Impressions Bandsmen and Principal Musicians

Ray Ball

Sergeant
Joined
Jul 6, 2012
Location
Western NY
Hello, I'm wondering if anyone has any tips or images, any information regarding the uniforms of bandsmen and/or principal musicians during the war. My research has only turned up the one zouave uniform...anything anyone can help with?

Ray
 
Not particularly an answer but my ancestor; Xenophon D. Tingley of the 11th Rhode Island was a bandsman (cornet). What is interesting to note is that the regimental bandsman were required to purchase their own sheet music. The band would pool their money to buy the music sheets... They also were required to bring their own instruments... nothing was issued to them in the 11th RI. Not sure if this was just RI or similar to other states of US regular army.
 
There are many photos of bandsmen of the Civil War. There are also some photos of Principal musicians. My first question would be, are you interested in Union or Confederate musicians and principal musicians? I take it you are talking about Army and not Marine bandsmen.
 
There were a wide verity of uniforms being worn by Union bandsmen. Union regulations allowed regimental commanders to make "such additions in ornaments " as the judged proper and many regimental commanders had different views on what a well dress musician wore. When you add in early War bandsmen uniforms wore early in the War many militia companies, it is hard to generalize too much on this subject. the term principal musician usually referred to what we would call a drum major. The Principal Musician often wore a different uniform than the rest of the band.
 
For the Union Army the best place to start is by reading Uniform and Dress of The Army of The United State, 1861: General Order, No. 6 War Department, Adjutant Generals Office Washington, March 13, 1861. This is often called to as Army Uniform Regulations of 1861.

Paragraph 14. "For All Musicians - the same as for other enlisted men of their respective corps, with the addition of a facing of lace three-eights of an inch wide on the front of the coat or jacket made in the following manner: bars of three-eights of an inch worsted lace place on a line with each button six and one-half inches wide at the bottom, and thence up, and contracting from thence to the bottom of the collar, where it will be six and one-half inches wide, with a strip of the same lace following the bars at their outer extremity - the whole presenting something of what is called herring-bone form; the color of the lace facing to correspond with the color of the trimming of the corps."
 
Back
Top