A wax cylinder recording of a confederate soldiers memories in his words.
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=84525&ran=187608
They were still making cylinders in 1944? I thought those were pretty much obsolete by 1915. I wonder why they think the cylinder is from the '40s, and not, say, from the 1890s?
That soundportraits page is a remarkable site.
I have the sound turned off on my computer at work, but I will have to give this a listen when I get home.
Interesting stuff. Thanks, Reeder.
Oh, and a little warning for those who may play this at work. The guy doesn’t pronounce “Negro” very carefully.
While that was true for recorded music, the wax cylinder was used until the late 1940’s in Dictaphone machines, when it was replaced by plastic Dictabelt discs.
This could have easily been a Dictaphone transcription.
Of course—how could I have forgotten that joke?
Secretary: “May I use your Dictaphone?”
Boss: “Of course not—use your finger, like everyone else!”
I’m listening to this from home right now. Wow! The audio quality – surprisingly – is excellent.
I’m listening to a first person account of something that happened 140 years ago.
Wow. Just…wow.
It goes to show you how little separates us from that period.
My grandmother is 87, and can clearly remember Grand Army of the Republic veterans marching in parades during her childhood. My great-grandfather, who was born in 1892, lived until I was eighteen, and he was ninety-six. He knew Mexican War veterans in his youth, and was born right before the second Grover Cleveland administration.
It amazes me to think of this, really.
Thank you for that link. This is just awesome. I can’t wait til my husband gets home to hear this, too.