Recollections of the Fifers' and Drummers' Duties

Here is another quote taken from Drum Taps in Dixie: Memories of a Drummer Boy, 1861-1865 (published in 1905), by Delavan S. Miller, from pages 20-22.

It is hardly to be wondered at that the drummer boys of the 60s got to be very proficient in the handling of the sticks, for when in camp they were having practice from early morn until late at night, and many a time they had to get out in the night and beat the "long roll" for ten or fifteen minutes.

They were the early risers of the camps, too, for at daybreak the fifers and drummers of a regiment would all assemble and sound the reveille, which was several minutes exercise of the most vigorous kind.

The following verses on the reveille were written by a soldier, Michael O'Connor, a sergeant in the 140th New York, and have been pronounced by competent critics as among the "finest lyric lines in the language."

SONG OF THE DRUMS.
"The morning is cheery, my boys, arouse!
The dew shines bright on the chestnut boughs,
And the sleepy mist on the river lies,
Though the east is flushed with crimson dyes.
Awake! Awake! Awake!
O'er field and wood and brake,
With glories newly born,
Comes on the blushing morn,
Awake! Awake!" 

"You have dreamed of your homes and friends all night,
You have basked in your sweetheart's smiles so bright;
Come part with them all for a while again—
Be lovers in dreams; when awake be men.
Turnout! Turnout! Turnout!
The east is all aglow,
Turn out! Turn out!" 

"From every valley and hill there come
The clamoring voices of fife and drum;
And out in the fresh, cool morning air
The soldiers are swarming everywhere.
Fall in! Fall in! Fall in!
Every man in his place.
Fall in! Fall in! Fall in!
Each with a cheerful face.
Fall in! Fall in!"

The next duty of the fifers and drummers was to sound the sick call. The boys made up some appropriate verses which I cannot recall except one line:

"Come and get your quinine, quinine, quinine."

The drummers were active participants in the guard mounting exercises which took place about 9 o'clock in the morning, and usually there was from one to two hours' practice among the musicians in the forenoon, which was repeated in the afternoon unless there was a battalion drill, in which case they took part in the maneuvers of the troops.

Their next duty was at dress parade, where they took a prominent part in what is the most pleasing and spectacular affair of the day.

At 9 o'clock they assemble again and beat the tattoo for the evening roll call, and fifteen minutes later taps are sounded and the day's duties are ended.

In a camp there were always some heavy sleepers and it was the business of the drummers in beating the morning reveille to make noise enough to awake them. Many a time have I seen a fellow rush out of his tent attired in nothing but shirt, drawers and cap and take his place in the ranks hardly in time to answer "here" when his name was called.

The observation he makes at the beginning is one that I have thought on before when some people assume that historic fifers and drummers were bad or amateur musicians. They were professionals! They did this everyday and practiced more than any of us have time to practice. And as you can see, they were also creative.

-Peter B.

 Memor!

The Deep River Ancient Muster

The Deep River Ancient Muster is one of the largest fife and drum musters in the USA and has been going since the 1950s. This year there were about 60 corps that came and performed, including the Western Plains Fife and Drum Corps. It was a nice sunny day, not exceptionally hot, but enough to make it feel like a fife and drum event in July. There were plenty of people watching the parade, and we could hear exclamations of surprise and welcome when they saw that we were from Colorado. After we finished the parade we walked back to the end to join “F Troop” (that’s the name for everyone scrambled into one corps).

After the Parade we ate lunch, got some Italian ice, and sat down to watch the corps perform. It was fun to see the different kinds of corps. Some were very good historically, some musically, some in marching, some good in multiple categories. There were many corps from New England, but some from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Switzerland, Illinois, ect… and some individual members from California, Michigan, Colorado (from the Mile High F&DC), and Missouri. We won the award for the corps that traveled the farthest at 1,963 miles (the Swiss corps must have disqualified themselves or something). Here is a video of our performance (we were 23^rd):

We also bought stuff including a pretty neat book, Connecticut’s Fife and Drum Tradition by James Clark that I might reference in the future. To conclude here is a poem I wrote on the way home.

The fife and drum which long ago

Called the folks to church on time

And told the soldiers when to go

And bounced along with beat and rhyme

That which told of liberty’s cry

And that which carried the firm hand

Of the justice of our great land

That would not tolerate the invader’s plan

This still sounds off hill and glen

And calls and shrikes to land and main

To not forget those mighty men

To take courage and rise again

-Peter Bringe

 Memor!