surface. The
nominal "maximum range" for hearing surface generated sound is
about 12 miles.

P.J. Rovero Internet: rov...@oc.nps.navy.mil
Code OC/Rv Packet: kk1d@k6ly
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, CA 93943

[B. Alan Guthrie]

From "B. Alan Guthrie" <zc...@vvernus.pgh.wec.com>

>From Rich Travsky <RTRA...@uwyo.edu>

>How far away could (U.S.) Civil War battles be heard?

According to Volume 2 of Shelby Foote's _The Civil War_,
the bombardment at Gettysburg on 3 July 1863 could be
heard in Pittsburgh, which is about 150 miles from the
battlefield.

On the other hand, at the Battle of Perryville (8 October
1862), General Braxton Bragg did not hear the sounds of
the battle, even though he was less than five miles from
the battlefield [or was it Major General Don Carlos Buell
who didn't hear the battle? - I always confuse all these
Yankee generals ;-)].

The ability to hear the battle, then, is a function of the
particular acoustic characteristics of the terrain and
the atmospheric conditions.

--
B. Alan Guthrie, III | When the going gets tough,
| the tough hide under the table.
zc...@monarch.pgh.wec.com |
| E. Blackadder

[Peter Shyvers]

From Peter Shyvers <pshy...@pyramid.com>

In article <Cn4pw...@law7.daytonoh.ncr.com> rov...@oc.nps.navy.mil writes:
>
>From rov...@oc.nps.navy.mil
>
>In <Cn2tE...@law7.DaytonOH.NCR.COM>, Rich Travsky <RTRA...@uwyo.edu> writes:
>>

>>From Rich Travsky <RTRA...@uwyo.edu>
>>
>>How far away could (U.S.) Civil War battles be heard?
>>
>

>Except under unusual conditions, the atmosphere tends to cause
>sound energy to refract away from the earth's surface. The
>nominal "maximum range" for hearing surface generated sound is
>about 12 miles.
>

Shelby Foote, in his trilogy on the Civil War, cites that many observers
noted that in spite of proximity (say, a half-mile from) to the battlefield,
they couldn't hear the racket - while others further back could.

Musta been an eerie (sp?) sensation, watching men die silently...

pete

--
Peter Shyvers, SE Manager Internet: pshy...@pyramid.com
EDS
3860 North First Street Phone: (408) 428-8831
San Jose, CA 95134 FAX: (408) 428-8513

[Ad absurdum per aspera]

From Ad absurdum per aspera <JTC...@lbl.gov>

Depends a lot on the terrain, weather, and weapons, I
would imagine. Deep valleys and steep hills let sound
go a lot further in some directions than others. Thick
forest soaks it up like a sponge. Finally, sound seems
to travel better and has a different character in really
humid air.

The sound of small arms fire can be heard a couple of
miles down the holler, yet can be inaudible a couple
hundred yards away in another direction, stopped dead by
a ridge. A loud droning riccochet went past my head once
in that kind of terrain in northern Alabama, and I never
did hear the shot.

Like most people, I've never heard a large number of Civil
War-era cannon going off with full charges. The sound
would probably travel further, but subject to the same
principles (perhaps with more ground vibration and subsonics;
anybody for a seismographic and spectrographic look at Civil
War reenactments?).

Large explosions are a different matter entirely, with a
big muffled thud. Strip-mine blasts (greater than anything
of the Civil War era except a whole arsenal going up) could
be noticeable for a few miles regardless. But the thud is
hard to localize.

Within the several-miles plausible maximum range, it's quite
possible for one person to hear shots and another to be
unaware that there's a war on, depending on what's between.

Joe
"Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"
Disclaimer: Even if my employer had a position on the subject,
I probably wouldn't be the one stating it on their behalf.