CIVIL WAR DRUM BELONGING TO ISAAC N. WATSON, 1ST REGT., OHIO HEAVY ARTILLERY

CIVIL WAR DRUM BELONGING TO ISAAC N. WATSON, 1ST REGT., OHIO HEAVY ARTILLERY, 17" wide x 12" height. A regulation Civil War contract drum with painted patriotic eagle and inscription E. Pluribus Unum on body. Interior of drum is void of a maker's label. Lot also includes a sixth plate tintype photograph of Watson in uniform, his discharge papers dated July 25, 1865, his hard tack, and 5 photographs of Watson and his family in their later years.

The drum's owner, Isaac Newton Webb was born in 1846 and served with the 1st Regiment Ohio Heavy Artillery joining Company I in June 1863 as a private. The regiment had been organized at Portsmouth, Ohio as the 117th OVI in September 1862. Young Watson served for the duration, mustering out at Knoxville, Tennessee in July 1865. The individual companies of the regiments served at various points along the lines of communications as railroad guards in Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina, seeing occasional action. (EST $3000-$5000)

Auction: 2009, Firearms and Militaria, Nov 4 & 5
Lot # 148
Cowan’s Auctions
http://www.cowanauctions.com

LEATHER DRUM BOX AND PAIR OF DRUMSTICKS

LEATHER DRUM BOX AND PAIR OF DRUMSTICKS, top of drum box is marked K.M.R. & Co. Interior of box with wool drum carrying sling. Both 16" sticks marked U.S. 1862.

Condition: Leather box with expected wear on the edges. Sling is severed and is in poor condition.

(EST $500-$700)

Auction: 2009, Firearms and Militaria, Nov 4 & 5
Lot # 199
Cowan’s Auctions
http://www.cowanauctions.com

CIVIL WAR DRUM AND JOURNAL BELONGING TO JOHN BROWN HOLLOWAY, 148TH REGT., PA INFANTRY

CIVIL WAR DRUM AND JOURNAL BELONGING TO JOHN BROWN HOLLOWAY, 148TH REGT., PA INFANTRY, plain metal body with applied post-war stylized script label that reads 148th Reg't, PVI Battles Engaged in Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Po River, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomoy, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, Ream's Station. Interior label in script reads J.B. Holloway Co. D 148th PVI recording participation in the same 14 battles noted above. Complete with pair of 16.5" and 15" drumsticks.

John Brown Holloway, Jr. joined Company D, 148th PV as a Musician in August 1862, served for the duration and was discharged in June 1865. He was born in Aaronsburg, PA in 1836 and died January 5, 1923 in Burbank, OH.

The 148th Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg during September 1862 and served admirably in the 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac suffering over 200 combat casualties before mustering out on June 1, 1865 after marching in the Grand Review. This drum saw action in many of the major battles in the Eastern Theater as commemorated on the old label affixed by Holloway to the combat-weary shell.

The lot also includes a 7.5 x 6" journal, 138 pps in length, housed in marbled boards, representing a copy or "updated" version of Holloway’s diary kept between August 25, 1862 and June 8, 1865. While undated, we assume the diary to have been made sometime during the late 19th or early 20th centuries. All entries are in ink and highly readable. Holloway was a good correspondent, and had no trouble describing the 148ths involvement at Chancellorsville (great content), Gettysburg, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse. His journal entries for Gettysburg are typical and read in part:

July 1. Left camp...marched through Uniontown came through Tawny Town and arrived within a few miles of Gettysburg…passed the ambulance which was carrying the body of Gen. Reynolds. People along the road when we march are very kind supplying us with water and things to eat....

July 2. The morning we formed in line of battle. Not much fighting till about in the afternoon…Col. Cross of the 4th N.H. commanding our Brigade was mortally wounded and suffered so severely that he begged for some one to shoot him....he died during the night. Capt. Forster of Co. C. our Regt. killed.

July 3. Pretty heavy firing began this morning but did not continue long. The hard fighting began in the afternoon and continued til night. The struggle was a fearful one though I think we gained a victory – saw the most wonderful artillery duel of the war – being on high ground where I had a good view. The work was awful – Pickett’s charge.

After Gettysburg, the 148th saw heavy action in May and June 1864 when Holloway was a participant in the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse. Perhaps because of his position – while not in the line of battle he served behind the lines serving in field hospitals - Holloway was a careful observer of the numbers of wounded, dead and dying, and faithfully records the carnage after each major battle. A fine journal.

(EST $3000-$5000)

Auction: 2009, Firearms and Militaria, Nov 4 & 5
Lot # 147
Cowan’s Auctions
http://www.cowanauctions.com

Civil War Era Black Leather & Wood Bass Drum Beater

eBayer banjomdf ( 608) is offering eBay item no. 110430241978 described as:
Civil War Era Black Leather & Wood Bass Drum Beater
Civil war era black tanned leather & wood bass drum beater which is 12 inches in total length. Both ends used for playing. Leather end is stitched up with one 1-inch area which could be restitched, but the rest is intact and no cracks in the wood.

Chicago Illinois GAR Post Drum Corps

eBayer cubster63 ( 6759) is offering eBay item no. 330358252218 described as:

Vintage real photo postcard - GAR (Grand Army of the Republic, composed of veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War), drum corps, Chicago Illinois.

Unused. Has corner wear and a 3/4" tear on the right edge near the middle. There is a word or two before the words Drum Corps on the bottom of the card but it is too faded to read.

Old Metal Shell, Probably Not U.S.

eBayer cavecreekantiques ( 2440) is offering eBay item no. 330359848676 described as:

This auction is for an original civil war period drum. I do want to state that I am not an expert on civil war items, but I will guarantee this to be authentic. I obtained the drum at a quality antique auction that had many nice military items, including civil war period pieces. You may visit the auction's website, lakecityauctiongallery.com, and view the photos etc. to give you a feel for the quality of this auction. This drum was lot 267 on the catalog listing.

The drum measures approx 14-1/2" across and 7" tall. The middle is a gray metal, and it has wooden bands on each end. It is missing the drum covering, it has some leather decoration still attached to it in the front. One of the wooden bands seems to be on the drum a little crooked. It is in solid condition, the metal is not rusted or corroded, the wood is in aged, but good condition.

The drum's "J-Hook" snare mechanism and counterhoop design do not look like anything the Blogmaster has seen on American manufacture. The drum looks more like it might be of European (possibly Swiss or French) origin.

Civil War Rosewood 16" Drum Sticks

eBayer dia2 ( 709) is offering these beauties with a starting price of $200 (possibly high) as eBay item no. 160363175750

Pair of Antique Civil War Rosewood 16" Drum Sticks
This is a Pair of Antique Civil War Rosewood 16" Drum Sticks. These each weigh 2.8oz. These are in very good condition. These measure 16" long. One of the sticks have a very small crack in the back end of the stick.

Civil War Bass Drum Beater

eBayer oldgloryb ( 1290) offers this beautiful bass drum beater as eBay item no. 290354219182 with a "Buy-It-Now" price of $100 and described as:

Civil War Bass drum beater stick. Measures 15 inches in length. This is an original period item in EXCELLENT condition. Drum beaters were used by regimental musicians and as single sticks. Several illustrations of these sticks are shown in Mark Elrod's book on Civil War Musical Instruments. ["A Pictorial History of Civil War Era Musical Instruments & Military Bands" by Robert Garofalo & Mark Elrod.

eBayer tenmile5h5c ( 2629) offers this pair of drumsticks described as Civil War era, eBay item no. 250505454093 with a low starting bid of $35:

Here are 2 original, U.S. Civil War era drum sticks in very good condition and one with damage as shown. One of the sticks is split at the end but it should display well when repaired. The sticks are made of dark wood which is very sound. The sticks measure 16.875" long. An original pair of Civil War drum sticks that will display well.

Just as a baseball player wouldn't go to bat with a cracked bat, a drummer wouldn't play with a split stick, even if "repaired". So, the playing segment of the market may not want this set.

Tinted DRUMMER BOY & DRUM Civil War CDV 37th MASSACHUSETTS

eBayer auctionplanner ( 10782) recently sold item no. 380160151421 for $950 -- a CDV of a 37th Massachusetts Civil War drummer described as:

Rare* Tinted DRUMMER BOY & DRUM Civil War CDV 37th MA
ESTATE FRESH * JERSEY CITY NJ PHOTOGRAPHER Victor Piard
Fresh out of an estate, you are bidding one of the finest Civil War Drummer Boy photos ever offered for sale. The photo shows a drummer boy posing with his drum at the studio of Victor Piard in Jersey City, New Jersey. The drum has the insignia of the 37th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers and there is a 37 on the soldier’s kepi as well. The 37th MA Vols participated in some of the biggest battles of the Civil War. After Gettysburg they were sent to New York City (August 1863) to enforce the Draft after the Draft Riots of July 1863 (depicted in the movie Gangs of New York). It is likely that this musician had his photo taken in 1863 just across the Hudson River from NYC in Jersey City (prior to the June 30, 1864 act requiring revenue stamps). The photo is exceptional for the subject matter, Regiment identification, and the color tinting which is professional and period. The photo had a light layer of varnish or shellac applied over the painted surface and the crusty finish is original and nice. I reviewed a roster of the entire 37th MA Regiment and found that there were only thirteen musicians in the entire Regt. Although there is no ID on this photo the list can probably be narrowed down with a bit more research. The photo is in Excellent condition with lust the lightest possible wear and a tiny varnish spot on the back side.

Leo J. Brennan's Eli Brown Drum (1829) Redux

Leo Brennan's 1829 Brown drum has resurfaced (with new and better photos above) and Leo is now comfortable parting with this beauty, one reason possibly being that he recently became the owner of the world's oldest known Brown drum (1809), acquired with the assistance of the Blogmaster (see story at "History in a Drum (an 1809 Brown Drum) -- The Oldest Known Brown Drum in Existence", this blog, Aug. 5, 2009.

This 1829 Eli Brown masterpiece, a fine addition for any serious collection, was previously chronicled at "Leo J. Brennan's Eli Brown Drum (1829)", this blog, March 7, 2009. The drum is currently described on eBay as item no. 280401024302:

Up for auction is an original 1829 vintage and nearly pristine Eli Brown tacked field drum, dated by the interior label as drum number 1602. The overlapped maple shell is 54 and a half inches in circumference and bears the distinctive Eli Brown tack pattern around the ivory vent hold in a single circle. The drum stands 17 and a quarter inches high. All ropes, including the drag rope, are intact and made of hemp. There are 10 iron hooks attached to the maple rims top and bottom. The snares are catgut and the original heads are of calfskin, the bottom one is torn. The top head has a minor split. There is a single original leather adjustment ear, the rest are missing. The strainer assembly is of the Civil War style. This museum quality drum is formerly of the Alex Smith Collection (Northford, CT) and is one of the finest made by Eli Brown himself, at the height of his skills as the premier drum maker in America.

ANTIQUE c1890 S.R. LELAND & SON WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS ROPE SNARE DRUM

ANTIQUE c1890 S.R. LELAND & SON WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS ROPE SNARE DRUM

eBayer pmfeld ( 3133) describes this drum, eBay item no. 190336367225, as follows:

THIS IS REALLY A GREAT DRUM. MADE BY THE WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS MAKER AROUND 1890 OR SO. THE COMPANY WAS ONLY IN BUSINESS FROM THE 1880'S TIL THE EARLY 1920'S. THIS IS AN EARLIER PIECE OF THEIRS AS THE SEEM OF THE HOOP STILL HAS THE COPPER BRADS TO KEEP IT TOGETHER. THE HOOP ITSELF MEASURES 8 1/2 INCHES TALL AND 16 INCHES IN DIAMETER. OVERALL THE HOOP IS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH WONDERFUL PATINA. MINOR LOSS TO THE FINISH BUT NOTHING TOO BAD. IT HAS BOOTH OUTER AND INNER HOOPS WITH THE METAL HOOKS FOR HOLDING THE ROPE. THE ROPE IS COMPLETE WITH THE TIGHTENERS BETWEEN EACH BEING MADE OF STEEL WITH LEATHER EARS. SOME OF THE LEATHERS ARE EMBOSSED, SOME ARE GONE BUT ALL STILL WORKS WELL. THE BOTTOM OUTSIDE HOOP HAS SPLIT AT THE TOP 1/4 WHERE THE STRAINER COMES THROUGH. NOT A DIFFICULT FIX. THE STAINER IS ORIGINAL AND NEEDS A LITTLE WORK. THE BOTTOM SKIN SEEMS TO BE ORIGINAL THOUGH IT IS TORN AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS NO TOP SKIN. A QUICK CLEAN UP AND SOME NEW SKINS AND YOU WOULD HAVE A WONDERFUL RARE 19TH CENTURY MASSACHUSETTS ROPE SNARE.

Jack Pratt's New Book, CD and DVD are Must-Haves

I just took delivery of Jack Pratt's new "128 Rudimental Street Beats, Rolloffs, & Parade-Song Parts, In the Style of 'Traditional' Drum & Bugle Corps", by John S. Pratt, CD included, as well as the associated DVD (purchased separately). The DVD is priced at $24.99, and the book with CD is priced at $14.99 (Amazon has it for $9.99 and it's in stock.)

The DVD has a lot of stuff not included in the book or the CD and both, in my opinion, are "must-haves" for anyone wanting to see and hear "old school" rudimental drumming, Pratt-variation.

Pratt's written a lot of other works too. See here.

Now truth be told, Jack is not a young man any longer but he has a terrific set of chops for an older guy. Sure he must have been hell on wheels when he was younger but let's give the guy his due. He's earned it. He can still lay in quite a respectable rudimental standard, street beat or roll-off.

The book with CD is worth the ticket just for its seemingly endless collection of street beats and roll-offs. I had a great time reading along in the book as a couple of drummers (a machine?) played all of the street beats and roll-offs marked in the book, as well as a couple of charts (for "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" and "Yankee Doodle Boy". The book has another 6 charts (but no accompanying track on the CD) for "Great Day", "The is My Country", "California Here I Come", "Good News", "Oklahoma" and "Alabamy Bound".

Old rudimental drummers will enjoy hearing the street beats, roll-offs and charts. It's a great collection preserved for the future by one of the greats.

The DVD "will reinvigorate your study of 'Traditional' ancient rudimental drumming and provide material for your practice, instruction, music library and drumming pleasure."

Featured on the DVD are classic Pratt solos: "The Sons of Liberty", "The All-American Emblem," and "The Little Toy Drum", as well as new Pratt solos: "Interstatesmen A.B.C," and "Swiss Crazy Army Variant 1".

I particularly enjoyed Pratt's occasional patter as he mused about this or that colleague with whom he has enjoyed a professional or personal relationship, as well as drumming tips and stylistic comments.

Also included on the DVD are 4 original Pratt compositions for rope tension snare drum and bass drum duets (with Ben Hans), as well as old standards: "The Downfall of Paris", "Thge General", J. Burns Moore's "The Connecticut Halftime", "Three Camps" and "Hell on the Wabash". Hello? I mean how can you not have this DVD in your collection?

Of course, no treatise would be complete without the 26 "traditional" American drumming rudiments and a bunch of Swiss drum rudiments.

The DVD also features on-screen notation and printable scores. This is a treasure that is a must for every music library, from elementary school through college.

Confederate Civil War Drum Sling

Not all of us can afford to spend more than a grand on an old drum sling but we do owe eBay seller brentsantiquesinc ( 1567) (eBay item no. 290345530563) a debt of gratitude for posting such a marvelous photo survey of this old beauty -- a pictorial display with sufficient detail for those with the requisite skill to fashion their own knock-off version.

Described as follows:

Here is a scarcely encountered Civil War Confederate tooled leather drum sling. This sling came originally out of the State of Virginia some years ago and is thought to be one of only a few known Confederate Drum slings that have surfaced today. All leather construction with a Southern type roller construction buckle as never seen on Union types. The stitching on this sling is also very southern with crude cotton stitiching as you can see in the pictures. The union used cloth construction slings for the most part and would not have used roller adjuster buckles like used on Confederate belt rigs. Here is a rare chance to complete a wonderful southern Confederate Drum display and will look fantastic attached to a drum for display.