Field Drums (a/k/a Field of Drums)

Question re Dream Dance Drum (a rope tensioned bass drum)

2012-02-02T18:27:00.001-05:00

There is a certain historic drum which has been attracting a certain amount of attention. I am hoping that you will take a look and tell me what you can. Here are a couple of photos from Standing Rock Indian Reservation (Sioux), taken before 1912.

First picture: http://amertribes.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=teton&action=display&thread=990&page=3 (Scroll down to the last photo.)

Second picture: http://amertribes.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=teton&action=display&thread=944&page=2 (Scroll down to “Reply 28”.)

The second picture is captioned “Dream Dance Drum” – a particular kind of drum associated with the Ojibwe tribe beginning about 1876 and spreading to other tribes thereafter.

However, it looks to me like the drum is a commercial bass drum - it differs quite a bit from photos of known Dream Dance Drums.

Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated, especially if you can refer to any other online images that closely resemble this possibly mislabeled “Dream Dance Drum.”

Sincerely,

Clark Kimberling

St. Anselm's Drum by Pop Classey, Teacher of Gus Moeller

2012-01-31T11:00:00.004-05:00

Unconfirmed information from George Kubicek (who calls this a "Larchmont Drum" to the effect that this drum is in California, and was made by Ed "Pop" Classey of Mt. Vernon, New York. Drum corps folklore is that Ed Classey taught Gus Moeller how to make drums.

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For the sound of St. Anselm's in 1955 (posted by George Carteris according to Bob Castillo, http://www.bobcastillo.org/) see http://youtu.be/zVJF3BqPxec and http://youtu.be/Pap3dQXSeqM (excellent stuff).

Uploaded by BronxFifer on Oct 7, 2009
This is St. Anselm's Drum Corps from the Bronx, NY playing "Old Comrades" and "Nulli Secundus" (Second to None) on bugle. The tape recording was made in the school gym sometime in 1955. The pictures are from the Company of Fifers & Drummers archives. Mostly they are photos from the late 1930's through 1941. The location or scene in many of the photos is Tinton Avenue in the South East Bronx. The drum corps existed from 1912 to about 1963.

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1955 This recording is of St. Anselm's Drum Corps from the Bronx, NY. from the original reel-to-reel tape. George was told the tape recording was made in the school gym. Pierce Gardener gave George the tape in 1994 and he had it transferred to a cassette tape. This recording is of the fife line playing "2nd Connecticut" and "Pride of the Bronx".

1955 St. Anselm's Drum Corps from the Bronx, NY

1955 This is a SECOND recording is of St. Anselm's Drum Corps from the Bronx, NY. from the original reel-to-reel tape. George was told the tape recording was made in the school gym. Pierce Gardener gave George the tape in 1994 and he had it transferred to a cassette tape. This recording is of the fife line playing "Old Comrads"

1955 St. Anselm's Drum Corps from the Bronx, NY Video #2

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In the late 1950s a new model fife, designed by renowned fifer John McDonagh was manufactured in Germany. This model was used by the three corp's affiliated with John McDonagh. The New York Regimentals, St. Benedict's and St. Anselm's; all located in the Bronx, New York. These fifes were not otherwise available to the public. A short time later a second generation McDonagh Model evolved and made by Roy Seaman, and quickly came into popularity. These fifes were mass produced for sale to the entire fife and drum community. They were two-piece instruments with a dual conical bore - the foot joint tapered down from the joint to about an inch before terminus, where the bore cone reversed itself and opened up again slightly. They used the popular flute and piccolo designs of the 1830s, where "cone" flutes were the rage and most common. The cone flutes had fallen out of favor to the cylindrical flutes designed by Boehm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fife_(instrument)

Conn 8 X 16" U.S. Marching Snare

2012-01-29T21:41:00.000-05:00

eBay seller droopydrawers( 3162) near Knoxville, TN, is offering item no. 200686954454 with a BIN price of $285, described as follows: This is a Nice Conn Snare. 8 X 16" U.S. Marching snare. It is in Great condition, needs new heads,I cannot find any damage or extra holes.

1810 Abner Stevens Drum

2012-01-06T12:44:00.004-05:00

John O'Neill, a regular on this website, wrote:

Please see attached photographs of an Abner Steven's 1810 field drum and drum sticks.

Drum heads measure approximately 15 ¾; in diameter by 15" tall with paper label affixed reading;

DRUM FACTORY
Abner Stevens,
has for sale
TAMBOURENS, BASS & COMMON
DRUMS
made in the best manner,
At his Factory in the centre of the town of
PITTSFIELD (Mass.)
1810
I don't know of another Stevens drum that is older. The overall condition of the drum is amazing for the age. I am not certain that the counter hoops are original, but they fit the drum perfectly. The bottom slunk head has a "Leedy" stamp and the rope looks to be hemp rope used by American drum makers in the 1930-40's.

Drumsticks measure approximately 17" long, dark stained wood , long taper. The drumsticks are very old and appear to match the age of the drum.

2012-01-05T17:47:00.001-05:00

1823 Pennsylvania Militia Drum

2011-11-15T06:58:00.000-05:00

Seen recently on PBS' Antiques Roadshow.

Old Guard - "Thoughts From The Fringe"

2011-11-14T06:52:00.001-05:00

Thoughts From the Fringe
written by SSG R.Andrews, SSG R. Ruddle
edited by SFC Reilly, SSG Jamison, SSG Waterman

THE UNITED STATES ARMY
OLD GUARD FIFE AND DRUM CORPS DRUMLINE

THE OLD GUARD STYLE
Read through a solo from one of the most unique marching percussion ensembles in the world. Steeped in tradition, the Old Guard Drumline is a living example of the origins of modern rudimental drumming. The drumline employs a conglomerate of styles to include traditional American rudimental drumming of the 18th & 19th centuries, Swiss, Scottish, and some modern rudimental concepts. The ensemble has been influenced by some of the great names of traditional rudimental drumming to include: Earl Sturtze, Bobby Thompson, Les Parks, John S. Pratt and Nick Attanasio, and it has also been influenced by some of the modern greats as well. Likewise the writing style of the drumline has been influenced by a wide variety of concepts. Whether it be a Swiss rudimental pattern followed by a Latin groove, or a Scottish roll passage with a contemporary flair, the Old Guard Drumline still remains a place where "Tradition Lives."

Wm. S. Tompkins Drum, July 4th, 1865

2011-10-31T18:09:00.001-04:00

Historic 19th Century American Snare Drum. Very attractive drum in superb overall untouched condition, accompanied by a 4 7/8" X 6 3/4" period ink script note bearing the following information, headed "Green (Unable to decipher) Island / May 30, 1870, This drum was used by me (Wm Denice) in the first Memorial Day observation May 30th 1869, by order of J. A .Logan Commander G. A. R. I was Drummer boy in State of New York 1st Vol, in the Army of the Potomac '61 - '63. Wm Denice".

The drum itself is of a form normally encountered C. 1865 1870. 17 1/2" diameter, 14 1/2" high. Overall wonderful untouched condition. The heavy hoops, which utilize iron hooks for the ropes to pass through, are decorated with alternating painted red and black stripes. The body of the drum actually appears to be of veneered mahogany, with a few hairlines in the veneering but no loss and very sound. The area around the ivory air hole is decorated with inlaid light colored wood stars, diamonds and leaves. Visible through the air hole is the following in period ink script, "Wm. S. Tompkins & Sons / Makers / Yonkers, N. Y. / Drums of all Sizes Made to Order / July 4th / 1865." Most unusual as an ink script 'lable' but absolutely authentic. Retains what appears to be the original rope including decorative woven section. Also retains all of the original leather tighteners, although three are missing the bottom portions. Both heads also appear to be original with a small hole, with no loss, in the top, and an old repaired crack in the bottom. Retains the original snares. The first Memorial Day was observed at Arlington National Cemetery by Logan's order in 1868, however beginning in 1869 the observance began to spread throughout the northern states. A great drum with a superb history. Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000.

Heritage Auctions
http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=6074&lotNo=52105
Lot no. 52105.

CW Field Drum

2011-10-31T18:06:00.001-04:00

Civil War Infantry Snare Drum. 12 1/2" high, 15" diameter. Possibly slightly shortened during the period of use, as there are no interior reinforcing rims. Retains original heads including snares, top head break, with no loss, but shrunken. Light colored body, probably maple, with dark red hoops. The top hoop is missing a a 1/2" X 4" piece where one of the rope holes was drilled. The rope at that point is now held in place with a supplemental piece of wire attached to the adjacent ropes. The drum actually appears to have been struck, and continued in use after the 'field' repair. Body is decorated with narrow red and white vertical stripes flanking the air hole. The air hole is decorated with a red and white star with small brass tacks at each tip of the star. Drum is overall completely untouched and doubtless bears an interesting, but unknown, Civil War history. Estimate: $750 - $950.

Source: Heritage Auctions
http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=6074&lotNo=52103
Lot no. 52103

CW Field Drum by E. Hopkins, Troy, NY

2011-10-31T18:04:00.001-04:00

Very Nice Civil War Snare Drum With Interesting History 16 3/4" diameter, 15" high. Oak body with ivory air hole and nicely decorated with brass tacks. Black painted hoops. The drum is overall in excellent condition with nice untouched patina. Both heads are original and perfect. The ropes, while clearly quite old, are likely slightly later replacements, while the nicely decorated leather tighteners are period, all present, one torn, else all in excellent condition. Written in brown ink at two places on the bottom head, which retains the original snares, is the name "Albert Bates" with one of the names accompanied by "Weston". There is also a name applied in ink with a very small stencil to the top head. There is no interior lable. The drum is accompanied by a 5 3/8" X 6 5/8" heavy oil cloth covered music book with original orange paper lable on the inside cover, "Manufactured / By / E. Hopkins / 244 / River Street, Troy, N. Y." The book is printed with blank staffs which are then filled in with ink script drum beats to accompany identified pieces of music such as "Gen. Grant's Quick Step, Red, White and Blue, Funeral March" etc. An old shipping tag is also attached to the drum with the name "Lester Farnum / Manchester Depot, Vt." Very nice Civil War drum with a potentially very interesting history. Estimate: $1,600 - $1,800.

Source: Heritage Auctions
http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=6074&lotNo=52100
Lot no. 52100

Regulation U.S. Marines Eagle Drum, ca. 1859

2011-10-31T17:56:00.000-04:00

Exceptional Condition C.1859 Regulation US Marine Corps Eagle Drum. Certainly one of the finest specimens known of the handful of specimens extant. 14 1/2" diameter, 14" high. All paint correct and original and in superb condition. Retains what appear to be the original heads with just a couple of small holes at the edges. Ivory air hole, brass tack decoration, the body appears to be of maple. Original inner hoops, some pencil markings opposite the air hole, but no label. The ropes and tighteners are clearly an old restoration but extremely well done and detracts nothing. Generically probably the rarest of all US military regulation issue drums, this being a truly remarkable example. Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000.

Source: Heritage Auctions, Lot 52096.
http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=6074&lotNo=52096

2-Ply Drum Shells -- When Did They Begin?

2011-10-27T18:12:00.001-04:00

Martin Johncox of Boise, Idaho writes:

I am an avid drummer and would like to settle a disagreement. I think people were playing plywood-construction drums soon after the technology was developed in the 1850s, but some of my colleagues say Gretsch invented ply construction in the 1920s and before then, drums were solid shell or steambent.

I have looked online but there really isn’t much discussion about this kind of thing. Can you please clarify?

So, readers, any thoughts? Please email me at BlogMaster@FieldDrums.com.

Hint: I have two drums by Wm. S. Tompkins (ca. 1860) and they are definitely 2-ply cross-grain laminate shells.

Noble & Cooley Bass Drum

2011-09-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

Civil War Militia Bass Drum

Painted vignette with Patrotic Spreadwing Eagle clutching flag with unknows number of stars, (appears to be 20+ stars). Although the year 1812 is indicated thorough the peep hole, there is no maker's label. This drum was probably made in Granville Mass by Noble and Cooley C. 1860; replaced ropes and tension pulls; otherwise original. A very hard to find 24.25-inches tall x 33-inch diameter.
Price: $3,950
977-20

From website of Antique Associates of West Townsend, Inc.

Meacham Drum Sells for $475

2011-09-06T23:10:00.000-04:00

American Furniture & Decorative Arts - Sale 2337 - Lot 897

Military Drum, Meacham and Company, Albany New York, probably third quarter 19th century, bentwood Civil War era drum with brass tack decoration and monograms "J.V.D.H.B.," red-painted rims, with rope and leather mounts, the interior with printed maker's label (probable old restring, bottom head replaced with wood), ht. 16 1/4, dia. 16 3/4 in.
Estimate $400-600
Sold for $475 by Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers

William Shute Tompkins - Biographical Information

2011-08-25T10:37:00.002-04:00

ABRAHAM H. TOMPKINS.

More than two centuries and a half ago, in the year 1640, three brothers, Abraham, Joseph and John, came from England to America, braving the dangers incident to ocean voyages in those days when primitive methods of navigation were in vogue. One of the brothers was the father of Governor Daniel D. Tompkins, of New York. Abraham, the great-great-grandfather of our subject, located in Massachusetts, and had ason, also named Abraham, who was born in the town of Greenburg, Westchester county. New York. He became the owner of a large tract of land here, and at his death was buried in the cemetery at White Plains. He was loyal to the crown.

John Tompkins, his son, and the grandfather of our subject, was born in New York city and throughout his business career engaged in contracting and building. His political support was given the Whig party. He married Thama Shute, and they became parents of Abraham, William Shute and Mary Jones. The mother died, after which the father was married again, to Kathrine Yule, the children of the second union being John and Catherine, the latter the wife of Colonel Weeds, who is still living in Cincinnati, Ohio. Abraham Tompkins, the great-grandfather, was a very zealous church man of the Methodist Episcopal faith. He died in Westchester county and was laid to rest in White Plains.

William Shute Tompkins, father of our subject, was born August 22, 1812, in Sullivan street. New York city, and obtained his education in the

WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 841

public schools there. He learned the trade of cracker manufacturing and afterward that of cabinet-making. Later he added to the latter trade the conducting of furniture stores in different parts of the city, and at one time the celebrated W. M. Tweed, of political fame, was in his employ. Subsequently he engaged in the manufacture of drums at No. 69 Wall street, and soon took the leadership in that line. He became especially famous for the superior quality of his drums, some of which sold for as much as five hundred dollars. He had the monopoly on high-grade bass and tenor drums and made the first orchestra drum used in this country. He also took up the study of music and was able to play almost any kind of wind instrument.

In his youth it was a fondly cherished dream that he might some day become the leader of a fine band, and that dream was ultimately realized. He was chosen the leader of the old New York Band and was one of the most celebrated musical directors of the country.

His place of business became known as " The College," and was the most popular rendezvous for the musical fraternity of the city. For several years he led P. T. Barnum's band, and after his removal to Yonkers he organized the Yonkers Cornet Band.

He also engaged in the manufacture of drums in the city until within a short time prior to his death.

In his political views he was first a Whig and afterward a Republican. He took an active interest in public affairs, served as a member of the Irving Hose Company, and socially was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

William Shute Tompkins married Martha A. Hatfield and to them were born six children: Gilbert H., who was born March 11, 1812; William E.; Frances H., wife of John H. Tremper; Mary A., wife of J. Henry Andrews, a wealthy builder of New York city and commodore of the New Rochelle Yacht Club; Abraham H.: and Mercy M., wife of Captain J. A. Sartorious, of the United States Armory of New York city. The mother of these children died in 1855, and Mr. Tompkins afterward married Louisa Walls, of Westchester county. They had two children: Vivian S., a graduate of the University of New York, who is now taking a post-graduate course preparatory to practicing medicine; and Martha. The father died in November, 1884, and by his side in the Sparta burying-ground [Scarborough, part of southern Ossining, New York, along Route 9] rests his wife, who died in 1855.

Of the maternal ancestry of Abraham H. Tompkins we have the following account. Gilbert Hatfield, the great-grandfather of our subject, had a son, Gilbert, who was born in New York city, but became a gentleman farmer at Scarboro, in the town of Ossining, Westchester county. He traced his descent back to Arthur Hatfield, who crossed the Atlantic to America and purchased lands at North Castle, in October, 1763. The old homestead, which is still standing, and which is called the Mansion House, was erected

842 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

in 1795 and was used as an inn during the war of the Revolution. The barn, on account of its superiority over others of that day, was significantly styled "None Such." The farm comprised five hundred acres of land, and was one of the best in that section of the country. The owner, Arthur Hatfield, went to Nova Scotia, where he was appointed a firstlieutenant in the English army in 1744.

Gilbert Hatfield, the great-grandfather of our subject, married and had five children: William, John, Anna Townsend, ThamaSearles and Phoebe Tompkins, one of whose sons, Gilbert, married Martha Williams, who was of Holland Dutch extraction and held valid claims to the Holland throne but relinquished all such on coming to America. Her father, Arthur Williams, was born May 27, 1740, and on emigrating from Holland to America located in the town of Ossining, Westchester county.

He was very wealthy. He held a lieutenant's commission in the British army and was sent to Nova Scotia to drill Englishsoldiers. When twenty-two years of age he married a lady of eighteen, the wedding taking place in 1762. He died in the town of Ossining, in 1819, and his wife passed away in 1821. Their daughter, Martha Williams, became the wife of Gilbert Hatfield, and one of their daughters, Martha A., married William Shute Tompkins, father of our subject. The children of Gilbert and Martha (Williams) Hatfield, were Tamna Ann, Arthur, John and Martha A. Their father was the owner of a farm in the town of Sparta, and also on Sullivan street, New York city, but selling the latter property he removed to Sing Sing [about a mile north of the Sparta Cemetery], this state.

Abraham H. Tompkins, whose name introduces this sketch, was born in Bleecker street, New York city, January 2, 1844, moved to Sing Sing when seven years of age, then moved to Yonkers, at the age of ten, and has lived here ever since. He was engaged in music until the war, when he enlisted at Newburg, New York, as drum major of the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Regiment of New York Volunteers, being discharged at Newburg, October 31, 1863, at the expiration of his term of service. He was the youngest drum major in the war. He participated in the skirmish at Fort Magruder: in June, 1863, the engagements at Yorktown and Greenwich settlements.

In July the regiment was attacked by General Mosby, who after a short struggle was repulsed. Twenty of his men were captured, while the Union loss was only five. The regiment then left Yorktown to join the Army of the Potomac, and reached Gettysburg, July 6, 1863. In August, the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps were consolidated as the Twentieth Corps and sent to Georgetown, Alabama, whence the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth New York went to Newburg and was mustered out. From twenty to thirty-five years of age he was considered one of the best snare drummers in the world, if not the best.

Upon returning from the war Mr. Tompkins engaged in the butchering

WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 843

business, continuing in that line until 1896, when a horse falling upon him injured him so seriously that he was obliged to withdraw, and has since practically lived retired. He was a reliable, enterprising business man who won the public confidence and received a liberal patronage. He has always taken a zealous and active interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the city, and is now serving as alderman from the fifth ward, to which position he was first elected in 1892. By re-election he is now serving his fourth term and as an alderman he has been aggressive and enterprising, always favoring improvement and reform. The erection of the public drinking fountains of Yonkers is credited to him, also the widening of the aqueduct arch; he is a strong advocate of public parks, and always advocated the equalization of water rates. In politics he has always been aRepublican, and belongs to the Lincoln Legion, a political organization, and the Young Men's Republican Club.

Mr. Tompkins is a charter member and one of the organizers of Retching Post, No. 60, G.A.R., which is now the fifteenth post on the roll. He was chairman of the memorial committee, G.A.R., May 30, 1895, and he has filled all of its offices, and is now serving his second term as commander.

He was chosen delegate to the state encampment at Syracuse in 1899. He is also a member of the Westchester County Association of Grand Army Posts, and was a member of Company H, Seventeenth Regiment, and afterward the Third Regiment of the state militia. Subsequently this became the Sixteenth Battalion, and of both he served as drum major. It is now known as the Fourth Separate Company, and Mr. Tompkins is still connected therewith,having for twenty years been a member of the state militia. He is a valued member of the Patriotic Order Sons of America, formerly belonged to the Knights of Pythias fraternity and also the United American Mechanics, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was the department commander.

He served as aide on the staff of Charles Freeman and Jack Adams, and as aide-de-camp on the staff of Thomas Lawler, commander in chief. He took an early interest in the movement toward securing the Yonkers soldiers' monument, and served as chairman of the committee from Retching Post, No. 60, G.A.R.; on the entertainment committee at the unveiling ceremonies.Also he is a member of the Veteran Association of the national guard, S.N.G. In religion he is a member of the Methodist church.

On the 7th of April, 1867, Mr. Tompkins married Miss Eliza L. Nuskey, a daughter of Captain Alfred Nuskey, captain of the Lockwood Guards. Her mother bore the maiden name of Susan Tillottson and was a daughter of Rachel Lambert, whose father, William Lambert, belonged to a prominent old Knickerbocker family, and served for seven years as a sergeant in the American Revolution. He was married October 11, 1790, to Elizabeth Cypher.

844 WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

who was born April 21, 1761, and was of Scotch descent. They were very aristocratic people and possessed considerable wealth, living in very luxurious style for those days. They were also very charitable, and generous in their giving. Their daughter, Rachel, was born October 3, 1790, and married William Tillottson, by whom she had the following children: Susanna, Lavinia, James, Catherine, Nancy, Benjamin and Nathaniel. Mr. Tillottson died October 6, 1865, and his wife in January, 1874. He had served in the operations along Lake Ontario in the war of 1812, was taken prisoner and sent to Boston, where he was exchanged after peace was declared. His daughter, Susan, was born April 2, 1816, and married Alfred Nuskey, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in August, 181 5. Their children were Mrs. Catherine Knapp; Clorinda W.; Mrs. Rachel Ward; Eliza; Abraham H. T.; Emma,deceased; and Granville. The mother of these children died December 15, 1888, but Mr. Nuskey is still living at the age of eighty-four years. He makes his home in Sing Sing, New York, where for many years he served as foreman of the Brand nith Mills. He is a very zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal church, is a local preacher of that denomination and is very popular in church circles. His life has been well spent and 'all esteem him highly for his sterling worth. His daughter, now Mrs. Tompkins, was born June 22, 1848. By the marriage of our subject and his wife have been born three children: Gertrude I.; William N., who married Miss Jennie Stainsby, of Brooklyn, and resides in Yonkers with his wife and daughter, Gertrude E. ; and Abraham H., Jr. The family is one of prominence in the community and its members occupy social positions of distinction.

Biographical Sketch of Westchester County, Illustrated, Vol. II, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, Cornell University Library.
http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924092224322/cu31924092224322_djvu.txt

Drum No. 1 of the Old Guard

2011-07-23T07:55:00.001-04:00

Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
Drum Number One, 1960

When the Corps was activated as part of Company H in 1960, Buck Soistman made a set of twenty-two traditional wooden rope-tension drums for it. The drums were in regular use until they were retired to the Old Guard Museum in 1989. Each drum is hand painted with the arms of the regiment and battle honors.

Source: The Old Guard Museum website.

Repurposing Antique Drums

2011-07-23T07:45:00.002-04:00

Here's a creative (or sacrilegious) use of antique rope drums by Hudson Goods.

Drum End Tables
Visit our on-line store at HudsonGoods.com.

Who would have thought that you could turn a drum into an end table or even a hanging lamp? Well, now you can. These drums come in bright decorative colors with real leather straps and thick rope. So if you are musically inclined or always wanted to be in a marching band, check out these cool drums that are now being used for home furnishings.

These drums can be stacked in a corner, used as an end table by the sofa or even hung over the table for drum light dining. So go ahead and march to the beat of a different drummer!

REGIMENTAL NEW YORK DRUM by WILLIAM MIXER

2011-07-23T07:28:00.004-04:00

Civil War regimental drum, 13" high by 14.5" in diameter. Inside label reads: Drums of all descriptions made and kept constantly on hand, for sale by William Mixer, Orleans, Jefferson County, N.Y. Drum is rope tensioned with leather keepers. Wood has a pleasing reddish tone. The top of the drum was signed by members of the regiment. Most of the penciled signatures are faint but legible. A unique bit of history. 14.5"W x 13"H.
Estimate $1,500 - 2,500.
Realized $1,725.00
August 15, 2009
Fontaine's Antique Auction Gallery online

George B. Stone Drum

2011-07-23T07:06:00.001-04:00

Civil War Style Marching Snare Drum, matching Leather Drum Sling and antique Rosewood drumsticks.

Beautiful Drum with Twenty-four (24) Rope Hooks, 12 Leather Ears, 17” Diameter Drum Heads and
Gut Snares. Original hemp rope. The drum heads are definitely 17" measuring across the heads from inside the rim.

The drum appears to be 100% original.

Gorgeous condition; the drum has a maple drum shell measuring 17” diameter by 12” deep, with original lacquered finish. Drum hoops maple are painted black on the outside and natural stain on the inside.

The famous George B. Stone and Son, Manufacturing Drummers, Boston Mass. metal badge affixed.

Hardware appears to be nickel plated; drum heads are in very good condition, drum plays amazing crisp and loud. Beatiful Rosewood drumsticks are antique, measuring 17-1/8" inches long.

Early Federal Period Painted Militia Snare Drum (1795-1818)

2011-07-18T11:20:00.001-04:00

Painted Militia Snare Drum
Possibly 1795-1818 (15-stars)

Painted with a gilt eagle clutching a brace of arrows and branches bearing an American shield surrounded by leafy decoration...all beneath 15-gilt stars having red highlighting all in strong color within a red border with off-white sunburst centering the decoration. The body of this wood drum with faux graining resembling rosewood remains in fine condition as do the red painted bands. The drum is accompanied by a conforming glass insert accommodating use as a table; roping appears to be period and possible original. We note that the bottom skin is torn with all else fine. (Height: 18 inches; diameter: 16.5 inches.)
Price: $11,685
612-36

From website of Antique Associates of West Townsend, Inc.

Civil War Drum and Sword

2011-07-12T21:35:00.001-04:00

Civil War Drum and Sword
Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 3:23PM
By Charles T. Russell
crussell.org
The Airtight Garage

This civil war drum was carried by my great, great grandfather Charles T. Russell from 1861 through 1865. He enlisted in the Maryland Fifth Volunteer infantry with his father Walter Russell. Walter Russell rose to the rank of Sergeant Major and carried the sword pictured below.

The Sword was manufactured in Philadelphia by Horstman and Sons. The model 1850 foot officer sword was intended for officers up to captain, these officers received a pay allowance but made their own purchase decision, hence there is a great deal of variation in officer swords. The model 1850 guard is adorned but does not bear US. The regulation specified a steel scabbard but most including this one are made of leather, with brass mountings, a throat, middle ring, and drag. Handle is sharkskin wrapped with wire. Blade is etched with "US" and various patriotic symbolism

A Brief History of the Maryland Fifth Volunteer Infantry
The 5th Md. Infantry was organized in Baltimore in September, 1861 for three years of service. Co. A. was recruited from North East, in Cecil County, while Co. I. was recruited in Elkton, Cecil County. Co. E. was recruited in Frederick County and Baltimore City. Companies B, C, D, F, G, H & K were all recruited in Baltimore.

The regiment trained at Layfayette Square in Baltimore until March of 1862, then proceeded to Fortress Monroe, where it was assigned to General Dix's command. Soon after the 5th's arrival in Virginia, the Union war effort shifted from the penninsula to Northern Virginia. Assigned to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Corps, the 5th Md. marched back north into Maryland with the Army of the Potomac to fend off Lee's invasion of Maryland. On September 17th, the 5th participated in the bloodiest day of warfare in American history, the Battle of Antietam. The regiment was involved in the gallant contest both sides made over the sunken road, that has become known as "Bloody Lane." The 5th suffered 39 dead, 100 wounded during the contest, as well as two commanding officers in one day.

After the Battle of Antietam the 5th was assigned to General Milroy's command in the Shenandoah, and remained there until June of 1863. The regiment was at Winchester in June of 1863 when that city was besieged by the entire 2nd Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, as it advanced toward Maryland. The 5th Md. was among the units which managed to cut it's way through Confederate lines at a high cost in dead and wounded.

The regiment was so badly beaten up at Winchester, it was forced to return to Baltimore to recruit and refit, not rejoining the Army of the Potomac until early 1864. Of those new recruits, nearly 100 men deserted immedately after receiving their enlistment bounty.

The 5th rejoined the Army of the Potomac in time to particpate in the siege of Petersburg, June to September, 1864; Battle of the Crater, July 30th 1864; Siege of Richmond, October, 1864 to April 1865; the Second Battle of Fair Oaks, October 27th, 1864; and the occupation of Richmond, April, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 1 Officer and 63 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 6 Officers and 91 Enlisted men by disease. Total 161.

EARLY AMERICAN MILITIA DRUM WITH A DRAMATIC FOLK-STYLE EAGLE CIRCA 1812-1846

2011-07-12T21:29:00.000-04:00

Pre-Civil war American militia drum, ca 1812-1848 (war of 1812-Mexican war era) with a fantastic stylized folk-style eagle in a red, white, and blue medallion with a black and gold swag border. The body of the drum is red and mustard, sponge-decorated over an earlier Prussian blue. The entire surface of the drum is paint-decorated, which is a substantial plus over other drums where only a panel is painted.

Under this second surface there is evidence of an earlier medallion. The current surface, however, is both exceptional and early, probably repainted for Mexican War (1846-48) or Civil War (1861-65) use. The eagle is one of the best I’ve ever seen on a drum in terms of an early folk interpretation, with a huge eye of exaggerated size, red feathers on a gold ground, a whimsical shield, and eight-pointed stars behind it in the blue sphere.

Condition: Replaced skins, ropes and ears, all of which are expected and acceptable on early drums.

From website of V and M Curate Your Life.
V&M #: 264654
DEALER #: pat-176

Civil War Drum in Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2011-07-12T21:08:00.002-04:00

Drum from the American Civil War, exhibited in the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania G.

Included photo titled, "Robert Y. Thompson in G.A.R. Uniform, Musician, Co. D. 61st PA.

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Drum belonging to Bugler George H. Love, Battery A, 212th Regiment., 6th Artillery (note the red color characteristic of artillery drums). Presented to Memorial Hall by Mrs. William W. Lehman.

Photos by Daderot.

Museum of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts

2011-07-12T21:03:00.003-04:00

Drums in the Museum of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, located in Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Two side drums from 1799 and a bass drum from 1803.

Photos by Daderot.

Walkinshaw Drum

2011-07-12T21:00:00.000-04:00

Drum from the American Civil War, exhibited in the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Civil War Drum used on Union Navy gunboat Benton by Samuel Walkinshaw, gunboat engineer.

Donated by great grand-daughter Mable Langsdale.

Photo by Daderot.

Charles H. May Drum Donated to Port Carbon, Pennsylvania Museum

2011-07-12T20:44:00.005-04:00

Andy Matsko/staff photos
Bert Bensinger talks about one of the Civil War-era drums he donated Thursday to the Historical Society of Schuylkill County. Charles H. May, Port Carbon, used the drums while serving in the war.
PORT CARBON HISTORIAN DONATES CIVIL WAR DRUMS, SWORD TO SOCIETY
by Stephen J. Pytak (Staff Writter) Spytak@RepublicanHerald.com
September 17, 2010

When Charles H. May, Port Carbon, marched to the Battle of the Crater in Petersburg, Va., in July 1864, he was playing a drum with a shell made of brass.

"This was a battle drum," Bert Bensinger, 83, a historian from Port Carbon, said as he donated the Civil War relic to the Historical Society of Schuylkill County in Pottsville on Thursday morning.

Bensinger gave the three drums May used while serving in the War Between the States. In addition to the battle drum, he also donated two drums with wooden shells, a practice drum and a parade drum.

He also donated May's 38-inch saber. Made in 1863, it has a brass handle and a 28-inch steel blade.

"In the Civil War, every musician carried a sword," Bensinger said.

Bensinger also donated a photo of May taken at the 50th Gettysburg reunion in 1913.

Society President David Derbes said the items will be placed in the society's Civil War room, which opened in December 2006. Located on the second floor of the society headquarters at 305 N. Centre St., the display contains more than 600 artifacts and photographs.

Born in Port Carbon, Feb. 16, 1845, May served as a drummer in the 31st Regiment at the opening of the war and later in Company C in the 129th Regiment and Company G in the 48th Regiment until the end of the war, according to his obituary, published in The Daily Republican.

He was involved in the digging of the mine that led to the Battle of the Crater, Bensinger said.

During the following winter, while the opposing armies faced each other over the trenches around Petersburg, the Union musician suffered a shoulder injury when a 64-pound mortar shell exploded on top of a bomb shelter he was in, according to Bensinger.

After the war, May returned to Port Carbon and worked as a machinist.

He died Nov. 10, 1920, at his residence at 116 Pottsville St. and was buried in Lutheran Cemetery in Port Carbon, according to his obituary.

Bensinger said he acquired the items "around 1950" from May's brother, Fred.

"He was born 20 years after Charlie," Bensinger said.

At the time, Bensinger was a plumber, the borough fire chief and the local historian. Fred May asked Bensinger to investigate an odor. When Bensinger opened a tiny closet on the third floor, he said he spotted the drums.

"What are these?" Bensinger asked.

"They're Charlie's drums," Fred May said.

"No kidding. Do you want them?" Bensinger asked. Fred didn't and gave them to Bensinger.

"I took them home and cleaned them up. In the beginning, I just used a damp cloth," Bensinger said.

When he wiped off the dust on the parade drum, his said he was very surprised to see the Union eagle painted on the side.

Over time, the drum heads deteriorated and Bensinger said he had to replace them.

While the wooden rim on the battle drum is original, he said he replaced the rims on the parade and practice drums.

The American Civil War, the conflict between the Union Government and 11 Southern Confederate slave states, lasted from 1861 and 1865, killing more than 600,000 people. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Union suffered 364,511 military deaths and the Confederacy 133,821.

About 10,000 county soldiers served in the Civil War and about 800 died in the fight, according to Peter Yasenchak, the historical society's executive director.

"In the Civil War, Port Carbon had 513 enlistments with only a population of 2,000," Bensinger said.

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In addition to several drums, Bensinger donated a saber and photograph taken at the 50th Gettysburg reunion in 1913. May, the soldier who owned the items, is front, second right, in the photo.

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1st Minnesota Civil War drum, 1861, by William S. Tompkins, Yonkers, New York

2011-07-12T20:33:00.002-04:00

1st Minnesota Civil War drum, 1861.

The 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first unit from any state pledged to fight for the Union. As part of the Army of the Potomac, the 1st took part in many significant battles and campaigns including Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, and Gettysburg.The Battle of Gettysburg was the 1st Minnesota’s finest hour, where it made a heroic charge that helped secure the Union victory. The regiment suffered heavy losses as a result.

Featured on the Minnesota Historical Society's Collections Up Close blog.

The maker's name, city and state is printed on the artwork toward the bottom of the drum. It's a Tompkins drum.

Noble & Cooley's Civil War Snare

2011-07-04T17:42:00.004-04:00

Original Issue ca. Civil War Era

2011 Reissue

Label in 2011 Reissued Drums

In 1854, in the rural town of Granville Massachusetts, Silas Noble and James P Cooley set about the business of making toy drums. The company flourished and in a short time they were making thousands of drums a year. The call to war in 1861 shifted the production from toy drums to military snare and bass drums.

One hundred and fifty seven years later, the descendants of James Cooley are still in the business of making drums at Noble & Cooley Company in Granville. From millions of toy drums to production of high end steam-bent snare drums and custom drumsets, this little company has continued to make drums since 1854.

A few years ago the company decided to turn some of its factory space into a museum with a focus on “Yankee Ingenuity” and industrialism in rural New England. While gathering and assembling artifacts, they were approached by a Civil War memorabilia broker who was in possession of a drum made by the company and picked up off the battlefield at Gettysburg. The museum reached out to the community for support and was able to bring the drum home to Granville where it is prominently displayed along with its provenance.

This spurred interest in the role Noble & Cooley and the town of Granville played in the war efforts and also caused the owners and family to dig further into the archives. Jigs and tooling were found. A local logger was called in to identify the wood on the returned drum. Family diaries were read and re-read. And the decision was made that six generations later, the Noble & Cooley Drum Company would once again make a contract Civil War Drum to commemorate the Sesquicentennial in 2011.

The “contract drum” was the standard issue drum ordered for the Union Army. It was a single ply, steam-bent shell of either tulip wood or ash with oak hoops and calfskin heads. The reissue drum is 12” deep and 16” in diameter. The shell is of tulip wood from trees cut within a few miles of the factory. The wood is steam bent using the same steam chest and methods used 150 years ago.

Noble & Cooley plans to produce a limited number of this commemorative drum from 2011-2014. The drums will be sequentially numbered and will be shipped with a “certificate of authenticity” which will include a brief history of the company and the specifics of the drum.

Noble & Cooley Featured in Boston Globe Article

2011-07-04T17:12:00.002-04:00

Note: This story from the Boston Globe's website and hard copy paper.

See also "Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums to Commemorate War's 150th Anniversary in 2011," this blog, Sep. 1, 2010.

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Drum maker draws on its past for better future
Replica snares help Granville firm endure

By James Sullivan
Globe Correspondent / June 29, 2011 (Business Section, p. B5)
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

GRANVILLE — They are still managing to keep time at Noble & Cooley, a Civil War-era drum company in Western Massachusetts.

After decades as one of the country’s biggest suppliers of toy drums, Noble & Cooley in the 1980s branched out to make state-of-the-art drum kits, with customers that included Phil Collins and Paul McCartney. But the bleak holiday shopping season that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks nearly led to the company’s demise. As during other trying times in its history, Noble & Cooley somehow persevered, even as it got smaller.

Today, the company is trying to remain relevant by capitalizing on its rich heritage. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, Noble & Cooley is producing replicas of the snare drums Union soldiers used to communicate on the battlefield. It is also one of 100 finalists in the This Place Matters grant challenge, sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Online voting closes tomorrow, with the top vote-getter receiving $25,000.

“We’re doing everything we can to hang on,’’ said Jay Jones, the company president. He is a sixth-generation descendant of cofounder James P. Cooley, who began making drums in Silas Noble’s kitchen in 1854.

Once a holiday season powerhouse, with a peak of 120 employees two decades ago, Noble & Cooley is now a true mom-and-pop shop. There are just three full-time workers: Jones; his wife, Carol; and their 27-year-old son, Nick.

When he first joined his father in the family business, Jones, 57, shifted some of the emphasis away from the toys that had been a staple for years. Thanks to the rich tone of its natural wood drums (most contemporary drums, including some of Noble & Cooley’s, are plywood), the company quickly attracted a loyal customer base among some of the world’s top musicians.

Collins once appeared in an endorsement advertisement alongside an image of Abe Lincoln. Noble & Cooley’s cofounders made a presidential campaign drum for Lincoln in 1860, using wood that he had chopped years before.

Jonathan Mover, an acclaimed drummer and the editor in chief of Drumhead magazine, found out about Noble & Cooley drums from musician Chris Whitten, who used to play with McCartney. Mover bought two limited-edition snares years ago.

“They’re absolutely two of the finest snares I have,’’ said Mover, a Peabody native who also runs Skyline Recording in New York. “And I have got a serious collection, over a hundred.’’

Mover credits Noble & Cooley’s commitment to quality as an inspiration for larger drum companies, such as Yamaha, Pearl, and Tama.

“All the big companies are making very high-end gear, which they really didn’t do years ago,’’ he said. Unfortunately, Mover said, that has created considerable competition for a small, family business such as Noble & Cooley.

The company still builds several dozen custom drum kits (some of which sell for up to $10,000) and as many as 500 solid-wood snares each year. Although it’s not the first time the drum company has faced adversity.

History of Noble & Cooley

Few episodes, however, were as devastating as the economic plunge that followed Sept. 11, 2001. That downturn effectively wrecked the company’s toy business, which had reached a peak of $3 million in annual sales in the late 1970s. Noble & Cooley was left holding two dozen containers of unsold toy instruments imported from China when some of its biggest clients, including Sears and JC Penney, canceled holiday orders.

“The bank started running scared,’’ said Jones. “They called in the note. It took me six years to pay off’’ the bank. To do so, he had to sell off hundreds of acres of family property in this rolling farmland west of Springfield.

The Noble & Cooley compound — three big old buildings with tilting floors, connected on the upper levels by iron pedestrian bridges — is a much quieter place today than it was at the height of toy production. In fact, one building isn’t even used.

Walking around the factory on a recent Friday, Jones was called away to help unload machine parts from a delivery truck. As a light drizzle fell outside the loading dock, the driver looked around the barn-like warehouse, which was mostly empty.

“I totally forgot this place was here,’’ he said.

A cardboard pallet box sat off to one side, full of tin tambourines featuring characters from Jim Henson’s old “Fraggle Rock’’ series. Their plastic sleeves had long since grown moldy.

Nick Jones helped his father empty the truck. He plays bass in a metal band with his older brother, Jonathan. Jonathan, a graphic designer with waist-length dreadlocks, is the real drummer in the family, said Jay Jones.

“I play the radio,’’ he joked.

When they were kids, Nick and Jonathan had the run of the place.

“It was awesome,’’ said Nick. “There were tons of cardboard boxes to play in. We played with tin scraps. We were obnoxious.’’

Now, the boy who once terrorized seasonal employees actually does have the run of the place. Reduced to such a tiny operation, these days it takes the company eight to 10 weeks to fill a custom drum order. The process to make a Civil War replica snare — steaming, bending, aging, and curing — requires 16 weeks.

Jay Jones and his son assemble each reproduction drum, made of steam-bent tulipwood, using the same heavy, belt-driven machinery that employees operated more than a century ago.

Noble & Cooley took one of the drums, which are numbered, to the most recent Gettysburg Remembrance Day event last fall. “People were throwing credit cards at us to get a low serial number,’’ said Jones.

Having retrenched, the family knows that the value of its product is directly related to the time and care they put into it.

Jones, smiling, credited a friend with his new philosophy.

“There’s no such thing as a drum emergency,’’ he said.

Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. To commemorate the occasion, Noble & Cooley, a drum company in Granville, will be producing replicas of the snare drums that Union soldiers played on the battlefield as a form of communication.

The small, family-owned company goes back even further than this moment in history, back to 1854, and is still pounding away at business. Click through the slides to see a behind-the-scenes look at the factory and a peek into its history.

Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

Jay Jones, 57, pictured here, is the president of Noble & Cooley and a sixth generation drum maker, a direct descendant of the company's founder, James P. Cooley. Despite struggling through fires, the Great Depression, World War II, and the holiday season following 9/11, all of which have put the company at risk, it still continues to make drums of all kinds, such as replicated snare drums, and even at one point made drum kits for some of the world's top musicians.

Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

The company turned to making state-of-the-art drum kits in the 1980s. Capitalizing on the rich tone of natural wood drums, the company quickly attracted a loyal customer base that included Phil Collins and Paul McCartney.

Jonathan Mover, an acclaimed drummer and the editor-in-chief of Drumhead magazine, credits Noble & Cooley’s commitment to quality as an inspiration for the larger drum companies, such as Yamaha, Pearl and Tama.

“They’re absolutely two of the finest snares I have,” said Mover.

Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

The company peaked in the late 1970s with a top annual revenue of $3 million. At one point, it had 120 seasonal employees. However, there was a downturn after Noble & Cooley was left holding two dozen containers of unsold toy instruments imported from China when some of its biggest retailers essentially canceled Christmas following the 9/11 attack.

“The bank started running scared,” says Jones. He had to sell off hundreds of acres of family property to pay back the banks.

Pictured: old products on display in the museum.

Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

All of the drums are handmade, crafted by one of the company's three employees: Jones, his wife Carol, and their son Nick Jones, 27. They make use of heavy, belt-driven machinery, much of which was in use over a century ago. Each drum is made of steam-bent tulipwood. Here, a red oak shell for a snare drum is lathed.

Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

In addition to filling orders, the company also doubles as a museum. The Society of Industrial Archeology visited the old factory, took a look at the old machinery, and recommended preservation. Now Noble & Cooley is one of 100 finalists in a grant challenge sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation called This Place Matters. Online voting closes on June 30. The top vote-getter will receive $25,000.

Photo Credit: Matthew Cavanaugh for The Boston Globe

Here, Nick Jones sands a red oak shell for a drum. He is a musician too. He plays the bass in a band with older brother Jonathan, who is the real family drummer.

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Notable Products in the 157-year history of Noble & Cooley:

- A presidential campaign drum in 1860 for Abraham Lincoln, using wood Lincoln had chopped years before.

- Giftware in the '60s and early '70s that included waste baskets, ice buckets, lamps and cutting boards.

- Toy drums for retailers such as Sears and JC Penney

- State-of-the-art custom drum kits for Phil Collins and a drummer for Paul McCartney's band.

- Replicas of the snare drums used by Union Soldiers on Civil War battlefields to convey messages.

Employees:

1854: 2
Founders Silas Noble and James P. Cooley.

1980s: 120

2011: 3
Jay Jones, a descendant of Cooley, his wife Carol, and son Nicholas.

Snare Science -- A Major Contribution to Rudimental Drumming

2011-06-14T17:07:00.000-04:00

A bloging engineer going by the name flamdraggrid has created a wonderful website to which you are referred. The site has tons of information on rudimental drumming as well as a good many charts. flamdraggrid admits to having played with Minnesota Brass and Madison Scouts, as well as the University of Minnesota drumline.

Snarescience.com helps the drumming community directly by providing free exercises with thorough explanations, articles about drumming, and research into the latest literature and technology that can be used to enhance one's drumming ability.

Snare Science presented "Grid University", an online educational series in Summer 2010, hosted by snare drummer Kevin Troyanos.

Grid University is intended to be a bi-weekly educational series designed to help expand the rhythmic vocabulary of all drummers, from beginners to advanced, rudimental to drum set.

The "Grid" is an exercise model used by drummers to quickly and efficiently learn and practice various rhythms in different contexts. They are designed to exploit mathematical permutations to efficiently learn all possible ways a rhythm can be played. This series will explore various grid patterns, and build from the very simple to the extremely advanced.

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Kevin Troyanos

Kevin began his marching career with the White Plains High School marching band from White Plains, New York. Receiving the John Philip Sousa Award upon graduation, he joined up with the Rutgers University Drumline marching both in the snare line as well as the quad line. Kevin is a current member of the 6-time DCA Champion Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps, having marched in the "All Star" snare line of 2008, and then again in 2009 as section leader of the Quad Line. Kevin's teaching experience includes the Percussion Caption Head position with the well respected NJ State Champion Edison High School Marching Band and Indoor Program. He also specializes in private instruction, both online and off. Known for his mathematical and analytical background, Kevin strives to bring the scientific method as well as cutting-edge educational methods through the use of technology to the forefront of Marching Percussion. He is currently studying Mathematics at the University at Buffalo. Visit Kevin's Youtube page at: http://www.youtube.com/optsyn

Grid U - An American Rudimental Legacy: The West Point Hellcats

2011-06-14T16:47:00.002-04:00

Grid University is proud to present the original documentary:

An American Rudimental Legacy: The West Point Hellcats

Produced by Kevin Troyanos

The Hellcats:

The DrumCats are comprised of rudimental drummers from the West Point Band's "The Hellcats." Equipped with instruments designed and hand-made specifically for them, the DrumCats enable the West Point Band to maintain faithful renditions of traditional American military music while providing the Corps of Cadets with a piece of living history.

SGM Eric Sheffler
SSG William Calohan
SSG William Cuthbert
SSG Andrew Porter
SSG Jeff Prosperie

A Painted William S. Tompkins Drum Shows Up

2011-05-29T00:03:00.001-04:00

Don Sorensen, a reader of this blog, wrote and sent photos of this unique drum:

Hi, I don't think the lettering will show up. The gilt banner at the lower center of the painting has W S TOMPKINS MAKER and then what looks like 60 WATTS S N Y. It is red lettering on the gold and is very faint. The hoops seem to fit exactly with wear patterns matching the drum. There is a pewter type tube attached that was part of the snare. The ghost of the snare is very visible on the bottom skin. The drum body appears to be birdseye maple, with no label inside. The top skin is broken, and the ring used to hold it on is tight and won't slide off. The patina is really great, and the painting is very detailed. One shield is the federal shield, haven't figured the other one out yet. Thanks, Don

I sent you 11 photos. I found this exact motif on a patriotic Civil War token. I don't know if it's clear enough, but there is a pole in the center of the drum painting with a liberty cap on top. The grommet hole appears to be ivory or bone. One drum skin is broken, the other is intact with the shadow of the snare visible on the skin. The hoops fit the drum exactly and also appear to be hand painted. That's about all I know except what I read on your website.

If anyone can shed some light on the painted emblazonment or any other aspect of this drum, please write to us at BlogMaster@FieldDrums.com.

This drum is the first Tompkins drum we have found that lacks the signature inlay designs and that carries only a painted emblazonment.

Editor's Note: The painted hoops with their repeating design might be later than the CW period. We've seen black stenciled designs on drums of the late 19th century.

See "Tompkins 1860-1863 Masterpiece Drums -- Where Are They Now?", this blog, Feb. 27, 2008. And see other articles on this blog re Tompkins drums by searching (upper left search box) for Wm. S. Tompkins.

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1833 Eli Brown Drum, No. 712

2011-05-20T18:07:00.000-04:00

Mark Sampson, a reader of this blog, sent the below photos to us asking where he might get it appraised. He referred to it as an 1833 "Eli Drum" (possibly referring to Eli Brown).

Mark wrote:

To my knowledge I do not believe there has been any restoration done to this drum. I tried to take a photo through the air hole but it did not work.

"Eli Brown,
Drum Manufacturer,
Then there appears to be a drawing or printing of a Bass Drum
Has Consistently For Sale"

Then in Bold Print

"Bass and Snare Drums
Made in the Neatest and Best Manor
Windsor (Winterbury Soc.) Conn 1833 No. / 712"

The sticker has some boarder around it. The #3 in 1833 is hand written as is the 712.

Diameter = 17 ½ “
Height = 13 ½ “
Circumference = 48 ½”

"There are 13 missing tacks. They seem to be missing at the outer edges of the drum. Very interesting design with diamonds and circle around the vent hole. I do not think it was restored but would appreciate any information. I think it is a real nice piece of Americana and want to make sure it is preserved for the future."

The painting on the drum is unique. I've not seen a painting quite like it.

Whoever did the restoration on this drum appears to have installed the tugs upside-down. And the tugs appear to have been stained to look old (but the inside surfaces and cut edges are clearly new, as is the rope).

A very good craquelure (a network of fine cracks or crackles on the surface of a painting, caused chiefly by shrinkage of paint film or varnish), or wood grain underlying the paint, appears all over the painted surface of the drum.

The vent hole appears to have a bone grommet (although excessively white for real bone) through which a small part of a label appears to be visible (click on the photo to enlarge it and you'll be able to see what looks like part of a printed label). A few tacks near the flesh hoops appear to have been lost or removed.

The tack pattern is clearly like those on known Brown drums of the early 19th century.

Remnants of what appears to be a period snare mechanism can be seen on the bottom hoop near the snare gate. And the presence of a person's thumb (bottom left) suggests that the drum might be smaller than a usual field drum, perhaps closer to a child's toy drum size, but I cannot tell for sure from the photo.

WHAT WE HEAR FROM THE EXPERTS:

Susan Cifaldi wrote:

Obviously this is cut down and parts have been recycled (the leather ears were cut from a large piece that was previously seamed (one ear is "inside-out"), and top hoop looks like it's from an older drum to me).

Looks like someone replaced the grommet (bone doesn't yellow with age as much as ivory does, but it does yellow, and there should be at least some dullness to the white, as you correctly point out) It's curious that there is no shellac over the entire shell, just over the painted part.

It could have been removed at some point in time, but I've seen that on a few Stevens drums, where they shellacked over the artwork only. However, the Browns wouldn't do that since it doesn't look like they offered artwork at the point of sale, what we see on the few extant
decorated drums has been obviously added later.

If the owner knows it is 1833, I'm thinking it is on the label. Can he send us a transcription of it?

Looking at the areas where the tacks are missing, I think the cut-down was done some years ago.

Also, can he tell us anything about provenance? That might help us trace the art work.

I'd like to call it a Brown drum, but let's see what the label says. Maybe the owner can help us out with that.

Susan Cifaldi wrote also:

Thanks, Mark and Ellis! We knew it was cut down, and this is now verified by the number and date you supplied, indicating that this would have been a more or less "square" drum. Lots of these drums were cut down to this size around the time of the Civil War; by that time the big square drums were outdated.

If there is enough label left, I might urge Mark to take a look to see if it is indeed "Eli Brown" and not "Eli Brown & Son," the reason being it's right on the cusp of when Eli's son was taken in as a partner. . if not, it is still a lovely example of Brown's work.

The artwork deserves a closer look, in my opinion. Mark, where did you find the drum? Did the former owner give you any information about where (s)he found it?

Thanks again for posting it, and keep us informed of where it goes if you do sell it.

2011-05-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

eBay seller shadrowschoice ( 1627), item no. 120725371661 wrote:

OFFERED FOR AUCTION IS AN IMPRESSIVE RARE ANTIQUE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ERA FIELD DRUM. LARGE WOODEN DRUM MEASURES 24 1/4" HIGH AND 25" IN DIAMETER. DECORATED WITH BRASS TACKS IN A ROUND PATTERN AROUND THE VENT HOLE. THERE IS SMALL BRASS HARDWARE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. I BELIEVE IT HAS WHAT'S LEFT OF THE ORIGINAL SKIN HEADS AND EARLY TIGHTENING ROPES WITH LEATHER. RIMS ARE STAINED WITH OLD BLUE PAINT. INSIDE THERE IS WRITING AND A FRAGMENT OF AN EARLY NEWSPAPER, AS SHOWN IN LAST PHOTOS. I COPIED THE WRITING ON A SHEET OF WHITE PAPER-SEE VERY LAST PHOTO. NO CRACKS IN BODY, JUST PERIOD WEAR. A BEAUTIFUL RARE DRUM OF CIVIL WAR TIMES.

Postcard: National Association of Civil War Musicians

2011-05-16T20:25:00.002-04:00

eBay item no. 290546390247, Seller kamich09 ( 888) asking $199.99 BIN price.

Susan Cifaldi wrote:

Wow! I think that's what I paid for mine, and it came with Bogart's personal copy of the 1905 edition of the AVF, another postcard of a GAR encampment, and the fife he used there. (the GAR card is inscribed to his sister, and he complains about the weather). The NACWM was a fine group who fought hard to keep the field music alive in the GAR (there was evidently a move to lessen musical activities around 1911).

An 1862 A. Rogers Eagle Drum Shell Surfaces

2011-05-16T15:04:00.008-04:00

Shannon, a reader of this blog, wrote today with photos of a drum shell purchased recently in a thrift shop in Vermont (the drum was on a top shelf with Stetson hat boxes).

The drum shell appears to be an Army surplus (because no regiment number was painted in) contract eagle drum made in 1862 (date appears handwritten in pencil on the label) by A. Rogers of Flushing, Long Island (Flushing is a section in the north central part of Queens County, New York City, New York, east of New York County a/k/a Manhattan; it was consolidated into the City of New York in 1898 together with two other towns to form Queens County; at the time that this drum was made (1862), Flushing was a town on Long Island).

The shell's painting looks authentic, largely intact with only minor paint flaking.

Below is a photo of another A. Rogers eagle drum discussed in a post to this blog, Sunday, January 11, 2009, titled, "A. Rogers Manufacturing Civil War Infantry Drum." Note the similar painting.

Also, note that the 1862 drum shell is shorter than the other Rogers drum's shell. It was probably cut down to serve the needs of a smaller drummer, or more likely in my guesstimation to fit in with later times' styles. The emblazonment on the other Rogers drum clears the counterhoops with plenty of space to spare. By comparison, the 1862 drum's emblazonment would be partially covered by counterhoops if converted to a player, like this 1864 A. Rogers eagle drum discussed in post "An 1864 A. Rogers Civil War Field Drum (and a Repro)," this blog, March 7, 2010.

Additional photos of the 1862 drum:

However, note the addition of a non-Civil War snare strainer (I've seen snare strainers like this on drums ca. 1915. See, e.g., this WWI era Ludwig catalog, ca. 1918-1924):

And see this WWI era drum (ca. 1915) in my collection, with its WWI era snare strainer (bottom right):

A close-up of the WWI-era snare strainer:

And see this WWI Ludwig snare drum with Union Shield discussed in "WWI Ludwig Snare Drum with Union Shield and Drumsticks," this blog, Sunday, June 1, 2008:

Another Civil War eagle drum with a similar snare mechanism can be seen in my article titled, "Heavily Tacked Regimental Field Drum Attracting Interest on eBay," this blog, Wednesday, December 3, 2008. In that post, I refer to the snare mechanism as an anachronistic error:

It is doubtful that a drum maker would have gone to the trouble of creating a wonderfully symetric tack pattern, only to cover it up by a slightly off-center snare mechanism. That, together with other evidence concerning the snare mechanism's early 20th century origin, leads me to think that the snare mechanism was added during the early 20th century.

One could consider the snare mechanism like scholars consider the 19th century initials and names that are carved into the millennia-old monuments at Luxor and Giza in Egypt: historical graffiti. Or, if I owned the drum, I would consider the snare mechanism just adulteration and remove it, restoring the drum to its original design.

The A. Rogers label with handwritten "1862" appears through the drum's vent hole.

See also "An 1864 A. Rogers Civil War Field Drum (and a Repro)" in the Sunday, March 7, 2010 edition of our blog at http://blog.fielddrums.com/2010/02/1864-rogers-civil-war-field-drum-and.html.

Rope Drum Maintenance by USMA SSG Andrew Potter

2011-05-10T17:01:00.005-04:00

SSG Andrew Porter of the Hellcats walks through the steps of piecing together a rope-tensioned snare drum. Look for a second video coming soon on applying tension and finishing touches to your rope drum. Visit www.westpointband.com or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos.

Eagle Drum Traced to Levi Perry, 4th Maine Volunteer Regiment

2011-05-10T13:37:00.005-04:00

Letter from James Robinson, a Reader:

My name is James Robinson and I have a civil war drum that was played by my ancestor Levi Perry I believe in 1861 or so. Anyway, it is in as good of shape as the one in this photo on your site [Met Museum's Soistmann Eagle Drum] and I have the sticks with it. I am a drummer myself of 45 years. I have no children to pass it on to as it was passed to me. I would like to sell it to someone who would take care of it. If you can help, let me know and I will saend pictures.

Thank You
James Robinson
-----
I received the following photos (click on them to enlarge):

Note the following: the full painted emblazonment is not visible (top of sunburst is covered by top counterhoop and bottom of arrows are covered by the bottom counterhoop). That information, considered with the views of the top and bottom heads (below) which reveal that the counterhoops are seated at approximately correct distances, suggests that the shell has been cut down, perhaps an inch of so on both ends.

Note that the regiment number has not been painted in, suggesting that this drum was Civil War army surplus, and was not assigned to a unit for service.

Note that the ends of the upper and lower triangular arrays of tacks are obscured by the counterhoops (the bottom more so than the top), also supporting the possibility that the shell has been cut down.

Note the drum sticks (above and below) are not dark hardwood. The shape of the sticks is not familiar to the Blogmaster.

-----
I did a little Google research on Levi Perry:

===== http://bit.ly/j1o4yf
Army at home: women and the Civil War on the northern home front By Judith Ann Giesberg
Introduction: p. 183, ft. nt. 31:
"This issue seems to have plagued many farm families. Levi Perry, a soldier serving in a Maine regiment, for instance, wrote home to his mother when he found out that his brother had enlisted. 'I think [Chandler] has done wrong for he promised me when I left home that he would stay and take care of things at home.' Perry worried that 'now there is no one to look to things but you.' Levi Perry to 'Mother,' July 26, 1862, in Silber and Sievens, Yankee Correspondence, 138."

===== http://www.directessays.com/essay_search/civil_war-_pg.html
Family or govermant [sic] (843 3 )
.... War. Pg.128 2.) Levi Perry, from an article by Andy DeRoche, "Blending Loyalties Maine Soldiers Respond To The Civil War," Pg.129 ….
Andy DeRoche, 303-678-3825
Boulder County Campus Social Sciences
[I left a voice message for Andy DeRoche who wrote to me May 20. More material may be coming from him re Levi Perry.]

===== http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-sh85-100044
Perry family correspondence, 1861-1864 by Perry family (book) in English and held by 1 library worldwide

Correspondence of the following members of the Perry family who served in the Civil War, Levi Perry: served with 4th Maine Regiment all four years of the war. Most of his correspondence (about forty letters) is to his mother Sarah Hall Perry (1861-1864). Chandler Perry, Jr. and Tad (?) Perry: correspondence to their mother Sarah Hall Perry (1863). Chandler Perry, Sr.: Correspondence to his wife Sarah (1861). Perry joined the 4th Maine Regiment, Company D, as hospital nurse and was taken prisoner in 1861. He died in Libby Prison of typhoid fever. Other topics represented include the Maine militia.
The material described in this catalog record is located in the collections of the Maine Historical Society, Portland, Me.

===== http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/e/c/James-H-Record-NV/GENE20-0011.html
76. LEVI13 PERRY (DIMON12, ALICE11 SOULE, MERCY10 SOUTHWORTH, MARY9 PABODIE, ELIZABETH8 ALDEN, PRISCILLA7 MULLINS, ALICE6 ATWOOD, NICHOLAS5, JOHN HEWSON4, JOHN3, JOHN2, PETER1) was born February 16, 1776 in Pembroke, Mass., and died July 12, 1847 in Poland, Maine. He married NANCY DWYNE December 01, 1796 in Poland, Maine. She died April 07, 1861 in Poland, Maine.
Children of LEVI PERRY and NANCY DWYNE are:
i. JOEL S14 PERRY, b. December 08, 1797; d. September 17, 1865.
ii.   ARTIMIS PERRY, b. January 17, 1800.
iii. ABIGAIL PERRY, b. May 25, 1806.
iv. LEVI PERRY, b. August 22, 1808; m. BETHIA B. PERRY; b. July 24,1836.
v.   ALASON PERRY, b. April 22, 1813.
vi. JOHN L PERRY, b. May 02, 1816; d. 1876.
vii. ALMIRA PERRY, b. November 03, 1803; d. 1861.

===== http://bit.ly/kP7sb2
Levi Perry served as a corporal with the Fourth Maine Volunteer Regiment. In this letter to his mother, Sarah Hill Perry, Perry worries that she will be unable to look after the farm after her only other child enlisted., p. 138
Yankee correspondence: Civil War letters between New England soldiers and ... By Nina Silber, Mary Beth Sievens

=====

History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine:

Levi G. Perry, corporal, enlisted Oct. 28, 1862 [Company D], p. 46.

===== "4th Main Volunteer Infantry Regiment - Company D" shows Levi G. Perry of Rumford, Maine, to have been in the 4th Maine Infantry, Company D, age 20 when mustered into service June 15, 1861. Compiled by Bruce Towers, Prospect, CT (1998). Source: the "Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Maine for the year ending December 31, 1863". Also, age 22 when promoted to corporal (presumably) October 28, 1862.

Youngster in Union Civil War Uniform with Drum and Sticks

2011-05-09T23:10:00.003-04:00

eBay Seller bases_loaded13 (20050), item no. 230075468844, price $1.50

Postcard of a youngster in Union civil war uniform with drum slung over right shoulder. Although the sticks are not being held in the traditional manner, the photo is useful for if it is period, it clearly shows leather ears/tugs.

Johnny Comes Marching Home - Sketch by Andrew McCallum

2011-05-09T22:55:00.004-04:00

When Johnny Comes Marching Home, sketched by Andrew McCallum, published in "Harper's Weekly," June 1865.

eBay auction no. 400039813085, Seller: nls (4386), asking $45.

British Military Drum

2011-04-09T22:07:00.012-04:00

We received the following email from Matt in Connecticut who contacted us after purchasing an old relic drum with a painted "GR". We spoke with him and emailed him referring him to an article (republished in this blog) by Kjell Tore Innervik titled, "The old military drum from the 19 century. Probably used in "Drangedal", western Telemark, Norway", and online here.

Ellis,

Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with me this morning before your meeting, I appreciate it and look forward to speaking with you again. I have attached some pictures of the drum showing the painting, tack pattern and inside of the shell where it appears that there was once a label. The spot that appears to have been the label measures approximately 8" wide by 7" high with cropped corners that make it 8 sided. One of the counter hoops is in two pieceds and the other has some chuncks taken out of it but I have a bag full of wood pieces that are the missing pieces out of that hoop so that the hoop could be reconstructed. Both flesh hoops have also been included with the drum (not pictured here) and one is intact and the other is split. This looks very much like the shipwreck drum that I was shown yesterday while at Cooperman, with the same tack patern and what paint is left looks like it could be similar or the same as well. I was not able to find any of those pictures on line to link as a comparison but I am sure that Jim Elis at Cooperman would be happy to send them to you if you are interested in seeing them.

I originaly bought the drum with the hopes of restoring it to playing condition and sell to someone in the Fife & Drum community but found that the work that needs to be done was a little more extensive than originaly thought. I spoke with the previous owner at length before I bought it and he was up front about what work needed to be done but sometimes it is hard to tell until you have the drum in front of you. After consulting with Jim ElLis and a couple of other vintage field drum friends of mine the decision for me is to leave it alone and ultimately let the final buyer decide what they want to do to it. It was suggested that I would do best to either find a serious collector that would be interested or try to find a museum that would be interested. It was this discussion that had Jim giving me your information. I am hoping to try and find out more information about the drum and finding it a good home. Thanks again.

Matt

[Photos to follow.]

History of American Musical Instrument Makers

2011-03-31T15:03:00.006-04:00

Susan VanHecke wrote:

I'm an author with a new book called RAGGIN' JAZZIN' ROCKIN': A HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MAKERS [that] explores the intriguing stories of eight instrument makers – Zildjian, Steinway, Martin, C.G. Conn, Ludwig, Hammond, Fender, and Moog – and their contributions to the American musical landscape and pop culture.

You can view the first chapter ... featuring
Zildjian cymbals, with the "Look Inside" feature on the book's Amazon page:

[Also see] www.RagginJazzinRockin.com.

...

With best wishes,

Susan VanHecke

Two Field Drums

2011-03-17T23:41:00.001-04:00

Hello,

I am writing to you about two field drums I have and would like to find out more about them. They have been in our family at least since my parents were married in 1946. My mother says they were 'always around' since then (my father died in 1964). I used them as side tables since my teens and they have been in storage for the last 20 years.

I found your web site today when I was trying to find out if they were worth anything to help me decide the best way to dispose of them. Your site has given me a new appreciation of them, but we don't have the room for them.

The green one says 'sons of liberty' in the banner above the eagle. There are nine faint red stars spread either side of the eagle and nine stripes depicted on the shield. The paint is bubbling on parts and it has no leather or parchment. It measures 14 inches high and 15 across.

The tall one (18" H x 14" W) has a crown with GR monogram below and LXIV below that. Quick research suggests that this was of the British Kings 8th infantry. It has ropes in bad shape and some leather, but I'm not sure it is original. In fact, I'm not sure these are genuine drums or made for re-enactments in later years.

Any help and information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
[name withheld]
Tucson, AZ

>
>

"On the Ropes" by Brian Hill

2011-03-14T15:42:00.002-04:00

Reprinted from Not So Modern Drummer.

BOSTON Lt. INFANTRY 1798 FIELD DRUM

Drums from the late 1700s are not only really cool, but fairly valuable! Hard to find, the price on a nicely painted drum with some sort of unit or player identification would have a cost estimate of around $7000.00-$10,000.00. Ever since people began prizing and collecting rare objects, other people have been faking them for profit. Many antique dealers love to find creative ways to add “value” to collectable antiques, even at the expense of the object, and drums are no exception. So if you are one of the many collectors of relics from the past or are just thinking about jumping in for fun or investment, then you probably should heed the old adage: “Let the Buyer Beware”. Drums that look great and have lots of exciting and leading information can be sending the wrong signals if you don’t take the time to interpret the clues correctly. Thus.…you could spend too much money on something that isn’t quite what you thought it was. That was exactly the position with which I was faced when I first came across this remarkable drum. I had an opportunity to own a drum from the late 1700s but was wondering if it would cost me my retirement fund to collect such a rare gem. This drum had an enormous amount of information on it, including the year “1798” painted on the shell. I began to assume the best story and the best price to fit my brief and somewhat short lived fantasy. That’s exactly when I can get into the most trouble! So, here’s my story of assumption and research.

My Assumption:
Well, the drum does read….”Boston Lt. Infantry 1798,” and could lead someone to assume that it dates to 1798. It certainly does look that old. But, how old is that old? The painting on the front side of the shell has great patina and great colors, centered on two rope tensioned drums surrounded by out-stretching bugles and spear-tipped flags, all with an eagle flying over-head, clutching a streaming banner in its beak. The banner’s motto reading: “Death or an Honorable Life.” That certainly sounds colonial and patriotic and could be consistent with a drum from the late 1700s. If that’s the case, this is going to cost plenty! But, I don’t think I can casually drop the kind of “big bucks” that a drum from this period will command without checking it out further and making sure I’m investing wisely.

Some Observations:
Since I had first encountered this old drum, the final restoration has been completed. New skins, ropes, leather ears, and double-butt gut snares have made it once more a player. Originally, two old flesh hoops and what appear to be the original counter hoops, one needing a repair to an earlier repair, were all that accompanied the shell. There are three small holes clustered on the bottom counter hoop suggesting the drum may have originally had a metal snare adjuster, long since missing. I’ve found metal snare adjusters dating back to the 1820’s, and possibly earlier. The shell is 15”(h) x 16”(dia.) and appears to be in fairly solid shape, although a bit smaller than what I would expect for an 18th. Century drum. Inside the shell is evidence of a repair consisting of a wooden patch covering an elongated, horizontal tear in the shell, made of a thin veneer ply of wood about 4”x 5”. Where the wood was actually missing from the shell, a filler material was used to fill in the empty space, covering the wooden patch from the outside of the shell. The paint was expertly matched to complete the repair, including some of the yellow lettering, camouflaging it completely from the casual eye. When I find evidence of this type and quality of repair, I naturally get a little nervous. To me, I think it can actually hurt the value in many cases. So, I questioned the owner (an antiques dealer) about this and he told he had sent the drum out for “paint cleaning and restoration”, and that’s when the patch-and-filler thing happened.

Inside the drum are 3 paper labels opposite the vent hole from 3 very well known Boston drum makers of the 1800’s and a name. From top to bottom the labels are from A. W. White, John C. Haynes, and Henry Prentiss. At the bottom of each label is a hand written line indicating that the drum was repaired on a certain date. The earliest date is on the Henry Prentiss label and reads: “Repaired June 28th. 1853, L. O. P.” Placed directly above the Prentiss label is John C. Haynes’ label with a hand written message along the bottom: “Repaired Jan. 23, 1863 B. H.” (This would be the middle of the Civil War. Is there a Civil War connection?) The third label is also placed directly above the other two and is that of A. W. White, with a hand written note reading: “Repaired May 22, 1879” and singed “J.B. Treat.” Written in chalk on the inside of the shell opposite the labels in letters about 2 inches in height is the name of “John Sylvester.” Maybe a Civil War soldiers name.

All this information could lead one to assume that this drum is from 1798 and was first repaired by the Henry Prentiss Co. in 1853, again in 1863 by the J. C. Haynes Co. during the Civil War, and once more in 1879 by the A. W. White Co. The name on the inside of the drum, John Sylvester, could be one of the owners and could have been used in the Civil War by this soldier. That would make a great story and add all kinds of value to an already great looking drum…..if that was indeed the right story. So, let’s re-examine the clues a little closer and see what some research reveals.

The Investigation:
The first thing I researched was the motto on the front of the drum which read: “Death or an Honorable Life.” I found that this motto appeared on United States paper currency as early as 1779, written in Latin: “Aut Mors Vita Decora.” On the drum it was written in English, leading me to wonder exactly how common this popular phrase from Colonial and Federal Period America was, and that it came to be included on a parade drum in its English form. Following the War of 1812, the atmosphere of patriotism and “Home Guard” in America began a steady rise in popularity until the outbreak of the Civil War, which gave militia units something new to concentrate on. In the Northeast, militia units were running out of people to fight, so they began to participate in parades, and many social and political events. The “Boston Lt. Infantry”, AKA “Tigers,” Company “A,” Fourth Battalion Infantry,” is one of the oldest and most venerable of Massachusetts Militia organizations in the nation’s history. Originally formed in 1798, they still have direct linage to units in today’s Mass. Army National Guard. As the unit began to travel all over the Northeast to parade, the Boston Brigade Band was formed to march with the Infantry as the units of the day were in great competition to out-do each other. Thus being said, I’m of the opinion that the design of the painting on the front of the drum, being of drums, bugles and flags, would foster the idea of a parade band. It would also not be uncommon to paint the name of the unit on the drum, nor a commemorative date of organization. If this was a band drum, there are probably more of them around. I’ve found in military collector circles, there are no shortages of relics from Mass., often making them more common than items from other states.

In 1859, the Boston Brigade Band came under the direction of Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, who went on to become one of the most famous bandleaders and musical impresarios in American history. The band was experiencing some difficulties at the time of Gilmores arrival in which he apparently dealt with in his usual, efficient manner. During his revitalization of the band, he not only enlarged its size, but also changed the name to “Gilmore’s Band.” In October of 1861, Gilmore and his band enlisted with the 24th. Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, serving with General Burnside in North Carolina until discharged in August of 1862. This enlistment fell in to the period known as the “regimental band period” of April 1861 to August of 1862. In July, 1862 the U. S. War Department issued General Order 91 directing that all regimental bands be mustered out of service within 30 days, due to the fiscal pinch the government was feeling because of the large number of non-combatants in service, in this case, bandsmen. As can be seen, this order was followed by Gilmore’s band. There are no records that prove that this was the drum carried during the War, but, then again, it was repaired in January of 1863, possibly to repair damage sustained during a year of active field service. Upon returning home to Boston, the band resumed giving concerts and parading.

Historical documents from Worchester County, Mass. mention a John Gardner Sylvester, born in 1790. He was described as a gifted artist and musician. Hailing from Boston, he achieved a reputation for his wonderful skill as a drummer. He was a very prominent Free Mason, and in his day the only Thirty Three Degree Mason in the county. I found no records of a John Sylvester serving during the Civil War in Mass. regiments or the Union Army in general. So, I don’t think the name of John Sylvester was the name of a Civil War soldier, but, rather a member of the Boston Brigade Band. During the Nation’s Centennial celebration, the unit showed up on the roster of the “Centennial Legion” which comprised of one historic military command from each of the original Thirteen Colonies and marched in Philadelphia for the July 4th., 1876 Centennial Parade. Since this drum was repaired again in 1879, there’s a good chance it may have been used in this historic event.

Now let’s take a look at the Maker’s labels on the inside of the drum. According to American Military Goods and Makers (Bazelon & McGuin), Henry Prentiss was in business as early as 1825 and made drums through 1846. He had several locations on Court St. in Boson including, numbers “23”, 1825-27; number “ 52”, 1827-33; and number “33”, 1834-46. Number “33” is not listed in Bazelon & McGuin, but appears on the Maker’s label applied to 3 other drums that I know of. He was listed as a drum and umbrella maker, a pianoforte and a painter in 1834, and also ran a music store. George Prentiss’s label is found on 2 other drums, ca. 1840’s (?), for the “1st. Corps of Cadets, Boston.” There was another drum of the “1st. Corps. Of Cadets” by Henry Prentiss that turned up on the “Field Drums” blog a while back. I remembered it because I thought the drum extremely beautiful with the flags and spears out-stretched from the centered shield, all on a white background. This label matched the “1798” drum exactly, including the “33 Court Street” address. That drum claimed a circa of 1834 and identified the painter as Charles Hubbard, a landscape and sign painter from Boston. Charles Hubbard is also credited as the painter for the “Boston City Guards” drum, circa 1824, formally of the Wm. Guthman collection.

The next label is John C. Haynes of Boston, also well know for the drums he made, sold and repaired. In 1863, he is listed as the “Mass. Drum Manufactory,” Cambridge, Mass., and as “Haynes & Co.” where he maintained a music store at 33 Court St., Boston, from 1863 to at least 1888. He is known to have made drums that were used in the Civil War.

A. W. White was also a well known drum maker in the Boston area in the mid 1800’s. I could find little information on White, but I do know that some of his drums were used in the Civil War (as I own one) and he was still in business through at least 1879. He may not have had any formal government contracts for supplying drums to the government as his name does not appear in Bazelon & McGuinn’s Military Goods book. However, this label has the signature of Joseph B. Treat. It appears that J.B. Treat was the repairman who worked on the drum in 1879 at White’s shop. Treat was a well known drum maker of the time and is often associated with the firm of Thompson & Odell, also well known drum makers. He is known in the industry from ca. 1859 to the mid 1880’s.

In examining the condition of the labels, I noticed that the Prentiss label showed much more ware than the other two labels. There are 10 years between the date on the Prentiss label (1853) and the date on the Haynes label (1863) and from there, seventeen years to the date on the White label (1879). It seemed unpractical for that much deterioration to occur in only ten years when the latter two seemed in much better and similar condition. The Prentiss label seemed to look much older than the 1853 date would indicate if one was to assume that to be the date of origin. But, I think the label is older than 1853.

Another feature that caught my eye in the construction of the drum was the extra care in the shaping of the reinforcing rings, top and bottom. The maker seemed to take extra care in the construction and shaping of these inner hoops. Both the top and bottom side of each ring was strongly tapered by hand in an almost circular shape. I find this practice on many of the drums hand-crafted from the earlier “cottage-industry” period to be more defined, rather than what you see on many of the mass produced drums of the Civil War era. I remembered another article that showed up on the blog about this drum. It seems that Terry Cornett (Heritage Drums), of Alabama, also wrote an article on the “1st. Corps. of Cadets” drum. Terry had the honor of restoring the drum in 2006, so, I called him up to ask about some of the details of the drum. I was most interested in the label and the craftsmanship on the glue rings. According to Terry’s description, we had a pretty good match.

My Conclusion:
In combining this information, I think it’s safe to say that this drum was not made in 1798. Nor do I think it was made in 1853. But what about the 1853 date on the Prentiss label? Well, since Henry H. Prentiss only made drums thru 1846, his company probably wasn’t responsible for the repair made on June 28, 1853. So what then? I think the repairman of 1853, identified only as “L.O.P.”, decided to put his mark and date on the only paper label in the drum at that time as opposed to writing on the inside of the shell where it could not be seen. Remember, the labels are all directly across from the vent-hole where they can be seen. I think the other two repairman followed suit with their repair dates and wrote on their company’s label, possibly acting as a form of receipt for the work performed as was done on the Prentiss label. Therefore, considering the above mentioned information, I believe this to be a drum made by Henry H. Prentiss, circa 1834, for the Boston Brigade Band, played by John G. Sylvester and was in use through at least 1879. It also may have been played in Philadelphia during the Nation’s Centennial celebration. Whether it saw any action during the Civil War or functioned only as a regimental band is a matter of debate. We do know that it was repaired during the War, and that the first call by Lincoln for 75,000 volunteers, was answered primarily by members of the militia, all facts that only add fuel to the debate. As for who painted the drum, we can only speculate that Charles Hubbard, who is credited as the painter of the other two Boston Militia drums of the same era and of similar design, and the Boston City Guards drum, made by Prentiss, may be responsible for the artwork. But, again, a matter for debate.

Determining the real story of a drum can be difficult in many instances. But with the right amount of luck and effort, and digging into the clues and hints that are present, it is possible to unlock many of the secrets that lay hidden and obscured by time and assumptions. The story thus uncovered is quite different from the one I had first speculated, and even though the drum is not from the 1700’s, nor probably ever saw the bloody fields of battle, we now have a clearer view of the truth. We know a lot about the rich and impressive history of this drum, but there is so much more to uncover. We also need to remember that investments like these should be treated as investments and the more you know about the truth of the matter, the better you can appraise the item. During my research I was able to find the auction house that handled the last transaction of the drum, view the estimate and sale price, calculate the premium and estimated restoration costs. I also asked several collectors and experts for their opinions on values for drums like this and considered my own personal experience. Therefore, I would probably estimate the value of a drum like this one somewhere around $4500-$6500, and to keep increasing in value, but, that’s just a guess. So, consequently, I had to let this one get away as the $15,000.00-$16,000.00 asking price didn’t make much sense to me. But that’s just my business side coming out. What I really like, is that the story reveled can be one of the most rewarding aspects of researching and collecting historic antique drums…Sometimes, I find that what I thought were Drums of WAR!, are really, Drums of Music.

Thoughts from the Shop … Brian S. Hill

Brian Hill can be reached at brisoundperc@yahoo.com

Early 19th Century Barrel Bass Drum (Edward Riley)

2011-03-02T15:05:00.011-05:00

Dave Randall wrote:

I had someone direct me to your blog in my search for some history about this drum. I am a collector of American made Ludwig drums from the 1960's, but this drum is way out of my league.

I first saw this drum used as an end table in my Uncle's apartment in the late 1950's in Goshen, NY. I have been it's caretaker for about 20 years now and would like to know more about it and also clean it up, replace the roping etc.

However, I need expert advice on all this before I would do anything to this drum. It does have a notation in pencil along the side of one of the heads "Sept 1, 1839". Also I've been told that this type of drum was used as a signaling drum in the Civil War.

Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks, Dave Randall, Dayton, OH

And:

There are no snare beds cut into the drum and since I have the original beaters it's clearly a bass drum.

The drum has a remarkably intact label:

WHO WAS EDWARD RILEY?

Edward Riley (1768-1829) (see Metropolitan Museum of Art's Collection Database at http://bit.ly/hOribv) was "one of the earliest American musical instrument makers of [the 19th] century" "Orchestral Musical Instruments, by Daniel Spillane, The Development of American Industries Since Columbus, XIV", The Popular Science Monthly, April, 1892, p. 798 and appears to have been known for his flutes. "Common flutes without keys were made in America before the Revolution, but Riley was the first maker of standing to appear in the field. He had a factory in Franklin Square, New York, as early as 1810, where he produced wood wind instruments of various kinds for orchestral and band purposes." Id. Riley was also a music publisher during the 1820's. "American Sheet Music: ca. 1820-1860."

Riley emigrated from London to New York about 1805 (See "19th century American one-key and simple system flutes"). William Hall and John Firth (of Firth, Hall and Pond) worked for E. Riley around the time of the War and 1812 to about 1820 or 1821 when they formed Firth & Hall (see chronology of Firth, Pond & Co.). Hall and Firth married Riley's daughters. Id.

-----

Also:

I have quickly looked at your blog and see that you have an interest in the USMA Band at West Point. My father Howard W. Randall was a snare drummer during WW II with the band. He was a multi-instrument musician and was much better known for his tenor sax playing at the time. However, there were no open slots for woodwind players at the time, so he came in as a drummer and had those duties for marching and concerts, but they used him on sax in the smaller dance bands. Here's a picture of my Dad and the drumline from his time.

I don't have any dates noted on the photos. According to his discharge papers he was in from March 7, 1942 until January 19th 1946. It must of been a great time in his life as a musician. He really was not too far away from home (Middletown, NY) and I know he was always going into NYC to jam. He was single and making a living making music in his early 20's.

Dave

Eli Brown Drum Sells at eBay Auction

2011-02-03T19:48:00.016-05:00

Okay sports fans. Yesterday an eBay auction closed on a terrific relic - an Eli Brown drum, ca. 1810-1820 (dating based on comparison of the label remnants with an intact label dated 1809, shown below).

(Source: 1809 Eli Brown Drum Hits the Market," this blog, June 20, 2009)

COMMENTS FROM SUSAN CIFALDI (BROWN DRUM HISTORIAN AND EXPERT):

Hi, this is gorgeous.

I would leave this just the way it is. What remains is early if not original, and sure, you can make it prettier, but would it then tell such a powerful story? I see some square-head nails on some of the views, the cutout for the gut is perfect, and the vernacular vent hole "repair" is precious! The shield design is quite early and probably done very shortly after purchase, and even though a careful restorer could keep the original shellac, (s)he could not keep the original finish (it could be re-distributed over the drum via a French-polish technique, but you would lose the cracking and crazing and parts if not all of what lay underneath). I would worry about the risk of losing that early shield. . . besides, the crazing and alligatoring alone betray the age of this drum beautifully and in a way nothing else can.

I would not be adverse to a gentle cleaning. Shellac likes to collect dust, which darkens things beneath it, but I would consult a fine furniture museum to see how that might be done without disturbing what remains of the finish. Lucky you living so close to New York City and having access to all the great museums there!

I think there are many more Brown drums to come, and maybe one that is not quite this early might be the one to restore to playing condition. We really have so few early Browns (the first partnership seemed to work around farming chores, coopering, and other occupations and was short-lived besides), so it's probably important to keep what we can find from this period. What turns up more frequently are the Eli and Son drums, ca. 1835 and later. These are larger and more durable than the early-period ones and thus are more likely to withstand refurbishing into a playable instruments.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you take clear pictures (with lots of closeups) that document any changes you make. Also, save and label anything that comes off the drum.

FURTHER COMMENTS FROM SUSAN CIFALDI:

The size of this drum (the shell is 15" OD x 13.5 H), in my opinion, places it within the early period of construction. This ran from c. 1809 until 1815, when the drums were made by Benjamin (a cooper by trade), his son, Moses, and nephew Eli. They used a preprinted label, assigning a number and date in manuscript, like [the above drum label dated 1809 on drum no. 26 and] this one on a drum dated 1810, number 108:

[Note: The seller of the 1809 Brown drum no. 26 described that drum as being 16"x16" but that could include the counterhoops and might not be the dimensions of the shell. I have left a message for Leo Brennan, purchaser of Brown drum no. 26, asking that he measure the shell and inform me of the shell's dimensions.]

I think what's left of the label on your drum once looked like this one.

The labels did change, but it took a while. After Moses went out west, Benjamin and Eli continued making drums, sometimes individually and sometimes in partnership. They also took in a new partner, Moses' younger brother William. They used the same label, probably until the stock ran out, and simply crossed out (and on one example, cut out) the "B. E. & M." and wrote in the correct identification of the makers. In any event, by the late '20s/early 30s and definitely by 1835, a "new" Brown label was designed, identifying Eli and then Eli and Son as the manufacturers. They were much more prolific and produced the larger "square" drums that we are so used to seeing.

Regarding the painted shield on your drum. I would doubt that it originated within the drum shop. Decorative paintings on these drums are rare, and the ones I've seen, save yours, the 1810 drum, and one other dated 1809, tend to postdate the drums by at least a decade, if not more. Yours, though, along with the other two I mentioned, looks like it was done very close to the date of origin and as such warrants protection as a historical document.

Oh, I love this drum! ;-) especially the vernacular "repair" on the vent hole! [Meaning the use of locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances.]

Civil War Era Drum and Fife

2010-12-23T10:36:00.002-05:00

Lot 173:

Civil War Era Drum and Fife Drum has military motif stenciled on side, complete with all tensioners. Includes a set of drumsticks. Rosewood fife with silver fittings and 9TH Maine Infantry markings.
Realized : $1,265
Cowan's Auctions: Cincinnati, OH, USA
Auction Date: April 28, 2010

1824 ELI BROWN LABELED TIGER MAPLE PARADE SNARE DRUM

2010-12-23T08:39:00.002-05:00

Lot 93: 1824 ELI BROWN LABELED TIGER MAPLE PARADE SNARE DRUM
Auction House: The Gallery at Knotty Pine
Auction Location: West Swanzey, NH, USA
Auction Title: Antiques & Decorative Arts Auction
Auction Date: November 1, 2009
Realized : $1,500
Description: 1824 ELI BROWN LABELED TIGER MAPLE PARADE SNARE DRUM - STRONG TIGER MAPLE DRUM IN NATURAL FINISH W/ OXIDIZED BRASS TACKS DECORATION, RED PAINTED COLLARS, LEATHER TABS & CORDAGE W/ INTERIOR LABEL "ELI BROWN DRUM MANUFACTURER HAS CONSTANTLY FOR SALE BASS & SNARE DRUMS & TAMBOURINES MADE IN THE NEATEST & BEST MANNER WINDSOR CT 1824 -#1395" & RED, WHITE & BLUE DRUM STRAP/SLING W/ BRASS DECORATED LEATHER TAB & IRON CLIP (18 3/4" T X 19" DIA.)
Condition: DRUM HEAD SKINS DAMAGED, RIM WEAR, SMALL LOSSES, SOILING, IMPERFECTIONS

The Green Drum

2010-12-02T20:36:00.002-05:00

The Green Drum
From The Arlington Historical Society Archives
The accession page reads: “Drum carried by Jos. Dickson, 1862, Civil War. Donor George H. Shirley.”
This was written by Doreen Stevens. Posted on Friday, August 6, 2010 to ARLINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BLOG, OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE ARLINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ARLINGTON, MA

This beautiful drum, from The Arlington Historical Society archives, pictured here, is a lovely soft green with blue undertones. Wooden bands of a soft, sad red anchor the main green body of the artifact on either end, held together with neat rows of rivets. Emblazoned on one side is a painting of a ship and a sunrise. This circular central motif on the drum’s exterior is the 1784 New Hampshire seal—a ship, flying American banners, resting on wooden supports, with a rising sun. The scene celebrates New Hampshire’s role as a major ship-building center during the Revolutionary War period. The seal is surrounded by laurel leaves and the Latin phrase: “Sigilium Reipublicae Neo Hantoniensis.” (the commonwealth of New Hampshire). Inside, written in a neat hand is the number “23” set at an angle. We are on solid ground interpreting the drum’s physical attributes. But, who owned this beautiful thing; who used it, and why?

The Dickson family has deep roots in Puritan Cambridge and Charlestown. There were Dicksons on Brattle Square in the 1640’s, and Jason Russell’s mother was Elizabeth Dickson. Although the accession information states that Joseph Dickson carried the drum in the Civil War, there is no conclusive evidence that an Arlington man owned this artifact.

Like the drum itself the chain of evidence circles in on itself: Arlington Vital Records contain one entry for “Joseph Dickson,” stating that he married Phebe L. Russell in 1833. That life event would make this Joseph quite old to be a Civil War “drummer boy” in 1862. In the 1865 census for West Cambridge, there is one Joseph Dickson listed: male, white,72 years old, born in Massachusetts, and (sadly) with an asterisked line adding a one-word description of “Idiotic.” Civil War records show a “Joseph Dickson” to have served in the Civil War from Massachusetts, but I haven’t yet been able to track down his hometown—most probably Charlestown. There are no “Joseph Dicksons” listed in New Hampshire Civil War records. But why would a Massachusetts boy—from West Cambridge or Charlestown– be carrying a drum with the New Hampshire state seal on it?

Hints on Tucking a Drum Head

2010-11-29T00:22:00.002-05:00

George Kubicek wrote with the URL

to this information in Vintage Drum Forum.

Will Chappelle Recreating mid-19th Century John Lowell Tugs

2010-11-29T00:19:00.000-05:00

Will Chappelle wrote me recently saying that he was interested in the exact dimensions of the original leather ears on my mid-19th century drum pictured in "Drum by John Lowell of Bangor, Maine", this blog, March 5, 2008.

I sent Will one of the original ears to copy. Here's a photo of the original and one of Will's reproductions:

Note that the original has a brass shield stapled to it. My refurbished John Lowell drum is discussed in the above-referenced blog post.

Will Chappelle's Facsimile of an 1862 Robert W. Warren Drum

2010-11-29T00:05:00.004-05:00

Will Chappelle recently wrote: Here's the latest project I just finished. I wrapped my beat up WFL drum in ash veneer, which I had flat cut from a single log (not spliced together from multiple logs like most veneer), so it looks like it's a steambent solid shell with the overlapped seam. On the right is my 1862 Robert W. Warren drum.

How an 1827 (no. 1582) Brown Drum Got to Montana

2010-11-28T23:57:00.002-05:00

Jim Doolittle of Montana wrote to us recently with these photos of his family’s 1827 Eli Brown drum. He included some family history:

The Doolittles settled in the Milford-Woodmont area of Connecticut in the late 1600’s to early 1700’s. Early family members were farmers, ice “harvesters” and deliverers and general handymen.

Jim’s grandfather, Trubee Doolittle, was a banker in Woodmont from the late 1800’s until about 1955. (There is a Trubee Doolittle Park in Woodmont. Also, see Families of Early Milford, Connecticut By Susan Emma Woodruff Abbott.)

Jim’s father, Charles Doolittle, was born in Woodmont in 1921, attended Columbia University Medical School, graduating in 1952, and moved to California with his wife Nancy.

When Trubee died in 1974 the contents of his home on Mark Street were distributed to family members and/or auctioned.

Charles Doolittle acquired the Brown drum at that time from Trubee’s estate. Jim reports that the drum has been in his family for more than 100 years. He does not know, however, how the drum came to be in his family.

When Charles retired in 1963 and moved to Florence, Montana to be near his son Jim, he brought the Brown drum.

Jim reports that the heads and ropes were replaced by Drum Brothers in Arlee, Montana using deerskin (not exactly traditional but easily corrected) and hemp.

Jim inherited the Brown drum from his father when he passed in October, 2009.

Restoration of a Mid-19th Century Field Snare Drum

2010-11-11T16:16:00.011-05:00

I received this article today from Randolph ("Randy") Davis, a drummer and drum refurbisher. Compare some features of Randy's drum with those on my "Drum by John Lowell," this blog, March 5, 2008.

My New Player
2011/11/10
Article Contributed by Randolph Davis
Baltimore, MD
Friends,

Having just now tied off the drag rope, I’d like to share my newest toy which I bought at the Baltimore Gun Show last year (2009). There I found a cracked shell and counterhoops form a mid-19th century drum, and some old heads sans flesh hoops artfully displayed across the open ends of the shell. The shell had a crazed unidentified surface finish, and all-in-all, it looked like hell. I decided I wanted it, so my friend, Jim Kochan, lent me the cash to buy it. I recall it costing $250.00 (after a $50 talk-down). It is now sturdy player of which I am very proud.

I gave the shell a quick surface clean with a damp cloth and found several cracks spanning the length of the shell along the grain, one spanning the entire length of the shell. That was bad news for a drum that I wished to transform into a player.

I bought some 1/8” white oak strips, soaked them in water for about ½ hour, bent them around the shell to dry, and then I glued them across the cracks on the inside of the shell using Old Brown Glue. That stuff is a truly amazing organic hide glue with urea added to lengthen the working time. A simple warming makes the glue workable for several hours. This stuff is heaven, and I can recommend it without hesitation. I also used it to reglue the shell support hoops and loosening scarf joints on the counterhoops. It worked to great effect and, as advertised, simply bonded with the old glue. Other than a little spotting from the iron traces in Baltimore tap water reacting with the tannic acid in the oak (which I was able to correct with oxalic acid), there were no real issues.

View of oak reinforcement strips through vent hole.

Next I scraped the surface finish off using a water-based varnish remover which worked well after two applications. I used a flexible plastic putty knife because I wanted to retain the planer marks on the outer shell. I gave the shell a denatured alcohol bath and it cleaned nicely. I first attempted to shellac the drum, but I felt that this would not be a sufficiently sturdy finish for an outdoor drum. (I have since learned that the Noble Cooley 150th anniversary drums are using shellac and apparently this is the historic finish for Noble Cooley drums.) So I removed the shellac and hand rubbed the shell (first with my bare hands and then with the grain, using 0000 steel wool) using a 50/50 refined linseed oil/turpentine finish. I applied about seven coats which did a nice job to create a slurry to fill the cracks and other imperfections. I used Gamblin refined linseed oil which is said to use a refining process that is 150 years old. The final touch was wheat pasting a hand-made label inked by my good friend Fred Rickard.

Compare an original label that reads “John Lowell, Manufactor and dealer in all kinds of Musical Instruments No.[1] 4 Maine St Bangor

Reproduction label, reads “Randolph Davis Manufactor and dealer in all kinds of Musical Instruments No. 2105 Hargrove Alley Baltimore”.

With the shell and counterhoops complete, I ordered rope, heads, snares, strainer, and custom cut and bent flesh hoop blanks from Cooperman Drum Company. I sized flesh hoops to the shell, and glued them using the same Old Brown Glue. I nailed them with carpet tacks based on contextual examples in my own collection. I tucked the heads and dyed the rope overnight in a batch of strong English breakfast tea (Cooperman sells a sort of bleached linen rope.) The Cooperman linen rope is four strands, as is typical for drum rope on American drums of the period. Unfortunately, it is not spun as tightly as other original rope I have seen, and I wanted “drum rope”. I have heard other drummers speak favorably of hemp linen rope available in Eastern European markets, but I don’t know of any four-strand rope of this type, and I felt that the tea-dyed linen rope was the right decision for this restoration.

I made the ears, copying an original example on another drum in my collection. I used an antique pinking iron to punch the ends, and seven-cord hand waxed linen thread to tie the ears.

I mounted the Cooperman reproduction Civil War style strainer. But after roping the drum together, it occurred to me that this design would not work, for the rope hole was too close to the strainer side snare gate. There was no room for the upright thumbscrew to function. This posed a problem that might have prevented the result I wanted. But not so! I inquired with Noble and Cooley, who is embarking on a reproduction drum project in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the war, concurrently with contacting the one and only George Carroll of Carroll’s Drum Service. George gave me a different but common style (of which I have a couple on drums in my collection) counterhoop-mounted hinge-style strainer, which works excellently in the above mentioned situation. His casting apparently comes directly from an original dug at Brandy Station battlefield. I came to find out that Noble and Cooley is using the same strainer supplied by George for their restorations.

So I soaked and mounted the snares, and plugged a few small holes in the counterhoops where previous appliances had been mounted (a carry on the batter counterhoop, and previous strainers on the snare side). That was an afterthought, but something I could do without dismantling the drum.

And just a listing of my friends who helped me along the way: my wife for dealing with insanity on a regular basis; George Carroll for keeping this fife and drum business alive south of the Mason Dixon, and reproducing this strainer; Jim Ellis at Cooperman, who is the embodiment of kindness and sage; George Hardy for his magical tea-dying recipe; Jim Kochan for spotting me the money initially; Fred Rickard for the best label any drum ever had; and Al Saguto for teaching me now to make thread.

So there you have it. And it sounds great!

# # #

One Man Band - Drum Kit by Lyon & Healy

2010-11-08T18:27:00.000-05:00

Tompkins' (uncompleted) Drum #5 Surfaces on eBay

2010-09-23T04:06:00.026-04:00

BEFORE LIGHT CLEANING:

Note the beautiful grain pattern resulting from an oblique slice through the wood stock causing otherwise circular growth ring patterns to appear somewhat elliptical.

The two (of six) drilled holes in the bottom counterhoop were made to accommodate one of three short legs when the drum was converted to a small table.

Whether as a result of luck or care, the grain pattern partially lines up nicely at the glued seam. (Tompkins could have chosen the portion of the exterior veneer blank he used so as to cause the grain pattern to line up so well, at least partially, at the seam.)

This hole is one of three on the inside of the top counterhoop and was made to accommodate a circular tabletop that was screwed into the top counterhoop.

Not sure what happened here. It's a gradual thinning of the interior veneer such that the exterior veneer is exposed on the inside of the shell. That may have been a or the reason that this drum was never completed. Tompkins may have been concerned that the drum's thickness, being non-uniform, would lead to structural failure at that location.

Note the number "5" in handwritten in pencil on the inside of the shell

Note the number "5" in handwritten in pencil on the inside of the counterhoop

Note the strong construction evidenced by two-ply manufacture and reinforcing hoops top and bottom.
The grain runs vertically on the inside layer of the shell, and horizontally on the outside layer of the shell, for improved, cross-grain strength.

The counterhoops show no sign of ever having been used to tighten down the drum. No depressions in the top edge that would have been made by roped hooks under load.

AFTER LIGHT CLEANING:

eBay seller emilysattic ( 412) put this beauty on the market and it escaped my attention until my friend, George Kubicek, emailed me with about 3 hours left in the auction. I was glad he did. I placed my bid and waited patiently for the auction to close at about 7 minues past 7 o'clock in the evening while I was attending a business meeting (watching the clock count down on the auction during the last few minutes).

Final sale price was only $305 but there is alot missing. What I bought was just the shell and the hoops. They are characteristic of the work of William S. Tompkins, whose drums are featured in other articles on this blog (search above left for Tompkins). My guess is that this drum, marked #5 on the inside of one of the reinforcing hoops and on the inside of the shell (see photos), is one of Tompkins' early drums.

The drum had been used as a table. Three short legs (probably not period) accompanied the drum. They were screwed into drilled holes through the bottom counterhoop. A circular wooden top (probably not period) was affixed to the other counterhoop by small angle brackets screwed to the inner surface of that counterhoop.

There was no trace of any flesh hoops, skin heads, ropes, tugs or snare mechanism. Moreover, there was no evidence of any snare bed depressions in the shell. And there weren't any notch cutouts in either of the counterhoops to accommodate snares such as are seen on drums even older than this drum.

Drums manufactured prior to and even during the Civil War can be found with or without snare mechanisms. However, the field snare drums that I have seen that lack snare mechanisms had some sort of design feature to accommodate and allow the snares to be pulled through to the outside of the shell and kept tight against the snare head.

The shell of this drum has no such features. There are no bearing surfaces for the skin heads to smoothly transition from horizontal to vertical. Both shell edges are square to the shell surface. And, there is no vent hole. You can't have a good-sounding drum without a vent hole. There is no evidence of scratching to indicate damage caused by a flesh hoop. The hoops lack the telltale marks of rope hook depressions on the outer edges, and the shell lacks any evidence of vertical scratching caused by leather tugs moving up and down the shell. It's anyone's guess why that is, but I have mine.

I think that the drum was never completed and never used as a drum; that it was made to be a drum, but then set aside. Perhaps the drum was imperfect and not of the quality for which the maker wanted to known. That is, of course, merely a guess. Imperfections in the outermost circle of inlaid diamonds would be consistent with that hypothesis. Those diamonds, while attractive, are not set out along the circumference of the circle with the clock-like exactitude for which Tompkins' later drums are known. See, e.g., drum #22 from my collection.

Tompkins Drum #22, Hand-signed and Dated 1862
(Collection of Ellis Mirsky)
Tompkins drum #5 stands, perhaps, as a record of what a Tompkins drum look liked partway through the manufacturing process. It is, essentially, an uncompleted drum, apparently taken out of manufacture prior to finishing. It shows us the precision with which the surfaces were made. It's a real treasure in that regard.

The seller described Tompkins drum #5 as follows:

Up for auction is a Rare Antique 19th Century William S. Tompkins Burl Wood Civil War Drum Shell. This beautiful antique burl wood Civil War Drum Shell has a inlaid circular pattern with a center-concentric star, five-pointed stars and diamonds design with red, white-wood color, & blue hoops. The burl wood (shell-outside) has a natural & interesting design, and thought it was Birch at first, Maple or Ash ? I purchased this drum shell as a small antique side table, knowing-seeing it was a antique drum, (added later) with a antique spinning wheel top, three simple carved old oak legs, carefully placed. The top was attached with 3 simple L brackets-measured-spaced out, on the inside, holes going thru inside edge top-not going thru top R,W,B top hoop, and the simple carved oak legs, measured-spaced out, were carefully-neatly drill, thru R,W,B hoop-shell, legs were notches out-to fit on inside back, screw attaching thru the front-tighten by legs. (have to mention, is part of the condition)

Overall it is in good, restorable, condition, nice(original) patina with crazing-expected wear, inlay all present-intact, center concentric star-inlay has a vertical age split-indentation inside shell-not seen from front-seen before in other examples I have seen, 2 -3 age splits from age, hoops are strong-condition mentioned above. Signed 2x in pencil-number 5, inside of shell and inside support-hoop, measuring approximately: 17 1/4 inches wide by 13 1/4 inches high, please see pictures. I do not see any Vent Hole?

William S. Tompkins, born 1812-Drum Maker & Craftsmanin in N.Y., is known for his inlaid circular patterns of consentric stars, five-pointed stars and diamonds with red, white-wood color, & blue hoops, and why I am attributing this drum to him. (information provided by a good site on the internet [www.FieldDrums.com, of course])

Drum cadences, rudimental and drumline sheet music, drum exercises, chops and warm up (legal and free)

2010-09-12T23:48:00.001-04:00

KarmaDrums.com has compiled a terrific collection of drumming material that can downloaded.

Noble & Cooley To Re-Issue Civil War Drums to Commemorate War's 150th Anniversary in 2011

2010-09-07T21:26:00.005-04:00

First Prototype Reissued Drum Showing Copper Tacking Along Seam
(leather tugs will be stained dark on the reissued line)
This drum is currently on exhibit at the Drummer Boys, "Answering the Call" exhibit, Zadock Pratt Museum, Prattsville, New York.
(See article below re the Drummer Boys exhibit.

Jay Jones, President of Noble & Cooley,
Using 1860 Wood Bending Machine to Bend Tulip Wood Shells

1860 Parallel Clamps and Lap Clamps
Holding Tulip Wood Shell in Form

Photos and above information courtesy of John C. Quinn, Civil War Collector, Historian and Musician, Windham, New York (JCQuinn@webtv.net)

Granville, Massachusetts - Jay Jones, president of Noble & Cooley and great-great-great grandson of one of its founders, James P. Cooley, said that the company plans to reissue its Civil War contract field snare drum conforming to period specifications using the same, gigs, fixtures and forms used during the Civil War. Noble & Cooley would be the only company to ever do so. Jones declined to discuss the price point but it is expected to be competitive.

This will not be a reproduction Civil War drum but something completely different. It will be the same drum, made to the same specifications, using the same material and made in the same factory using the same machines as when this line of drums was originally manufactured for the U.S. Army.

The reissued drum will measure 12"x16" (16-3/4" to the outside of the counterhoops) with red-painted oak counterhoops mounted on a single-ply tulip shell. The snare mechanism will be the same bronze/brass design used by Noble & Cooley for its Civil War contract drums, including a leather butt plate securing 8 gut snares. The drums are planned to be unpainted, but stained walnut and coated with shellac. The seams will be secured by copper tacks as were the first issues of this line. The drums will be equipped with calf skin heads and a rope loop for carrying (pre-D-ring).

The ropes will be Irish linen although Jones recalled his grandfather telling him that the originals used 7-strand Italian hemp which the company is currently having difficulty locating. (From 1937 until the late 1960s the United States government recognized that industrial hemp and marijuana were two distinct varieties of the cannabis plant. After the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), hemp was no longer recognized as being distinct from marijuana. That may account for the difficulty in securing hemp. History of Hemp. See also, Hemp, THE ENCLCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, 1856: "The Italian hemp is very fine, that variety called garden-hemp being the longest of any kind; its superiority is supposed to be the result of spade culture in very suitable soil. It is also as white and soft as the finest white Russian.")

A prototype of the re-issued line is already in the field and in use by the 77th New York Regimental Balladeers of Windham, New York, a Civil War reenactor singing group. The drum is being used in connection with efforts to raise funds for a special celebratory Historic Heritage event featuring musical performers at the Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation.

Separately, John Quinn, spokesperson for the Balladeers, who is working with Noble & Cooley to produce the event, mentioned that production of 50 sesquicentennial drums is underway in Granville. He also confirmed that the prototype drum can be seen sitting on the stage in the video below. Quinn said that the prototype is currently on exhibit at the Zadock Pratt Museum in Prattsville, New York and that the drum will go on tour with the Balladeers beginning with the group's September 18 appearance at the Saratoga Springs Civil War Encampment at Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, New York. The drum will be raffled off by the Balladeers who, while on tour, are raising funds for the Historic Heritage event in Granville.

Drummer Boys, Answering the Call

2010-09-07T21:13:00.001-04:00

Pamphlet produced in connection with "Drummer Boys, Answering the Call" an exhibit at Zadock Pratt Museum, Prattsville, New York, August 28th, 2010.

[TO BE INSERTED: Photo of Corporal William Vallet and Joseph S. Schepmoes, Drummers, 20th NYS Militia, Seward R. Osborne Collection.]

Drummer Boys
"Marching away with the naive innocence of youth"

These boy soliders performed an important role on the battlefield. As part of the command and control communication system the various drum rolls signaled different commands in the field

For the infantry, drums were also used to announce daily activities, from sunrise to sunset. Reveille was sounded to begin the day at 5 a.m., followed by an assembly for morning roll call and breakfast call. Sick call was sounded son after breakfast, followed by assemblies for guard duty, drill, or to begin to march.

Drummers were also important on the march to keep soldiers in step during parades and to call them to attention.

During battle, drums were sometimes used to signal maneuvers and give signals for the ranks to load and fire their weapons.

The artillery and cavalry relied solely on buglers who were just as important in their roleas drummers were to the infantry.

Drummer boys were usually treated as something of a mascot by the troops, and often entrusted to the good offices of the regimental chaplain.

Since they had few military duties to perform, the life of the drummer appeared rather glamorous, and so as would be expected, boys of all ages tried to enlist, often running away from home.

Officially there were age restrictions, but these were often ignored, and boys as young as ten were found beating the "long roll" which called men into action.

As part of the exhibit we have included the stories of a number of drummer boys who distinguished themselves during the war.

[TO BE INSERTED: PHOTO OF DRUMMER BOYS]

Both the Union and Confederate Armies would regularly recruit young boys for service as drummers. More than 100,000 federal soldiers were fiften years of age or younger. Three hundred were thirteen or under and most of these were fifers and drummers.

-----

"The Hero of the Drum"
Poem by George W. Bungay

Clouds of smoke hung like a pall
Over tent and dome and hall;

Hot shot and blazing bomb
Cut down our volunteers
Swept off our engineers;

But the drummer beat his drum,
And he beat "No Retreat!"

With his drum: Through the fire.
Hotter, nigher.
Throbbed the drum, drum, drum.

In that hurrican of flame and thunder of the bomb.
Braid the laurel wreath of fame for the hero of the drum!
The hero of the drum.

-----

The exhibit items feature in Drummer Boys "Answering the Call", include historial artwork by Don Troiani, Ron Tunison, Donna J. Neary, Dale Gallon, Julian Scott (1846-1901), Pamela Patrick White and others.

Examples of musical instruments including regimental eagle drums and a militia drum from the museum's collection are representative of the equipment used by Civil War drummers. Period sheet music, a principal musician sack coat, drummer's shell jacket, poetry, photo images, letter and dairy entries tell the story of these young patriots. J.Q. (John Quinn)

Co-curator "Hardtack Home Front Recollections: Greene County During the Civil War". Zadock Pratt Museum, Prattsville, NY.

Prattsville hosts Civil War musicians, actors

2010-09-07T20:44:00.004-04:00

John Quinn, left, member of the Zaddock Pratt Museum board of directors, plays along with Civil War musicians during the Second Annual Col. George Watson Pratt Heritage Day in Prattsville on Saturday[, August 28, 2010]. (Colin DeVries/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)

By Colin DeVries
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Published: Monday, August 30, 2010 2:14 AM EDT

PRATTSVILLE — Amidst the late summer majesty of the mountaintop, a contingent of Civil War reenactors reminded us of our roots this past weekend.

Contingents of Civil War soldiers and musicians laid claim to the Prattsville green on Saturday, pitching tents and bringing the old fife and drum to life.

The event was a celebration of the Second Annual Col. George Watson Pratt Heritage Day, sponsored by the Zaddock Pratt Museum on Main Street in Prattsville.

Rural Felicity, a period drum and fife ensemble, featured original tunes played during the time, as well as pieces from as early as the American Revolution.

“The Civil War was really the end of (the fife and drum),” said Nancy Scanlon of East Berne, a member of Rural Felicity, “because they started to use the bugle.”

In the wartimes, the fife and drum were more than mere musical instruments; they were communication devices.

The pairing of the fife and drum, particularly on the battlefield, was used to issue commands to troops on the front lines. Officers would often relay orders through particular fife and drum codes, which troops learned in drills.

Back at camp, the fife and drum were used to tell warriors when they should wake, eat and sleep.

In honor of the fife and drum corps which kept Civil War soldiers on target, the Pratt Museum is currently featuring an exhibit honoring the young musicians who issued those orders.

“Drummer Boys: Answering the Call” is a new exhibit at the museum which spotlights local drummer boys who served during the Civil War with New York’s 20th Militia Regiment, the Ulster Guard, commanded by Col. George Watson Pratt, the only son of Zaddock Pratt.

The exhibit speaks to the overall value of the drummer boy during battle and the important role many prepubescent youths played during wartimes.

The museum is currently showcasing another exhibit titled “Silver Eagles: The War Colonels of the 20th NYS Militia,” which provides history on the three colonels, including Col. Pratt, which led the 20th Regiment.

The 20th Regiment consisted of many Greene County residents and fought valiantly in battles at Antietam, Md. and Fredericksburg, Va.

A total of 120 men were lost in the regiment, including nine officers.

According to John C. Quinn, a member on the Zaddock Pratt Museum board of directors, 620,000 Americans died in the Civil War, which would be equivalent to about six million Americans dying in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.

“It was an absolutely devastating loss of life,” Quinn said.

About two percent of the total Civil War era population was killed in the war. The 1860 census listed 25 million people living in the United States.

Scanlon commented that it was important to remember the history of the Civil War and to remind people of the cost, especially in today’s world of divisive politics.

“It’s important to keep our history close,” she said, “or we’re bound to repeat it.”

To reach reporter Colin DeVries please call 518-943-2100 ext. 3325, or e-mail cdevries@thedailymail.net.

Oliver Ditson Drum Co. Bass Drum

2010-09-04T07:58:00.003-04:00

eBay seller rmagiccds ( 3184), item no. 200512716955, sold Sep. 2, 2010 for $119.50, described as:

Antique 1800's Bass Drum; OLIVER DITSON DRUM CO. Boston

Here is a recent estate find. This is a rare Original Antique Bass Drum Made by The Oliver Ditson Drum Company Boston USA. It has a Maple Shell with Wood Hoops and Gut Heads. The Original paper manufacturers label is inside which reads "Oliver Ditson Company Manufacturers Of Drums and Drummer's Traps Boston New York." The shell measures 24" x 9 1/2". This Drum is complete but will need some attention. One of the heads has a split and will need to be replaced, it has been repaired for display purposes. The original rope binding is frayed and split from age and needs attention, I placed the ropes loosely on the drum for the photos but they need to be fixed. The hoops and shell are in excellent condition.

For more information on Ditson, please search this blog (upper left).

Note that about 1850 Elias Howe (Boston Drum Factory) sold out his entire business to Oliver Ditson and retired. Boston of To-Day, Richard Herndon, Edwin Monroe Bacon, Post Publishing Company, 1892, US 13181.28A, PP. 265,6. Field Drums: Elias Howe Drum, ca. 1861

Thus, a Ditson drum and a Boston Drum Factory drum could have much in common.

1800's John Stratton & Son Military Bass Drum

2010-09-04T07:15:00.003-04:00

19th Century John Stratton & Son Military Bass Drum

eBay seller horncollector ( 1517), item no. 270625732996, asking $995, described as:

I recently picked up this Bass, but unfortunatly will now have to sell it due to hard financial times.

This "Bird's Eye" maple Stratton bass drum is in excellent condition and ready to be played. It was restored by Cooperman in 2002 and has new Goat skins and rope. The original Stratton label can be seen by peering through the vent hole. This drum measures 28 1/2" high and is 14 1/2" wide. This drum was made between 1889-1895 while John Stratton was in business with his son. It can easily be used with any reenactment band depicting anything from the 1840's California Gold rush era, the Civil War through to the Indian Wars.

Also, see http://www.horncollector.com/Other%20Instruments/Drum/drums.htm.

Note: the Cooperman label lists the repairs/restorations made in 2002. Included is "Ashton Tack Design". The editor will investigate whether that means that the tack design was added in 2002.

Search this blog (upper left) for other Stratton drums and historical information.

Civil War Drum William Kilbourn with Paper Label

2010-09-04T06:58:00.005-04:00

Civil War Drum William Kilbourn with Paper Label

eBay seller donald5606 ( 153), item no. 270627793972, sold for $51.00, Sep. 3, 2010, described as:

"UP FOR AUCTION IS THIS RARE WILLIAM KILBOURN DRUM MADE BETWEEN 1858 TO 1869 I BELIEVE IT IS A SNARE DRUM.IT HAS A PAPER LABEL INSIDE. IT IS ABOUT 16 INCHES ACROSS AND ABOUT 7 1/4 INCHES THICK OR HIGH. WE JUST BOUGHT THIS AT AN AUCTION SOMEBODY WROTE INSIDE THE DRUM WITH CHALK OR SOMETHING " $50.00 WE OBTAINED FROM A MAN WHO CLAIMED WAS GEN CUSTARDS DRUMMER BOY ". WE ARE NOT MAKING NO SUCH CLAIMS. BUT JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT WAS WRITTEN IN THERE."

See also, "Field Drums: Civil War Era Drum by William Kilbourn w/ Label", this blog, Dec. 17, 2009 (including for this better label):

When It Comes to Faux

2010-09-01T08:36:00.012-04:00

Faux (pronounced /ˈfoʊ/, like "foe") is a French word for false or fake. And that's what this is.

eBay seller maxwellstuxedo ( 1236) just sold item no. 290468616826 for $113.49 and it's about as faux as they come. Not that it's any kind of fraud. The faux nature was fully disclosed. It's a faux drum built by Noble & Cooley and sold under the "Old Drum Shop, Granville, Massachusetts" label. (I confirmed the relationship between Old Drum Shop and Noble & Cooley today in a telephone conversation with Jay Jones, president of Noble & Cooley). The item is described as "antique furniture" (well, maybe not really antique, but, well, faux antique). Old Drum Shop drum-like tables and other drum-like items (waste paper baskets, ice buckets, etc.) are readily found on the Internet and can be ordered directly from Noble & Cooley in Granville, Massachusetts.

Ordinarily we wouldn't mention this kind of item in this blog except that here we think that there might be a danger of confusion with the real thing (i.e., a real Civil War drum, which this item certainly is not nor is it intended to be). In this case the table looks surprising close to the real deal, at least in the photos.

The Old Drum Shop, Granville, Massachusetts
Photo: eBay item no. 400083174207 (postcard)

The Old Drum Shop is the name of the retail store on premises at Noble & Cooley's manufacturing plant in Granville, Massachusetts. It appears to have derived from the drum factory started by Silas Noble and James P. Cooley in 1854. (Jay Jones, with whom I spoke today, is the great-great-great grandson of James P. Cooley.)

The drum-like table is described as follows:

A wood drum table made in the 1950s-60s to look like a civil war drum. It has a great look and has some nice details like the rope and the leather straps. The top of this has some faux marble contact paper that actually looks good. You could just peel it off and has just the wood underneath with a bit of cleaning. It is very heavy, well made, and sturdy. It measures 25 inches tall and 20 inches wide.

For more information on Noble & Cooley, please see:

Field Drums: Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation, this blog, August 4, 2009.

Field Drums: Scoping a Civil War Artifact, this blog, October 20, 2009.

Field Drums: Nobel & Cooley Civil War Drum, this blog, December 23, 2008.

Field Drums: Civil War Eagle Bass Drum (attrib. 7th Wisconsin Iron Brigade), this blog, May 31, 2008.

Civil War Artillery Drum (said to be Horstmann)

2010-09-01T07:23:00.001-04:00

eBay seller epk ( 696) has posted item no. 260658604117 (New York) with a starting bid of $10,500. The drum appears to be quite a collector's item and described as follows:

"ONE OF ONLY TWO OR POSSIBLY THREE KNOWN EXAMPLES OF A CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY REGIMENTAL DRUM, UNCUT IN ORIGINAL CONDITION. THIS DRUM IS INSCRIBED "W.P.THORNTON" ON THE EAGLES BREAST SHIELD. BOTH HEADS ARE INTACT AND ON THE TOP DRUM HEAD IS ALSO WRITTEN "WILLIAM P. THORNTON, BATH MAINE". THERE IS ALSO SOME ADDITIONAL PERIOD PENCIL WRITING WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE OUT. WILLIAM P. THORNTON WAS BORN IN BATH MAINE IN 1848 AND IS LISTED IN THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY DOCUMENTS. I COULD NOT FIND HIS NAME IN THE MAINE REGIMENTAL ROSTER BUT HE MAY HAVE BEEN NOT LISTED BECAUSE OF HIS AGE AT THE TIME OF THE CIVIL WAR. THE FIRST MAINE HEAVY ARTILLERY IS KNOWN AS HAVING THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CASUALTIES OF ANY REGIMENT IN THE UNION ARMY. THE DRUM IS AUTHENTIC AND RARE, ESPECIALLY IN THIS UNCUT CONDITION. NO SIMILAR EXAMPLE IS SHOWN IN CABA'S DRUM BOOK OR ANY OTHER ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF CIVIL WAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. THERE MAY BE SOME MINOR RETOUCHING OF THE PAINT BUT IT IS OTHERWISE ALL ORIGINAL AND GUARANTEED."

Pristine Moeller Drum Donated to Mt. Kisco Fire Department

2010-09-01T06:54:00.003-04:00

Jim Ellis of The Cooperman Company mentioned yesterday that he was informed by Bill Stewart of The Mount Kisco Fire Department Ancient Fife & Drum Corps (the "Ancients") of the recent donation by a Florida woman of an original Moeller drum.

"The Ancients are fortunate and very proud to own the largest known complete set of Moeller Drums, consisting of nine snare and three bass. The drums were handcrafted by Gus Moeller specifically for the Ancients, and no two Indian figures are alike. The drums were delivered to the Ancients between 1950-1953 and were recently refurbished in 1990." (http://www.fifedrum.org/mtkisco/)

The donated drum is said to be 16"x16" and to be called the Yorktown model (based on the description inside the drum believed to have been handwritten by Gus Moeller). That would be somewhat smaller than the Grand Republic drum used by the Ancients. The donor is believed to have taken lessons from Moeller 60 years ago and to have kept the drum in good storage conditions since that time. Ellis reports that the drum's high gloss finish and signature Moeller painted eagle design are in pristine condition.

Ellis also reported receipt from Stewart of a set of new photos of the Ancients' Moeller drums which we hope to receive and publish on this blog as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the photos in "The Moeller Drums of the Mount Kisco Fire Department Ancient Fife & Drum Corps" will have to suffice.

Cooperman Company's reproduction of a Moeller "Eagle" drum sports an eagle design based on Moeller's eagle.

USMA Hellcats Drummers play "Shades of Grey"

2010-08-24T15:01:00.001-04:00

Shades of Grey

The USMA Hellcat drummers play "Shades of Grey" by G. Cuccia (performed in Fall 2008).

USMA Hellcats Drumline Has a Website

2010-08-10T15:25:00.000-04:00

FIELD MUSIC GROUP ANNOUNCES WEB RESOURCE

The rudimental drummers from The Hellcats recently created an educational resource: “DrumCats.” The site enables users to download sheet music while watching the DrumCats perform specific rudimental classics. In addition, the resource will eventually include a number of rudiments, exercises, and solos! Watch the DrumCats.

And it will be packed with great stuff:

Rudimental Exercises

(coming)

Rudimental Classics with downloadable sheet music and streaming video performances:

- Crazy Army

- Three Camps

(more to come)

Hybrid/Exercises

(coming)

Solos

(coming)

Burns Moore - 1941 WFL Print Ad

2010-07-28T11:02:00.001-04:00

1941 J. Burns Moore photo WFL parade drum print ad.

SET OF FOUR "ROPE-ROD" TENSION SNARE DRUM STOOLS

2010-07-06T18:31:00.008-04:00

I found these on eBay and spoke with the seller, a by-appointment-only private retailer of professional percussion equipment. To say the least, the drums are interesting and different.

SET OF FOUR "ROPE-ROD" TENSION SNARE DRUM STOOLS

Authentic custom-made 16X16" Ludwig 1976 Rope-Rod Snare Drums, featuring wood hoops, decorative rope & leather tension similation and Ludwig PA Parade white plastic heads, top and bottom. These are identical drums designed from 1976 Ludwig production of their USA 200 Year Centennial, limited edition series.

Mahogany shells are covered in Black Cortex.

These four drums come with detachable white padded cushions, therefore allowing the drums to be used as comfortable decorative drum stools ... or actual snare drums [but you'd need to install snares and snare mechanisms].

Snare mechanisms have intentionally never been mounted on these drums, as they have been used exclusively as decorative drum stools. The drums have never been played.

Shells, wood hoops, rope and leather are in very good condition. There is a little corrosion on the tension rods and a few plating pimples on the lugs.

This is more than a conversation piece, these are real Ludwig Bi-Centennial 1976 drums made in Chicago.

ASKING PRICE: $1,000.00; Can be picked up in Cleveland, Ohio or UPS-Ground Shipping charges to be determined based upon geographic location of customer.

ALSO AVAILABLE: Matching Ludwig Vistalite Conference Table/Game Table. 48" diameter multi-color transparent table top, mounted on 30" diameter black & white Vistalite bass drum with chrome lugs. Table also includes internal lighting to illuminate the entire drum sides and top. This is a custom made one-of-a-kind table.

QUESTIONS AND INQUIRIES TO: Direct contact to: perclady1@aol.com.

1863 New York Civil War on PBS' Antiques Roadshow

2010-06-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Appraised on: August 4, 2007
Appraised in: Spokane, Washington
Appraised by: Christopher Mitchell
Category: Arms & Militaria
Episode Info: Spokane, Hour 2 (#1211)
Originally Aired: April 7, 2008
Appraised By: Christopher Mitchell

Appraisal Video: (2:48)

Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: It's been in my family for probably more than 70 years. My grandfather bought it in Maryland, along with some other military items, mostly Civil War-- letters, a sword—and he bought it in the '30s, so I probably have had this drum, maybe, going on 40 years.

APPRAISER: Okay. So he was a very early collector.

GUEST: Yes, he loved...

APPRAISER: Very early interest.

GUEST: Yes, he loved history.

APPRAISER: It's called a regimental drum. You have this nice kind of iconic, folky, American eagle on here. It's the type of thing that a collector really loves, with its wonderful colors and paint. You'll see where it says R-E-G for "regiment," and then it goes on and it says "infantry."

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: And, sometimes, they could actually paint the number of the regiment in front of this R-E-G. But we do know the regiment that this drum was in because after the war, the owner took the time to write down his full name, the regiment he was in and the battles that he fought in. This is a really unique aspect. And it's something that collectors enjoy because it takes this away from just being an object and it actually puts it in a place, and it puts it in a person's hands, so we can really kind of get our fingers around it and understand it. And that's what collectors love. It says: "Through The Civil War, Justus N. Williams."

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: He shows this date of enlistment and the date he's discharged. He lists his regiment-- he's in Company F of the 122nd New York State Volunteers, and he's in the Second Division of the Sixth Corps.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: You have to imagine this is probably a very young man, he's carrying this drum, and he comes and he says "Under fire in..." And that means he's actually in the thick of battle with his friends, his brothers, the people that he lives with. They become almost like a family to him. One of the really great aspects is he is at the three pivotal days in the American Civil War. He's at the Battle of Antietam, which is the bloodiest day in American military history. He is at the Battle of Gettysburg, which is the high watermark for the Confederacy. It's the true beginning of the end.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: And then he's at Appomattox, when it's all summed up and the war's over and it's come to a close. He's playing a part in these things that are happening in our country's history and then, after the war, he's taken it and written it all down, so it tells us a story.

GUEST: That's great.

APPRAISER: And that's what a collector likes. It's in its original untouched condition. That's a big thing for a collector, too. We have all the original paint; the ropes are original, the leathers are original. That's something that a collector looks for. I think, retail, this drum is probably worth somewhere between $8,000 and $9,000.

GUEST: Oh, wow.

APPRAISER: No, it's a nice drum, and it's the history that really drives the value.

GUEST: Geez! Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: If it did not have that writing, then you would be thinking more along $4,500.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: Yeah.

-----
About J. Christopher Mitchell
(source: http://www.jcamericana.com/about.php)
J. Christopher Mitchell American Antiques & Militaria

J. Christopher Mitchell (Daphne, Alabama) is one of the nation's leading arms and militaria authorities. His areas of expertise in American and foreign military items span more than three centuries, from 1600 to 1945. Mr. Mitchell has purchased military artifacts belonging to some of America's greatest heroes, including Presidents Lincoln, Jefferson, Monroe, Adams, and Madison, and Confederate General Robert E. Lee, as well as many others. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama, and has also completed the core requirement courses for the International Society of Appraisers.

A consultant to auction houses, museums, and the nation's leading collectors of militaria from all wars, Mr. Mitchell is noted for his unique passion for American antique militaria, and highly regarded for his more than 25 years of experience and extensive knowledge of the period from the American Revolution through the American Civil War. He specializes in Colt pistols, Civil War presentation pieces, and Confederate items, which he also collects.

Mr. Mitchell is an active member of several antique military organizations, including the Southeastern Antique Arms Collector Association, the Pennsylvania Antique Gun Collectors Association, and the Alabama Gun Collectors Association, and is also a lifetime member of the Antique Bowie Knife Association. His numerous lectures and television appearances include nine seasons of participation as an appraiser on the highly acclaimed Antiques Roadshow. He is currently conducting research for a book about historical weapons of the American military, as well as writing articles for the Antiques Roadshow Insider newsletter.

-----

Note: the list of battles and appearances on the drum head is substantially consistent with, but not exactly the same as the information concerning the 122nd Regiment, NYI, appearing on the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System maintained by the National Park Service:

UNION NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS
122nd Regiment, New York Infantry
Organized at Syracuse, N. Y., and mustered in August 28, 1862. Left State for Washington, D. C., August 31, 1862. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 6th Army Corps, to October, 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 6th Army Corps, to January, 1864. Johnson's Island, Ohio, to March, 1864. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 6th Army Corps, to July, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 6th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac and Army of the Shenandoah, to June, 1865.

SERVICE.-Maryland Campaign September 6-22, 1862. Battle of Antietam, Md., September 16-17. Duty in Maryland till October 20. Moved to Stafford Court House, Va., October 20-November 18, and to Belle Plains December 5. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12-15. At Falmouth, Va., till April, 1863. "Mud March" January 20-24. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Operations at Franklin's Crossing April 29-May 2. Battle of Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg, May 3. Salem Heights May 3-4. Banks' FordMay 4. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 2-4. Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va., July 5-24. Duty on line of the Rappanannock and Rapidan till October. Bristoe Campaign October 9-22. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Rappahannock Station November 7. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Duty at and near Brandy Station till January, 1864. On detached duty at Johnson's Island, Lake Erie, till March. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James May 3-June 15. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Spottsylvania May 8-12; Spottsylvania Court House May 12-21. Assault on the Salient, "Bloody Angle," May 12. North Anna River May 23-26. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Before Petersburg June 17-18. Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon Railroad, June 22-23. Siege of Petersburg till July 9. Moved to Washington, D. C., July 9-11. Repulse of Early's attack on Fort Stevens and the Northern Defences of Washington July 11-12. Expedition to Snicker's Gap, Va., July 14-23. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Gilbert's Ford, Opequan Creek, September 13. Battle of Winchester September 19. Fisher's Hill September 22. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty in the Shenandoah Valley till December. Moved to Petersburg, Va., December 9-12. Siege of Petersburg December 12, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Fort Fisher, Petersburg, March 25. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Assault on and fall of Petersburg April 2. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. At Farmville and Burkesville till April 23. March to Danville, Va., April 23-27, and duty there till May 24. March to Richmond, thence to Washington, D. C., May 24-June 3. Corps Review June 8. Mustered out June 28, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 6 Officers and 85 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 85 Enlisted men by disease. Total 179.

1862 Rhode Island Civil War Drum and Discharge Papers on PBS' Antiques Roadshow

2010-06-29T08:10:00.000-04:00

Appraised on: June 30, 2007
Appraised in: Orlando
Appraised by: Rafael Eledge
Category: Arms & Militaria
Episode Info: Orlando, Hour 3 (#1206)
Originally Aired: February 11, 2008

Appraisal Video: (3:00)

Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: I brought this Civil War drum. It's from my great-grandfather, from the Rhode Island area, and a certificate that shows that he was actually the drummer in the Civil War.

APPRAISER: Right. And, if you notice, it mentions that he is a drummer of Company L in the Ninth Regiment of Rhode Island Infantry. And it's an interesting regiment that he was in. The Ninth was raised because they were afraid that Washington, D.C., would be occupied by the Confederacy. In May of 1862, General Stonewall Jackson had had decisive battle victories at Winchester and in the Shenandoah Valley. The next step, they were right at Washington, D.C. And so President Lincoln says, "We've got to have regiments to defend the city." He sends a letter to the governor of Rhode Island, and they call up the Ninth Infantry. They're sent there to guard Washington, D.C. And if you notice, the drum also has the matching Ninth Regiment, "RI" for Rhode Island Infantry, and Company L. It has everything on it that you would expect. They were only in service for three months, which is why the drum is in such beautiful condition as far as the paint. It has bright colors. It's a beautiful drum. The heads do come off. It's in need of some restoration.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: If you notice right here, we have the maker's label-- from Horsman of Philadelphia, one of the premier makers during the Civil War. They made things, and they also retailed items for military use. We have both of the original heads. All we're missing is, basically, the tension ropes. We have the snare on the bottom. The discharge... Has it been in the family the whole time?

GUEST: Yeah. Actually, I was going through a trunk, finding things to maybe bring, and I found this only, like, a week ago.

APPRAISER: Really?

GUEST: And connected it to the drum.

APPRAISER: That's great, because it mentions in there that he is a drummer boy in the discharge. The discharges you do encounter, because every Union soldier that survived would have gotten one, and that was their ticket, in later years, to be able to draw a pension.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: A lot of drums were surplus, meaning they never saw service. And they'll actually come out, and you won't have the regiment, you won't have the state, and you won't have the company. They would paint the basic drum, and then, once it made it into the field, the drummer boy himself, or somebody in the regiment, would add that information on it. Which personalizes the drum, so it's not only do we have his discharge, we've got his input on the drum. And it brings everything together.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: It's a fantastic piece. I can tell by that look in your eye it's something you'd never part with.

GUEST: Oh...

APPRAISER: So what we'd be looking for is an insurance appraisal.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: Right. And, on a discharge, most of the time they're $100 to $200. The drum itself would need to be insured for $7,500.

GUEST: Wow. Wow.

-----
About Rafael Eledge:
(source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/appraisers/eledge_rafael.html)Shiloh Relics

Rafael Eledge is one of the country's most active and knowledgeable experts of Civil War and 19th-century militaria. Mr. Eledge's career began at the ripe age of 11, when he received his first metal detector and began searching around his home state of Tennessee for Civil War artifacts. He continued to gain knowledge and expertise as he attended trade shows, buying and selling pieces to support himself through college.

After graduation, Mr. Eledge fulfilled his childhood dream of owning a Civil War relic shop and museum. Shiloh Civil War Relics was opened in 1995 just to the north of the main entrance to Shiloh National Military Park in west Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, Shiloh Relics Online was born, and Mr. Eledge moved military antiques and arms collecting into the 21st century. Today the business is a 2,400-square-foot retail shop and one of the Internet's most visited Civil War Web sites. Shiloh Relics has active inventory that rivals some of the nation's best museums.

Having such success with Shiloh Relics has afforded Mr. Eledge the opportunity to do consultations for museums and national parks, as well as for books and magazines. He is highly regarded by his peers for his knowledge of artifacts of the American Civil War.

Even though Mr. Eledge's knowledge covers all aspects of pre-1900 militaria, his current passion is Civil War cannons, implements and ammunition. Having owned 15 original Civil War cannons and more than 1,000 projectiles, he is currently in the process of developing a manuscript on cannons used in the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War. Aside from his dedication to his business and family, he is also concerned with the preservation of our nation's artifacts and supports many such efforts.

1848 Zachary Taylor Campaign Eagle Drum on PBS' Antiques Roadshow

2010-06-29T07:56:00.003-04:00

Appraised on: August 9, 2003
Appraised in: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Appraised By: William Guthman, Musical Instruments

Appraisal Video: (2:06)

Category: Musical Instruments
Episode Info: Oklahoma City, Hour 3 (#809)
Politically Collect, Hour 3 (#1219)
Originally Aired: November 3, 2008

GUEST: I know that it came from the Kentucky-Tennessee area and that it was given to me by a friend, and it was given to him by an uncle around 1950. That's all I know.

APPRAISER: It was the presidential campaign drum. It's from the campaign of Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass of 1848. It's really rare. It's 155 years old, and it's survived beautifully. And you can see the stars, 13 stars, and an American eagle. And Zachary Taylor was an officer, a hero, during the Mexican War. "Rough and ready" was his slogan then, and he ran a presidential campaign with that slogan.

GUEST: Oh, okay.

APPRAISER: Later drums had little iron attachments for the ropes, and a drum of this period has holes, and the ropes went through the holes. And these tightened the drum. These are leather tighteners, and these are the original hand-carved wooden drumsticks, and it's wonderful that they stayed with the drum.

GUEST: You know, actually, if you can see this paint right here, we actually have used those to stir paint with and then kind of thought about it and then cleaned them off.

APPRAISER: Well, don't stir paint with them anymore. It really survived in great shape. If I had this drum, I think I'd want between $10,000 and $15,000 for it.

GUEST: No!

APPRAISER: Yes.

GUEST: Well, it's a wonderful thing, 155...

APPRAISER: Well, you know, it's very historically important.

GUEST: Would these be original ropes on here?

APPRAISER: They could have been replaced.

GUEST: Could have been replaced, okay.

APPRAISER: But they're old. They've been there a long time.

GUEST: I saw you looking in this hole.

APPRAISER: That's a percussion hole. When they beat the drum--

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: --the air came out that hole. But opposite that hole would have been the maker's label, and you can see where it was, but it's long gone. So even looking like this, this is great condition.

GUEST: Oh, it's wonderful.

APPRAISER: I wouldn't touch it.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: It's a wonderful, wonderful memento.

GUEST: Thank you so much.

Field Music History

2010-06-22T05:43:00.001-04:00

Ed. Note: Inspired, clean, crisp and the ultimate authentic old school drum & bugle corps. That's all I could think of when I heard the U.S.M.A.'s Hellcats last Saturday night playing in the Old Guard's 50th Anniversary Tatto (yet to hit YouTube but available on the OG's website as Part 1 and Part 2).

So, I decided that the material on the Hellcats' website should be here for blog viewers to read.

For free recordings of The Hellcats (mp3), visit the website.

--------------

1923 Field Music Group

2004 Field Music Group

FIELD MUSIC HISTORY
by MSG Donald Trefethen
DOUGLAS MACARTHUR, “I listen vainly, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll.”

Since the earliest days of the American Revolution, commanders of the Continental militia realized the importance field musicians held in the order, morale and discipline of their troops. The practice of mustering a fifer and drummer into each company began with the earliest regiments of the Revolution and continued through the end of the Civil War. In camp, the sounds of the fife and drum regulated the daily activities of soldiers using a set series of daily duty calls. By commands of music, soldiers were notified when to wake, drill and eat, when to collect wood or water and when to go to bed at night. The drum served as the primary source of battlefield communication between an officer and his men on the field. Additionally, the steady beat of the drums together with the fifes kept soldier morale high by providing lively tunes on the march. The fife and drum predominated until after the Civil War, but bugles sounded signals in some units as early as Revolutionary times. Easily played with one hand, the bugle became the unofficial instrument of the cavalry. The bugle served an increasingly important role later in the 1800's as the introduction of rapid-fire weapons and larger caliber artillery made the drum a less effective instrument for signaling. Army field commanders grew more dependent on the bugle's bold brilliant sound to relay commands both in camp and over the din of battle.

The Hellcats field music group at West Point has a heritage that dates back to those Continental fifers and drummers. Their legend began early in the American Revolution, when elements of General Samuel Holden Parsons' brigade, including fifers and drummers, crossed the frozen Hudson River to establish the garrison of West Point in January of 1778. This field music connection gives the Military Academy Band the distinction of being the oldest active band in the U.S. Army and the oldest unit at West Point. Within a few years of those first few field musicians arriving at West Point, inspection records show there were literally hundreds of fifers and drummers on site. Following the Revolution, troops were mustered out and there remained “fifty-five men at West Point” including one fife and one drum.

With the establishment of the Academy in 1802 came an increased demand for military music. As the Academy grew, it needed fifers, drummers and buglers to drill the new cadets and provide an audible order to their duty day. Throughout the 1800's there seems to be an average of fifteen field musicians on site at any one time. “Drummer boys” were still being used in field music to play all the cadet calls until around 1880. Keyed bugles were the original brass band instruments and were introduced to the U.S. from Europe by West Point's bandmaster Richard Willis. The band's first bugler, Frederick Lewis, arrived in 1815 and served until 1821. By 1853, the Academy Band was using two assigned buglers to perform cadet calls. Complicating the matter, attached cavalry buglers (such as Louis Benz) were used for United States Corps of Cadet duty. This “Duty Bugler” position remained active until 1942 when it was eliminated and the company bugler duties were transferred to the Hellcats. The field music bugles do not appear to have been used in massed formations until perhaps WWI. By 1918, records show the field music instrumentation included fifes, drums and bugles with a strength of twenty-nine men. This basic configuration would remain the field music standard through the end of WWII. At the end of WWII, band strength was in a free fall as “end of war” discharges and a general reduction in force continued to remove personnel. By 1946 all that remained of the Hellcats was three drummers and two buglers. Field music support for reveille and meal formations was halted indefinitely and could not resume until 1949 when field music regained sufficient strength.

Through the 1950's and 60's, modern Hellcat techniques began to develop. As young men with new visions moved into leadership positions, the Hellcats took on a new look and sound. Captain Resta, the Commander of the USMA Band in 1953, asked a young Sergeant Richard Pelletier if he could turn the Hellcats into something special. The answer was “yes” and with matching drum parts penned by Sergeant Jack Pratt, Pelletier researched, compiled, wrote and arranged bugle tunes at a dizzying pace. With improved techniques, higher standards and a library of groundbreaking original arrangements, the group began transforming into what would become a truly distinctive “showcase unit.” By 1972, The Hellcats reached an all time high of sixty-one men and became a fully autonomous group consisting of bugles, drums, piccolos, tenor drums and a Scotch bass drum. The group now had its own drum major, NCOIC and three Section Leaders. A major reduction hit the USMA Band in 1974 and changed the Hellcats forever. Within a one-year span, field music was reduced to nine buglers and seven drummers and had completely lost its piccolo section. A second cut in 1993 brought the group to its current authorized strength of six bugles and four drums.

The importance of field musicians has waxed and waned with the ever changing needs and requirements of the U.S. Army. But today at West Point, their need is just as great as ever and the Hellcats proudly perform their duty as the last functioning field music group in the United States Army. It is still the mission of today’s Hellcats to provide daily musical support to the United States Corps of Cadets. In addition to sounding Reveille, Retreat and To The Color each day at the garrison flagpole, the Hellcats play for cadet drills, military reviews and parades. Each weekday they provide a diverse selection of lively tunes as the cadets march into the mess hall. The Cadets of West Point have a definite love/hate relationship with the field music group. It has been said, one winter night members of the cadet class of 1833 captured all the fifes and drums used for reveille, tied them to the halyard and ran them up the flagpole. Since early in the twentieth century, the West Point Cadets have affectionately referred to the field music group as “The Hellcats” because that is exactly what they sounded like at reveille. Many reunion classes request the Hellcats to perform for their class parties. Many old grads laugh and cheer, some wipe away tears and smile at that memorable sound from long ago. There is always one who relates how much the Hellcats were hated by the cadets back then, but how fondly they are remembered after a few years absence. Hellcat buglers and drummers also have the sad task of performing muffled drum rolls and Taps for West Point funerals. We are ever aware of General Daniel Butterfield's role in the writing of the bugle call Taps as he closely attends each sad ceremony with his presence in the West Point cemetery.

The field music drummers had been playing traditional rope tension drums at West Point since the Revolution. This continued unchanged until the late 1930s when rod tension drums first appeared in the band at West Point. Rope drums reappeared in 1965 as a new set were purchased from the Gretsch Drum Company for use on special occasions. The tradition of rope tension drums returned full time to West Point in 1990 when the Cooperman Fife and Drum Company produced a set of custom rope tension drums. These drums are used for parades and shows while the old Gretsch are still serving faithfully as the every-day work drums. Around 1933, the fifes were totally dropped due to pitch problems but were shortly replaced by piccolos that blended much better with the bugle. The standard army issue bugles became chrome plated in 1923 making them unique to West Point. From 1932 forward, custom chromed bugles with one valve in Bb/F became the new standard field music horn. Around 1946 new single valve Bb/F bugles designed by Vincent Bach were doing duty at West Point followed in the 1960s by a set of bugles produced by Donald E. Getzen. In 1998 the newest set of custom bugles made their debut at West Point. Mr. Clifford Blackburn of Blackburn Trumpets made improvements on the old design, creating new horns that play freely throughout the entire register, while retaining a dark, characteristic bugle sound. With this new line of custom-made instruments in their hands, the Hellcats continue the legacy of musical tradition at the Academy with an improved level of excellence.

Pride, intense esprit de corps and a sense of historical continuity inspire the distinguished service of today's Hellcats. With their precise marching, embellished by the twirls of silver bugles and intricate rudimental drumming, the group delights many thousands of spectators each year. The Hellcats function as a completely independent group with a full show package and are capable of adapting their production to any performance venue. In 1994, the Hellcats were honored to participate in the deactivation parade of the Allied Strike Force as it made its final departure from the city of Berlin. The Hellcats have been featured on every major television network morning show and they have been warmly received at military tattoos in Atlanta, Georgia and Hamilton, Ontario. In 2002 the group was invited by Skitch Henderson to perform in Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra. The Hellcats also were requested by Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra to spice up the 1812 Overture in their Fourth of July celebration at the Hatch Shell.

The Hellcats of the twenty-first century are staffed by highly talented musicians, professionally trained and equipped with custom instruments designed and hand-made specifically for them. Today's Hellcats enable the United States Military Academy Band to maintain faithful renditions of traditional American military music and to daily provide the Corps of Cadets with a unique piece of living history.

“A bugler in the army is the luckiest of men; he wakes the boys at five and then goes back to bed again; He doesn't have to blow again until the afternoon; if every thing goes well with me I'll be a bugler soon.”

- Second Verse; Oh How I Hate To Get Up In the Morning. Irving Berlin 1918 -
Source: The Hellcats History

A Day in the Life of The Hellcats

2010-06-22T05:42:00.001-04:00

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE HELLCATS

Salute cannon/Reveille
SSG Eric Miller, bugle

Breakfast Formation Reveille Routine
Bugle Tune #1
Piccolo Tune Irish Reel
Bugle Tune #2
Piccolo Tune Caledonia
Bugle Tune #3
Bugle Tune #4
Piccolo Tune Jig I
Bugle Tune #5
Piccolo Tune Old Lassie
Mess Call / Assembly

Hellcat Show drum & bugle demonstration
SSG Charles Hooke, drum SFC Deric Milligan, bugle
Drum & Bugle calls

Hellcat Show with narration
SGM Rick Gerard, narrator
Oh How I Hate to Get Up In The Morning, Berlin/arr. Trefethen
There's Something About a Soldier, arr. Pelletier
This is the Army Mr. Jones, Berlin/arr. Pelletier
Green Berets, Moore, Sadler/arr. Newton
Wooden Legged Warrior, Benson British Grenadiers, arr. Bennet
Bugle Chase, Leonard/arr. Leonard
American Patrol, Meacham/arr. Leonard
Apple Tree, Brown, Tobias, Stept/arr. Leonard
Over There, Cohen/arr. Leonard
Know How (drum solo), G. Cuccia
My Country ‘Tis of Thee, arr. Leonard

Dinner Formation
Connecticut Halftime (drums)
Hellcats, arr. Pelletier
Road to Boston (drums)
Hip-a-Dipper, arr. Pelletier
Atlanta (drums)
Bugelicious, Leonard/arr. Leonard
Willie Weaver (drums)
Adjutants Call March, arr. Pelletier
Crazy Army (drums)
Strong Men, arr. Pelletier

Funeral/Taps
SSG Gino Villarreal, bugle MSG Donald Trefethen, drum

Retreat Review
Attention
Adjutant's Call
Gary Owen, arr. Leonard
Three Ruffles & Flourishes
General's March
Retreat
To the Color
Yankee Doodle, arr. Leonard
Left Foot (drums)
Hornpipe #One, arr. Leonard
Willie Weaver (drums)
Scotland the Brave, arr. Leonard
Burns Moore (drums)
On Brave Old Army Team, Egner/arr. Leonard
Paddy in a Handcart (drums)
Army Goes Rolling Along, Gruber

Hellcat Fanfare*
Leonard/arr. Leonard

March Medley with the USMA Band*
Bugles and Drums, Goldman
The Thunderer, Sousa
On Parade, Goldman
Riders for the Flag, Sousa

Bugers' Holiday*
Anderson
SSG John Manning, SSG Eric Miller SSG Gino Villarreal, trumpets

Benny Havens*
arr. Leonard

Blow the Bugle, Beat the Drum*
arr. Murtha

Lights Out/Tattoo
SFC Deric Milligan, bugle

* CPT Tod Addison, conducting

-----

1) 0630: Salute cannon/Reveille: A busy day at the Military Academy begins before dawn. At the flagpole, the cannon fires and the flag rises to the strains of Reveille. While most army posts perform this ceremony to a recorded bugle call, at West Point it is still performed live each morning by Hellcat buglers. Once this bombastic alarm clock has sounded, cadets spring to action to get washed, dressed and straighten up their rooms, for in less than thirty minutes they are expected to fall in for accountability and breakfast formation.

2) 0700: Breakfast formation: The Reveille Routine has gone through many incarnations over the years. In earlier times, this set of tunes was played by piccolo, bugle and drum as the cadets formed up. The tunes were carefully programmed and timed to coincide with a series of bells letting the cadets know how much time remained before Assembly. Traditionally, new cadets (Plebes) would fall in early to be drilled by upperclassmen on cadet knowledge. In recent years the bells and piccolos have been eliminated, but the bugles and drums still carry on the tradition each morning using these same tunes to march the cadets into the mess hall.

3-4) 0900: Hellcat Show: Mornings are spent in rehearsal preparing for performances on the road. Many mornings the group is out performing their show for veteran's groups, civic activities or school audiences. Segments of this show have been performed around the world, on major television networks, at international tattoos and on stage with such groups as the New York Pops and Boston Pops orchestras.

5) 1200: Morning classes behind them, the cadets form up once again for dinner formation. Presented here is a sample of typical bugle tunes and drum cadences used daily to march the corps into the mess hall. This same format is used for supper formation in summer months for support of the new cadets in beast barracks.

6) 1400: Funeral: A West Point grad gets his final tribute from a grateful nation at West Point from the Hellcats as the muffled drum rolls and the lone bugler plays Taps. In addition to on post funerals, Hellcat buglers log thousands of miles each year performing final honors for hundreds of veterans throughout the New York/New Jersey area.

7) 1700: Most afternoons the cadets are drilled around the Plain by a team of Hellcat drummers, but pomp and ceremony are in order, as the cadets take to the parade field in full dress uniform for a review on the Plain. We present a modified parade including the bugle calls Retreat and To The Color as the flag is lowered. This track features Field Music bugles and drums augmented by piccolo players from the concert band re-creating the old Hellcat’s instrumentation.

8-12) 1930: The Military Academy Band has a unique resource in the Hellcats. An evening concert at Trophy Point often features traditional marches and special arrangements written especially for the band to showcase the Hellcats and highlight their unique contribution to the ensemble.

13) 2300: Lights Out: Day is done, time for lights out as the bugle sounds Tattoo.

Source: The Hellcats History

Tonight on Internet: Old Guard's 50th Anniversary Tattoo

2010-06-19T13:48:00.010-04:00

Webcast:
- Part 1
- Part 2

With Special Guests...

•The United States Military Academy Band Hellcats - West Point, NY
•The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps - Washington, D.C.
•The Fifes and Drums of Colonial Williamsburg - Williamsburg, VA
•City of Washington Pipe Band - Washington, D.C.
•1st Michigan Fifes and Drums -Sterling Heights, MI
•Federal City Brass Band - Baltimore, MD
•American Originals Fife and Drum Corps - Annapolis, MD
•3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Continental Color Guard - Fort Myer, VA
•and the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps - Fort Myer, VA

You'll need to have Apple Quicktime running (download here).

Download Program here.