Musicians

[dlofting]

I've known for some time that my brother-in-law's great uncle was a Union soldier in the Civil War. However recently through a set of circumstances I came to know a bit more about him and decided to see what else I could find

He was in B Company of the 18th Missouri, enlisting in June of 1861 and discharged in June 1865.

I have his fold3 records that show him as a corporal as of June 1863 and then a musician in September of that year. I'm not sure if he remained a musician after the end October or not but he was still part of Company B.

I'm wondering what his duties would have been as a company musician. Would he have been a bugler, drummer or fifer? What would he have done during a battle? Would he have had other duties when his company was primarily constructing fortifications, scouting or guarding the railroad, which they did a lot of between Shiloh and Sherman's Georgia campaign?

It's amazing the questions that come to mind when you focus on one soldier.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Those who know more than I will give you more information, but all the CW musicians I'm familiar with generally assisted with the care of the wounded, helping them off the battlefield and assisting in hospitals. Maybe @Claude Bauer could tell us more?

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/music/music-of-the-civil-war/#:~:text=The%20bands%20helped%20maintain%20morale,were%20assigned%20to%20Army%20units.

. . . "The bands helped maintain morale and reinforce spirit and resolve. Musicians also did whatever was needed—staffed ambulances, tended wounded, and even fought as the war raged on."

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

"Union Musicians and the Medal of Honor During the American Civil War
James A. Davis
Published online: 8 July 2014"

Union Musicians and the Medal of Honor During the American Civil War - College Music Symposium

Abstract The sound of fifes, drums, and bugles are recognized as a commonplace yet significant part of the Civil War soundscape. Those who performed t...

symposium.music.org

 

[Dan Kohli]

Was he a company musician, or a musician for the regimental band? Going from a corporal to a company musician seems kind of like a downgrade.

 

[Dan Kohli]

On the other hand the pay for the men of the regiment's band is a bit higher than the company's musician.

 

[BrianB]

@dlofting - What was his name? that would help track down info on him.

A company musician in the infantry would be either a fifer or a drummer. The company musicians played a series of "calls" throughout the day to regulate events and activities in camp. These included reveille (not the same tune you are familiar with - the infantry had completely different versions intended for the fife and drum), assembly, guard mount, sick call, breakfast call, assembly to drill, etc. The company musicians were normally capable of playing some popular music of the era, but mainly were a musical PA system. In battle, as previously indicated by other respondents, they usually assisted the wounded.

A regimental marching band typically had 15-20 members, and was basically a brass band. It played popular music of the era and, again, assisted the wounded in combat. The Union army abolished regimental bands circa the summer of 1862 as an economy measure. Some regiments (those with really good bands) ignored or evaded this requirement, but most bandsmen were discharged in the summer of 1862.

 

[Claude Bauer]

"Union Musicians and the Medal of Honor During the American Civil War
James A. Davis
Published online: 8 July 2014"

Union Musicians and the Medal of Honor During the American Civil War - College Music Symposium

Abstract The sound of fifes, drums, and bugles are recognized as a commonplace yet significant part of the Civil War soundscape. Those who performed t...

symposium.music.org

Great article! Thanks for sharing. Going to post a link to it the forum "Music & Songs of the 1860s."

 

[lupaglupa]

I'm with @BrianB - we might could help more if we knew his name.

 

[dlofting]

His name was George Samuel Snell Ward. He was 20 years old when he enlisted in Putnam County, Missouri. It's possible his family was from Iowa, just across the border, or moved there sometime during the war as that is where he went during a 30 day furlough after reenlistment as a veteran in December 1863.

 

[dlofting]

Was he a company musician, or a musician for the regimental band? Going from a corporal to a company musician seems kind of like a downgrade.

He was a company musician as far as I can tell. In May or June 1865, just before discharge, he was assigned to headquarters, which I assume was to be part of the regimental band. Only one fold3 record (bimonthly company report) shows him as a corporal. After that he is again shown as a private, but there is no indication that he was demoted.

 

[Tom Elmore]

In the Union armies, according to my understanding, War Department General Order No. 48, issued July 1861, stated that an infantry regiment was entitled to two field musicians per company - either buglers, fifers or drummers, and in addition a band of from 16-24 musicians. With attrition over time, the number of field musicians within a regiment steadily decreased. At the outset of the war at least, some officers would contribute money to augment the pay of a (band?) musician.

In September 1862, Congress discharged the regimental bands, but at the same time authorized the formation of brigade bands, which were typically brass bands that included a variety of instruments.

With regard to Confederate musicians, they seem to have mirrored the organization of the Union armies to a great extent. In the Gettysburg campaign, for instance, a single brigade band was most common, although a handful of regimental bands still existed. (Pettigrew's brigade had two brass bands, that of the 11th and 26th North Carolina, but those were very large regiments prior to that battle.)

Strictly speaking, I suppose a company musician would refer to a field musician. However, in 1863 and 1864, a brigade band would consist of musicians who were essentially detailed from their respective regiments. Meaning a generic "musician" belonging to a regiment could either be playing for that specific regiment as a field musician, or for the brigade as a band musician.

Incidentally, in place of a brigade brass band, a drum corps might be formed, which usually included drummers and fifers, although other instruments might appear, like a violin or flute. A drum corps might be found at the regimental, brigade or even division level. Rarer types of bands also existed. The Hampton (Pennsylvania) Battery had a string band featuring violins, bass viol, guitar, cornet, piccolo and flute.

While some infantry regiments retained a bugler as a field musician, they appear more often in cavalry regiments and artillery batteries as the war progressed.

Band and field musicians would ply their profession in camp and on the march, but during a battle were most commonly attached to the medical department in a variety of capacities: assisting surgeons at the operating table, loading ambulances, bringing water and tending to the needs of the wounded, and so on. A handful who had a taste for fighting might go to the front, obtain a weapon and fight in the ranks, although this was probably discouraged.