Available now for your drumming pleasure is “Army 2/4”, a fun solo from 1862. It’s available on the Rudimental Solos resource page. Also available is a new video of yours truly performing this solo on the official Drummin’ Around YouTube channel @drumminaround. Happy Drumming!
Category Archives: Civil War
New 19th Century Documents
I’ve just added 7 (wow!) 19th century manuals, with publication dates ranging from 1853 to 1891, to the Historical Documents page. That brings the total number of period manuals to 10, covering drum beatings, playing styles and notation used during the War of 1812, the Civil War, and beyond! Check it out and discover a bit of our rudimental drumming history. Happy drumming!
New Resources
Some new resources have been added with more to come!
Both are downloadable PDFs. Enjoy and happy drumming!
Drummer Boy Diaries and Recollections from the Civil War
Quite by chance I stumbled upon the published diary of a young Civil War drummer boy. Naturally, I was curious if other such accounts existed. I am happy to say that indeed other publications exist. Below you will find information about three such books. These books are in the public domain and I am making them available for download in PDF format. Links are also provided to the original online source where other formats are available. I’ve only just begun to read these and hope you look forward to reading them as much as I.
- The Recollections of a Drummer-Boy by Harry M. Kieffer (1845-1930)
- Originally published in 1881, this copy revised and published in 1911
- Was in the 150th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers
- Source: Internet Archive
- A Drummer-Boy’s Diary: Comprising Four Years of Service with the Second Regiment Minnesota Veteran Volunteers, 1861-1865 by William Bircher (1845-1917)
- Published in 1889
- Was in the 2nd Regiment Minnesota Veteran Volunteers
- Source: Internet Archive
- Drum Taps in Dixie: Memories of a Drummer Boy, 1861-1865 by Delavan S. Miller (1849-1917)
- Published in 1905
- Was in the 2nd New York Heavy Artillery Regiment
- Source: Internet Archive
Since these accounts refer to specific dates and locations during the Civil War, you may want to brush up on your Civil War history. Here are some links to get you started:
“Wrecker’s Daughter Quickstep”
“Wrecker’s Daughter Quickstep” from “Howe’s United States Regulation Drum and Fife Instructor” by Elias Howe (1861) has been added to Resources category under Rudimental Solos. Three downloads are available. The first contains the fife and drum parts with no dynamic markings, just as it is in Howe’s “Instructor.” The second download includes the fife and drum parts and dynamic markings as determined from online research of a different publication of the same tune published in 1840 (source). And the third the fife and drum with added flams, possibly omitted in printing, but in keeping with common flam placement in other period manuals.
Wrecker’s Daughter Quickstep – fife and drum
Wrecker’s Daughter Quickstep – fife and drum, with dynamic markings
Wrecker’s Daughter Quickstep – fife and drum, with added flams
Conklin’s Drum Beatings
Conklin’s Drum Beatings has been added to the Resources category. These are from “Col. H.C. Hart’s New and Improved Instructor for the Drum” by Col. H.C. Hart (1862) and includes “Conklin’s 2/4 Flam Tap Beat” and “Conklin’s 2/4 Stick Beat.” These were original drum beatings by Matthew Conklin, Drum Major of Dodworth’s Brass Band, and were included by Hart at the request of an unnamed individual(s).
“Grenadier’s Quickstep”
Grenadier’s Quickstep from “Col. H.C. Hart’s New and Improved Instructor for the Drum“ by Col. H.C. Hart, 1862 has been added to the Resources section under Rudimental Solos. This download includes both the fife and drum part.
“Frog In the Well” Added to Growing Resources Collection
“Frog In the Well” is a Civil War tune based on the folk song “Froggie Went A-courting.” The tune first appeared in the 1611 publication “Melismata – Musicall Phansies Fitting the Court, Citie, and Countrey Humours, To 3, 4, and 5 Voyces.” The first line of the lyrics was: “Twas the Frog in the well… And the merry Mouse in the mill.” This version is from “Col. H.C. Hart’s New and Improved Instructor for the Drum” and includes both the fife and drum parts.
“Frog In the Well” – fife and drum
The “Rogue’s March”
This photo was taken in July or August of 1863 at Morris Island, South Carolina. It depicts the practice of “drumming out” (dishonorably discharged) a soldier, always to the tune of “Rogue’s March.” Being drummed out consisted of having the head shaved, the uniform stripped of all buttons and insignia and then paraded in front of the remaining soldiers. In this photo, the man is wearing a sign which reads:
“THIEF. This man, Benj. F. Ditcher, 55th Mass. Vol’s, STOLE MONEY From A Wounded FRIEND.”
The "rogue's march" - drumming a thief out of camp
The tune “Rogue’s March” dates back to at least 1812, where it appears in “A New, Useful and Complete System of Drum Beating” by Charles Ashworth. In comparing 7 different manuals from 1812 – 1862, the music remained unaltered, with the exception of Bruce and Emmett’s version, in which the order was changed.
I have included the drum and fife parts for the “Rogue’s March” from Hart’s manual (1862). Special thanks to Will Chappell for his assistance in deciphering the drum part.
“Rogue’s March” – Fife and Drum Combined, Fife Only, Drum Only. (These will be added to the Resources page.)
A higher resolution of the above image is available from the Library of Congress.
Civil War Drummers
This photo was taken between 1861 and 1865. It pictures three soldiers of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry in camp with their drums. A higher resolution image is available for download at the Library of Congress website.
Three soldiers in camp with drums
Buy It Now
$7.00 E-book at The Book Patch $12.95 Print version
$5.00 E-book at The Book Patch $10.95 Print Version
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