Firing by The Drum

[john duffer]

Re: Firing by The Drum

"The drums specifically is from older times. During the Civil War they began to phased out due the new Napoleonic use of the bugle which came into use during the 1850’s."

That 1850's date may need to back up a little. Scott's Military Compendium (my copy is 1820) has a whole section on use of the bugle. I'll type more as I get time but here's a couple of excerts:


161. The advantages to be derived from the use of the bugle in a close country, or wherever men are in extended order, are obvious, if a word of command can not be heard. ……..

162. Being intended, however, only as substitutes for the voice, where that cannot reach; these sounds should never be resorted to, except under such a circumstance; as they are liable to be mistaken. They are not to be used therefore when the voice will answer.

[RJSamp]

Re: Firing by The Drum

Great Stuff Jason!

We've actually reenacted the William Carson scenario (at the Chick-a-Dusty 1999 NSA event). One thing we do NOT know about his bugling....did he sound in C or Bb (with the pigtail) on the battlefield? Our guess is in C, but we don't know.

Who made your bugle for your impression?

Also he repeated the exercise with the 2nd Iowa(?) a few minutes later.

I'd love to post your post on the bugle@yahoogroups.com (the bibliography is excellent!).

Don't forget Army Letters: 1861-1865 by Oliver Norton
and if you can get ahold of Charles Perkins Diary, or "The Hero of Medfield" a biography of Alonzo Kingsbury they are dynamite (both were 1st MASS buglers, only available at Carlisle Barracks as far as I know).

We need a bugler for Mill Springs KY end of September. Federal, Army of the Potomac, reporting to Dom Dal Bello.......

[RJSamp]

Re: Firing by The Drum

"The drums specifically is from older times. During the Civil War they began to phased out due the new Napoleonic use of the bugle which came into use during the 1850’s."

That 1850's date may need to back up a little. Scott's Military Compendium (my copy is 1820) has a whole section on use of the bugle. I'll type more as I get time but here's a couple of excerts:

And you have Duane's Light Infantry manual from 1812 with a complete bugle call SYSTEM (additive calls, so Left Flank, Run, As Skirmishers is one call derived from 3 calls). The tune for the eventual cavalry calls "To Horse" and "Boots and Saddles" appear in this manual as well (although the Infantry usage was for Forming Company and the Enemy is Artillery).

October 1861 McClellan's reorganization/training efforts, Casey's Tactic's Manual, and Cooke's Cavalry Manual (used by over 100 Volunteer Cavalry regiments (over 120,000 troopers)) are the keys to the bugling thing.

1. McClellan states that we are unable to effectively use the bugle to manuever troops.....so Division drill by the bugle will be held regularly. Not a company of skirmishers being drilled by the bugle....a 3,000+ rifle Division of Brigades of Regiments being drilled by the bugleSSS. And not just Skirmish Calls being used for Skirmishers, but the skirmish calls being used for Infantry in Line or Column as well. McClellan adds an order (November 1861) that "To the Color" shall be sounded at the head of the column when deploying into battle line. Both Division drill by the bugle and to the Color being sounded for Battle Line evolutions make it out west (and the Confederates know about it, see the William Carson MOH citation).

2. Casey's rapidly surplants Scott's and Hardee's....and it states that if a bugle is present the drum is not to be used. It also introduces a few more bugle calls, and codifies the use of a huddle and snap count system from executing orders UPON a bugle signal (the bugle doesn't give away the intentions, just signals the moment to carry out the battle plan).

3. Cooke's Cavalry manual borrows 3 bugle calls from Casey's: Change of Direction to the Left/Right (Wheel or Turn of the Column/Line), and Recall (cease drill, bring the boys back from scouting, bring Company A back from the Bridge). Now the dismounts have all the necessary calls that the infantry does.

4. Multiple Buglers per Infantry unit.....1st MASS, 53rd Mississippi, 83rd PA, 9th Ohio (Willich), 32nd IN, 5th AL Bttn, 1st/2nd USSS all start the war with multiple buglers per regiment. Other units either have trained to react to bugle call officers or a few extra buglers in them. Throw in dismounted cavalry with rapid firing breech loaders and their multiple buglers per company and all of a sudden you have a lot more buglers on the line than before. I've got a picture of the 53rd Mississippi with 9 buglers....you would assume that 2 buglers are not there at 1 bugler per company plus a chief bugler.

5. Speaking of chief buglers. More and more Infantry regiments start naming their bugler (and Paying them) as a Principal Musician/Chief Bugler at $17 per month or $21 per month...and Colonel's start having them stay by their side on battlefields. (Brigadier Dan Butterfield at Gaines Mills had 2 44th NY buglers with him). Often the band goes home in 1862, and a brass player/bugler is named the chief bugler/Principal Musician. This is in addition to the Field Music's/surgeon's helper's PM.

So even though buglers had been around in 1805AD and 1000 BC, they don't start being fully utilized until 1825 onward. The Prussian wars vs Denmark and various Germanic states utilized bugle signals....as did the 1848 revolution. David Buhl's Cavallerie Trompette signals are published in 1825, the Hanoverian Call System comes out in 1821, the ACW calls are laid down in the French Calls of 1832.... massed F Cavalry Trumpets signal the assault at The Alamo in 1836. I wouldn't say that the Mexican American War was any great shakes for buglers..... but the Crimea saw the mass employment of buglers in a tactical role.

Bull Run brought out many shortcomings of the Militia call up and Volunteer army mustering in process.....bugling being one of them.....McClellan's order lights the fuse for bugling usage during the ACW. It's a powder keg, that explodes with Butterfields system of unit prelude calls.

[hiplainsyank]

Re: Firing by The Drum

The 124th NY also had 2 buglers, at least at the beginning of the war.

[civilwarbuglertn]

Re: Firing by The Drum

I have even more on William J Carson, if you want it send me an email. I have a 1898 renunion book in which he speaks of the incident. Also he was to only private to elected an officer in the Regular brigade reunion groups. I do have part of that scanned. I have 4 primary sources on him besides his pension record.

As for my bugle, I am a perfectionist at times and it is an original piece, but it is not assoicated with an person or unit. It was listed as surpluse at the end of the war according to the provinance that I have on it.


Jason Simmons
Civilwarbugler

[john duffer]

Re: Firing by The Drum

French Calls of 1832

Not to nitpick RJ, but it's 1831. On the original thread subject, the 1831 Ordonnance Du Roi gives a complete list of drum calls but notes that "FIRE" is only for skirmishers. This switches over to the realm of opinion and speculation since proving something didn't happen is much harder than proving it did, but, I've gone through all my manuals and can find plenty of evidence for skirmishers commencing fire by drum and/or bugle but absoutely no evidence of firing by the drum (or bugle) in the reenacting manner where it's signals READY-AIM-FIRE for a volley. If I'm firing a battalion volley I want to judge the exact moment of release in case the enemy lies down, is masked by the ground,smoke or friendly troops, slows or speeds their pace, etc.