The Union battle cry was the "Hurrah!" — a deep, slow, three-syllable shout that rolled along the line as a unit advanced. Confederate veterans afterward distinguished it carefully from their own high-pitched, ululating "Rebel Yell." The Union shout was described as "a steady, manly roar," the Rebel Yell as "a hellish scream." Both did the same tactical work: declaring presence to the enemy, lifting the formation's morale at the moment of contact, and producing the noise that drowned out individual officers' commands. Federal soldiers cheered for victories, for officers they liked, for the Stars and Stripes passing overhead, and for any moment that gave a regiment reason to throw its hats in the air.

This W. Britain figure depicts a Federal infantryman in the moment of a cheer — hat raised high in his right hand, body angled forward in motion. He wears the Model 1858 enlisted frock coat (a single-breasted nine-button regulation coat with two-button cuffs and the standing collar piped in light blue infantry trim), the light blue regulation trousers, and the cartridge box and holstered revolver on his belt. The bedroll crosses his chest. The figure is a natural foreground piece for a victory or review diorama — pair him with command figures for the cheer-receiving moment or with marching figures for a regiment celebrating in column. Pair this figure with Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, the army commander whose troops cheered the news that Lee had retreated from Gettysburg; with President Abraham Lincoln, the commander-in-chief whose appearances always drew cheers from the ranks; or with Union Forever Marching Set for a marching column with a cheering figure at its head.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31482. From the American Civil War range. Single foot figure, supplied painted and ready for display.