A mounted regimental band.

[Robert Gray]

Prospect Hill, Virginia. The 13th New York Cavalry on inspection. Of special note here are the troopers mounted on the light-colored horses behind the regiment. They appear to be a mounted band, something seldom seen in Civil War photographs. (Library of Congress)

 

[Kurt G]

Custer made use of a mounted band that played "Yankee Doodle" as a battle song .

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I've never seen an image of a mounted band, thank you! Boy, if the noise of battle upset horses you have to think it took awhile for one to tolerate a band.

 

[scone]

Wow just wow Course at the battle of Franklin in 1864 .. Bands went in with the shooters until became to hot … And Dec 30th 1862 bands across from each other challenged each other… Till in unison both started Home, Sweet Home..

 

[Seduzal]

Wow! Never seen this photo before. Another part of history found. Thanks for sharing this awesome photo.

 

[Rick Richter]

Prospect Hill, Virginia. The 13th New York Cavalry on inspection. Of special note here are the troopers mounted on the light-colored horses behind the regiment. They appear to be a mounted band, something seldom seen in Civil War photographs. (Library of Congress)

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Wow, great eyes for picking this out!

 

[James N.]

Prospect Hill, Virginia. The 13th New York Cavalry on inspection. Of special note here are the troopers mounted on the light-colored horses behind the regiment. They appear to be a mounted band, something seldom seen in Civil War photographs. (Library of Congress)

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In Regular-Army regiments it was customary to mount entire companies/troops on like-colored mounts. In Custer's Seventh Cavalry they were known by the colors, such as the gray horse troop; the black horse troop, etc. Other troops were on roans, various browns, etc. The band was likewise mounted on either grays or whites. In some regiments there by necessity remained mixed-color troops called the brindles. When this segregation by color began there was often grumbling and discord among the men who might be forced to give up a favorite mount because it was the wrong color!

 

[rebelatsea]

Does the present day Army or related organisatons, universities and so on have any mounted bands ?

 

[scone]

Does the present day Army or related organisatons, universities and so on have any mounted bands ?

never seen one

 

[rebelatsea]

That's why I asked, Scone. I know at one time there was a ceremonial battery of horse artillery , but whose it was I don't remember. Down South I think , Texas maybe?

 

[James N.]

That's why I asked, Scone. I know at one time there was a ceremonial battery of horse artillery , but whose it was I don't remember. Down South I think , Texas maybe?

I think Texas A&M (Agricultural & Mechanical) University at College Station, Texas *might* have one, but the U.S. Army has a ceremonial horse-drawn gun and its mounted crew (not an entire battery) at the Army's artillery school at Fort Sill, Lawton, Oklahoma.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

In Regular-Army regiments it was customary to mount entire companies/troops on like-colored mounts. In Custer's Seventh Cavalry they were known by the colors, such as the gray horse troop; the black horse troop, etc. Other troops were on roans, various browns, etc. The band was likewise mounted on either grays or whites. In some regiments there by necessity remained mixed-color troops called the brindles. When this segregation by color began there was often grumbling and discord among the men who might be forced to give up a favorite mount because it was the wrong color!

Ah. That explains an image of the 6th U.S. Cavalry albeit it's post war by quite a few years. You've probably seen it- troopers all on grays? NOW I have to go re-read Don Caughey's book on the 6th during the ACW. He may have mentioned something on the topic and I missed it. Have you read it? It's ridiculously absorbing, another can't-put-it-down.

 

[captaindrew]

The 6th Ohio Mounted Buglers, I've seen them at Gettysburg and they are awesome.

 

[James N.]

Ah. That explains an image of the 6th U.S. Cavalry albeit it's post war by quite a few years. You've probably seen it- troopers all on grays? NOW I have to go re-read Don Caughey's book on the 6th during the ACW. He may have mentioned something on the topic and I missed it. Have you read it? It's ridiculously absorbing, another can't-put-it-down.

They might well not have done that during the war, due to the unreliability of replacement mounts and the needs of keeping units in the field at the time. Postwar, there would be plenty of time for a regimental commander interested in making an impression like Custer to color-code the troops in his command.