"Firing by the Drum" Reference

[Zouave Rooster]

I will be participating at a LH at The McKinley Presidential Monument this Saturday in Canton, Ohio and was asked to perform "Firing by the Drum" during the public firing demos. I looked through my books but was not able to find it.
A quick web search produced a definition of :
5 beats(both sticks)-5 beats(both sticks)-3beats (R-L-R) -1 beat-Musket's Fire but no reference to the source was called out, so I was just verifying if this is the correct sticking pattern?
Thanks,
Erick Gustin
Blistertoe Mess
51st OVI Co. B
Cleveland Zouave Light Guards

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

Erick,

I'm going to throw you a bone.

Try the search feature. Try search terms like drum, fife, drummer, fifer, "field music," "drum corps." There are "commence firing" and "cease firing" calls on the drum, but they work differently than "fire by the drum," which is a reenactorism. Do a search for those and you will probably find a related thread.

Joe Whitney put some great references to what drummers did in battle here:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/bugle/message/7070

Here's some advice I wish I had gotten 20 years ago when I was first starting out.

Top 3 fife and drum MYTHS:

#1 Drums were primarily used on the battlefield to signal commands.

#2 Bruce and Emmett's Drummer's and Fifer's Guide (which contains the commence firing call you referenced) was used to train a significant number of fifers and drummers during the war.

#3 Fiberskin (plastic) drumheads with mufflers sound very similar to authentic drums with skin heads and no mufflers, and are cheaper also.

Reality

#1 In general, if fifers and drummers were on the battlefield, they were acting as stretcher bearers.

"Now I don't say that no drummer boy ever marched like that early in the war, or in some other regiment later in the war. I am telling what I do know, not what I don't know. What I do know is no drummer in my regiment ever carried a drum on the battlefield or could see any sense in doing it."

A Little Fifer's War Diary, by Charles Bardeen

#2 The music found in Scott's, Gilham's, and Casey's Tactics, and Elias Howe's and Oliver Ditson's manuals is far more representative of typical fife and drum calls used during the war.

"Mr. Howe...began making drums, and during the early years of the war he sold drums and fifes to nearly all of the Massachusetts regiments and to many of the Western States. He also published music, especially military band and drum and fife, for use in the armies. Much of this music was sent to Louisville, Ky., and after the war he was informed that it all went into the Confederate army and was played there."

Boston of To-day: A Glance at Its History and Characteristics. With Biographical Sketches, by Edwin Monroe Bacon - 1892, Page 266

The Army Drum and Fife Book

"This work contains complete instructions for full Camp Duty; the Reveille, the Tatoo, Calls and Beats used in the U. S. Service, with Engravings, Illustrating the use of the Drum; and a choice collection of National, Patriotic and other Music, all the Bugler's Call for Infantry and Skirmishers. It is edited by Keach, Burditt and Cassidy, and recommended by the late Edward Kendall as the most thorough work of the kind. It is already adopted thoughout the country...As a correct book for Camp Service it cannot be excelled."

Dwight's Journal of Music: A Paper of Art and Literature - Page 360
by John Sullivan Dwight - 1862

#3 If you're a DIY kind of guy, call Jim Ellis at Cooperman (802 463 9750) and order some unglued "flesh hoops" and buy two 22" thin calfskin or goatskins from http://www.mid-east.com/. Total cost for two heads and flesh hoops should be around $50. If you bust a head, a replacement is about $15-$20. Ask for a photocopy of Cooperman's manual which explains drum care or seek the advice of an experienced drummer who uses skin heads. Rip the "rag" muffler out while you have the drum apart.

Feel free to send me a PM if you need any other advice (or perhaps I've given you more than you asked for!)

[RJSamp]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

Spot on!

The classic quote is in Casey's.....in the absence of a bugler, the following beats will be used.....

so if you have a bugler, no need for a battlefield drummer...

[DocReynolds]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

Following up on what's here: I think that the beats mentioned 5-5-3, is more for training/parade ground, since they correspond to Ready-Aim-Fire...But how often would that be done in battle???? Casey's of course only gives "Commence Firing" and Cease fire" (for both drum and bugle)....And as a rule, after the first firing, the completion fo loading ends up with the soldier at Ready...The prep. command would be the manner of firing (i.e. oblique, by rank, by file etc) then aim...with the bugle command to commence firing...

just me thoughts....

Pete Bedrossian
150th NY/3rd NC

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

Are we going to start going around in circles like in this thread?:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12343

The reason why I originally posted a rather lengthy and perhaps tangential reply to this question has to do with my frustration with the fact that so much attention is placed on figuring out exactly how drums were used to signal battlefield commands when most evidence argues the case that, despite the intentions of the authors of the tactics manuals, during the war everyone quickly realized that using a drum in this manner was actually quite useless (to the reenactor bugler's delight).

So my apologies go to Erick, for venting my frustration with a common question, but it seems to me that with all the quotes talking about soldiers being awakened to fifers and drummers playing reveille and being put to bed with tattoo and having to fall in at the tap of the drum, the focus of the field music side of the hobby should be on camp duty rather than the use of the drum to signal battle commands.

I have heard hundreds of drummer boys play "fire by the drum", but have yet to hear a full drum corps play the correct reveille and tattoo (the rare, non-regulation Bruce and Emmett versions notwithstanding). The veterans can tell us about how they felt when they heard their familiar "alarm clocks" after the war:

"[At] one of those happy reunions...Drum-Major Harry B. Goodrich, and Comrade Kearns next beat the reveille in so natural a manner that at its conclusion some one called, 'Attention to roll-call.' which was followed by 'Fall in, Company B.' "

NY Times, Dec. 14, 1880

"Meantime the drum corps of Post No. 2 drew up in line inside the semicircle on the stage and, to the great delight of the veterans, beat an artistic reveille. The moment they stopped a clear voice rang out, 'Attention to roll-call!' creating great laughter.' "

NY Times Dec. 19, 1879

"the veterans went wild as they heard again the reveille and tattoo and the old familiar strains of "Yankee Doodle," "The Girl I Left Behind Me," "Rory O'More," "The Campbells Are Coming," "Hail to the Chief," and many other reminders of the old days."

Drum Taps in Dixie

[Zouave Rooster]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

Will,

No appologies necessary and thanks for the references. I believe I should have stated my question more clearly as well as described it's application. We were giving brief demos on the Manual of arms/drill for the public at the McKinley Presidential Musuem/Monument/Tomb in honor of his birthday.

At the end, a wreath laying ceremony at the Presidential Monument was to be performed by a White House Representative (Actually a Brig. general) and a 21 gun salute was to be performed by civil war reenactors. The salute was going to be initiated by "Commence Firing" since no oral commands would be given during a moment of silence. Being a rather new drummer, I was slightly confused by the phrase, "Firing by the Drum". Anyway, to make a long story short, I played, "Commence Firing" from B&E and President McKinley was given his due honors (The last civil war veteran president I must mention). When I prompted the forum on the drum beat, I had searched a few manuals but had not seen the phrase, "Firing by the drum". The only previous post only stated it was commence firing, but not the sticking answer...

I think it would be interesting to research what period drummer's would have played in situations like military honor ceremonies, funerals, VIP inspections, presidential visits, etc...as well as reference to the drum's role during training & camp drill.

Regards,
Erick Gustin
Blistertoe Mess/51stOVI/Clev.ZLG

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

"I think it would be interesting to research what period drummer's would have played in situations like military honor ceremonies, funerals, VIP inspections, presidential visits, etc...as well as reference to the drum's role during training & camp drill."

"Funeral escorts...honors paid by Drum Corps to the different personages --President and Vice-President..."

http://www.fifedrum.org/resources/music/hart/hart56sr.shtml

http://www.fifedrum.org/resources/music/hart/hart57sr.shtml

But I suppose this only covers living and recently deceased presidents...

[joewhitney]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

One thing to keep in mind was that even when drums were used for signals in battle, it would not hve been by the entire drum corps. From as early as the 18th century, the universal military practice was to assign an "orderly drummer"/"field drummer" to stand by the commander and communicate commands from him, much as the bugler did later in the 19th century.

The most common time you would have seen these demonstrations is early in the war, among the more elite units, in non-combat drill situations. Zouave units were known for doing their entire fancy French drill by the tap of the drum.

As I learned a long time ago, the main problem with using a drum to signal in battle is the rattle of musketry and the rattle of the drum can be impossible to distinguish. No such problem with the bugle, and they're lighter and much more water resistant.

Joe Whitney
2nd SC String Band
Md Line Field Music

[Raymond]

Re: "Firing by the Drum" Reference

I do agree with Mr. Whitney. An official source backing up his statement is the Manuel d'Infanterie, 2nd edition, on the duties on the NCO's in the army of Napoleon (Paris, 1808). This superb book clearly states in the section on the duties of the drum-major (page 363):

"Le jour d'une action le tambour-major emploie, suivant l'ordre qu'il en reçoit, une partie des tambours à aller chercher les cartouches aux caissons de la division d'artillerie le plus à portée (6), et à les distribuer aux serres-files placés derrière les hommes qui en manquent, tandis que l'autre partie de ses tambours reste attentive à faire les roulemens, donner les coups de baguette ou battre la charge."

Note (6) states: "Idem [Règl. de campagne], tit. 20, par. 30. C'est un ancien usage, et non une règle."

A translation for the non-french reading would be:
On the day of battle the drum-major, following his orders, employs part of the drummers to look for cartridges in the nearest artillery division and to hand these to the file closers standing behind the men who lack them, while the other part of his drummers remain ready to give the rolls, taps or beat the charge.

Your ob. serv.

Raymond Rammeloo

By the way, the quoted source can be view online at:
http://www.austerlitz.org/download/m...infanterie.pdf