Fife Book Lost at 1st Manassas

[33rdaladrummer]

The fife book mentioned in the letter below must be Howe’s Army and Navy Fife Instructor, published in 1861.

Camp of maine fifth Regt

Near Alexandria Sept 18th 1861

Sister Dora;

I now take the liberty to write you a few lines to let you know how I am getting along. I wrote you last week and have Recd no ans. but as Sam was going to write I thought I would write a line. I am well at present as well as the rest of the Boys. We have changed camping grounds since I wrote you before and have the most pleasant place we have had you can see the city of Washington Alexandria, and a portion of George town Forts Washington Ellsworth and Slocum and we are building one it is to be the largest one this side of the Potomac.

I want you to send me a Fife Book if you can find one called Army and Navy fife Instructor or if you cant get as good one as you can With as many of the pieces as I shall name as soon as you get this letter I want to practice a little and I lost mine when we went to Bulls Run. Surgeons call. Breakfast call. Reville. Dinner call they are in the first part and then some Marches such as Hail to the Chief. Steamboat quickstep Hail Columbia and so on. If I can get a pass am going to the city in a day or two we have been paid off. So good Bye

W B Adams

send it as soon as you get this

https://www.mainememory.net/media/pdf/52953.pdf

[Silas]

Re: Fife book lost at 1st Manassas

This it? https://nationalcivilwarfieldmusicsc...Instructor.pdf

Note : Link downloads the pdf to your device.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife book lost at 1st Manassas

This it? https://nationalcivilwarfieldmusicsc...Instructor.pdf

Note : Link downloads the pdf to your device.

That one is the 1862 drum and fife instructor. This is the earlier 1861 fife instructor. I have a pdf, probably too big to upload. Here’s the cover

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife book lost at 1st Manassas

Found another mention of Howe’s.

Civil War Letters of a Connecticut Volunteer...written by William Augustus Willoughby to his wife, Nancy Royce Willoughby

An excerpt:

“Your last letter came to me nearly one month after the date of it Now I wish you would answer this immidiatly on the receipt of this and send it by mail and wish you would have Mr. Bradley me a good B fife one too cost from one or two dollars. I want a German silver mouth piece on it Maybe Mr. Bradley has a good one that he would sell. I also want a fife instructor. I think there is one in that trunk which was over to fathers so long that hair trunk of yours which contained those books if you do not find one there I wish you would have Mr. Bradley get one suitable for a B Fife. I want 2 Calico Shirts as soon as you can make them I want them made of something fancy not so dark as those you made in Hartford as light as the lightest one of the three Please send them by express as soon as you can directed to me Company A 10th Regt Conn Vol Burnsides Division Newbern North Carolina be sure to get the fife and the book in....One from our company died yesterday a young man by the name of Burwell. This makes four that has died from our company since we left Hartford. I now think our Regt will remain where we are for some time to come, I think untill fall I wish you would send two copies of Elias Howes Army and Navy fife Instructor which wil cost 50 cents a copy, and if Mr. Bradley has a good B fife which he will sell you if not have him get me one on the key of B.”

http://www.ctvolunteerscivilwarletters.com/

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5659b44ee4b0f60cdbaf8c86/t/565cc2afe4b0c6e18e571592/1448919727584/Civil+War+Letters%2C+WAW+13OCT15.pdf