john lacour | 23 Jun 2013 2:23 p.m. PST |
i've just started my 3rd acw army(well, armies. for gettysburg). been a fan of the johnny reb system since first ed. anyway, this time around, i've decided to NOT include drummers in the regiments. i've studied the acw, gettysburg in particuler, for 35 years, and from what i've read, the drummers were sent to help with the wounded before the regiments went into combat. i have, in my collection, a note from col. fry(of archers brigade), and he mentions "before i instructed the men to load at will, i ordered the musicians(drummers) to go back to the ambulances". so why are they used? just to ad a slash of color? i know the iron brigade advanced with thier "band" playing. but what did they do once the regiments formed line of battle? |
HistoryPhD | 23 Jun 2013 2:58 p.m. PST |
Band members served as litter bearers during actual battles |
CATenWolde | 23 Jun 2013 2:59 p.m. PST |
I know I'm the odd man out, but I don't use musician figures in any of my horse & musket units. Even with fairly large units (2-3 dozen figures), somehow having the drummer boy there in the front ranks make the unit feel like it's a color company. I prefer to emphasize the rank & file, and I've never missed having drummer figures on the table. Anyone in the market for several dozen 10mm drummers? ;) Cheers, Christopher |
Ed Mohrmann | 23 Jun 2013 3:08 p.m. PST |
Musics served as litter bearers, yes, but also carried messages, toted ammunition when necessary and even (buglers) issued brigade and regimental calls when the noise of battle became so great even the leather-lunged regimental or brigade CO's couldn't be heard. Even in the ACW, 'beating the long roll' was still in style, but probably always in garrison or camp.
There are a couple of locals who use musics to increase recovery from disorder or rout, but I think it's bugles for the most part. |
john lacour | 23 Jun 2013 3:09 p.m. PST |
LOL! i have about 50 15mm drummers. any takers? |
darthfozzywig | 23 Jun 2013 3:12 p.m. PST |
This fellow has some strong opinions about drummer miniatures: TMP link |
Gonsalvo | 23 Jun 2013 3:40 p.m. PST |
Why? Well, because they're cool, of course! :-) Reversed colors often, special l;ace, plumes, etc. Drummers were also necessary to keep cadence, etc. Most infantry companies had 2, so certainly reasonable to include at least one drummer in most miniature units – I certainly do! Of course, I played in the Band in HS and college, so I have a soft spot for musicians. Even in the Marching Band, the Drum major wore reversed colors from the rest of the band! |
Ron W DuBray | 23 Jun 2013 4:18 p.m. PST |
In the ACW they were used to keep time and step on the march and entertainment when camped. No USO back then. |
doug redshirt | 23 Jun 2013 6:48 p.m. PST |
Hate drummers. Never bother with them. |
Shagnasty | 23 Jun 2013 7:52 p.m. PST |
You need a drummer to balance the command stand. THEY had them, didn't they? |
McLaddie | 23 Jun 2013 7:56 p.m. PST |
Well, there are several things: 1. It all depended on the commander and the exprerience of the regiment. There were far more drummers at the beginning of the war in the battleline, than later. They beat signals and yes, march time, depending on the circumstances. Often played with the regimental band
Each regiment's employment of drummer boys could and did vary, though there were regulations concerning the responsibilities of the drummers. They beat 'to quarters' [forgot the actual phrase] and other regimental commands. Important ones, like 'Chow's ready.' 2. Most drummers were youngsters. 12 to 14 years old. Julian Scott, drummer for Co. E. Third Vermont Volunteers won a Medal of Honor at Lee's Mill, April 1862
he was 13 when he enlisted, wounded more than once during the war. One reason Regimental officers might send them to the rear when the fighting started. 3. While there were drummers in every regiment raised, according to the organizational records and Regs I have seen, from what I understand, drummers were seldom replaced when wounded or 'graduated' into a musket-carrying soldier. Experienced regiments seldom needed the drum for either commanders or march step.
What is an odd wargame convention is having the drummers in the line next to the standard. From the SYW to the ACW, the drummers were stationed behind the rank and file, and never in the line proper at all. |
Ivan DBA | 23 Jun 2013 9:19 p.m. PST |
If anyone needs some GHQ 10mm ACW drummers, let me know. |
Trajanus | 24 Jun 2013 2:00 a.m. PST |
I know all the reasons why drummers shouldn't be in the line of battle but the way I figure it is that all the command groups I've paid for have one and I can't get a discount for leaving them out! I've paid for 'em then I'm darn well gonna use 'em! |
Trajanus | 24 Jun 2013 2:12 a.m. PST |
Just remembered, my 140th New York have no drummer. Perry don't include one in their plastic Zouaves! |
ScottWashburn | 24 Jun 2013 4:18 a.m. PST |
You are making a very typical mistake here. There were two types of musicians in the Civil War armies. There were the FIELD musicians, the drummers, fifers and buglers. And then there were the BAND musicians. The band musicians were there purely for entertainment and they were ones that got sent off as stretcher bearers or whatever during battle. The Field Music had an important command function to pass orders and would not be dispensed with. Of course we all make the mistake of placing the drummer figure in the line of battle on the so-called 'command stand. In actuality they would be about ten paces behind the line. |
OSchmidt | 24 Jun 2013 4:53 a.m. PST |
Because they look cool, and the idea of putting them in your formations makes them look neat. My main period isn't American Civil War, but 18th Century. But still you have to have musicians. How else will the soldiers provide music at the regimental banquets and serenade the ladies at midnight? Surely you would not be so boorish as to banish all traces of civilization from such an unsightly business as war? |
WarWizard | 24 Jun 2013 5:10 a.m. PST |
I always use them. as alreayd mentioned that add a dash of color, they look cool, and I since I have them
. |
TKindred | 24 Jun 2013 5:31 a.m. PST |
What Scott says. A better choice is to use a bugler. For 28mm scale, Sash & Saber have them for both federal and confederate units. |
John the Greater | 24 Jun 2013 6:12 a.m. PST |
I used to include them with the command stand but I got tired of trying to paint the designes on the drums and the cords. Now I have enough unpainted drummer figures to be a brigade of their own. The whole concept of the command stand is pure wargames convention anyway. The commanding officer stood (or rode) behind the unit when they were firing whereas the color party was on line. The drummers were behind the line. Having the colors, the drummers and the officers bunched up in the center (or worse, on one flank) simply would not happen. |
Tigerjlm | 24 Jun 2013 6:44 a.m. PST |
My father and I actually use drummers separate from the battle line as markers to show morale levels, along with wounded and dead figures. |
Old Slow Trot | 24 Jun 2013 7:17 a.m. PST |
Francis Barlow tied his drummers to himself with his officer's sash during Antietam/Sharpsburg , so they wouldn't run off. |
Trajanus | 24 Jun 2013 8:43 a.m. PST |
I used to include them with the command stand but I got tired of trying to paint the designes on the drums and the cords To hell with that! Mine just get different colours for body, rims and cords. Trying to paint 28mm Eagles and the other bits is not going to happen! |
KeithRK | 24 Jun 2013 9:45 a.m. PST |
You don't have to have designs on the drum. While many civil war drums had designs painted on them, flags, eagles, etc. There were plenty that didn't have any design at all. |
Nasty Canasta | 24 Jun 2013 12:46 p.m. PST |
Answer: Homeless. Question: What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend? |
Trajanus | 25 Jun 2013 10:00 a.m. PST |
There were plenty that didn't have any design at all. See, I knew that! :o) |
Lion in the Stars | 26 Jun 2013 10:07 a.m. PST |
My father and I actually use drummers separate from the battle line as markers to show morale levels, along with wounded and dead figures. Excellent idea! I've recently been thinking about using the various non-combatants as markers, say to show how many morale re-rolls are left to the unit. |
1968billsfan | 21 Jul 2014 5:36 a.m. PST |
Hrmmmph!!!! Looks like I have some rebasing to do!. I've been looking for period pictures, etchings, drawings,of the front line of infantry units in combat. You see the color guard, but no drummer and usually no officer. Can anyone provide such a period picture showing drummers in the front rank? Another question-if the commanding officer is behind the unit (so he can see his other officers backing the line and get & give instructions), why would the drums (sometimes? used to transmit instructions) be in the front line? link Also, you rarely hear of the drummer in the front rank being shot down, nor the bugler. (like NEVER). You hear about the color guard flag holder being killed, but have you ever heard about the drummer (standing next to him?) throwing down his drum to pick up the flag? I think that Americans are all thinking of a famous AWI picture "Spirit of '76 link who might be leading a column in a route march, but are themselves not part of a unit in line. Now I am thinking about rebasing my ACW (I use rally-around-the-flag derived rules which uses ~ 3-6 four figure single rank 1"x3/4" stands) to have a color guard stand (2 flag figures only or 2 flags & 2 soldiers?) and an officer stand behind the regiment. Drummers? ???? I presently use animal figures (sheep, donkey or goose) to represent poor moral or routed. Any uggestions for use of drummer stands? |
1968billsfan | 21 Jul 2014 5:55 a.m. PST |
link An article about buglers in the Civil War. A period painting showing the waky waky call in the morning link |