Drummers and Fifers to the Front!

[RJSamp]

Just read this again in the 21st Wisconsin Dutch Mudsills book.... a lowly Sargeant (Otto, the author of the book) during a long, monotonous, energy sapping march.....suddenly yelled out "Drummers and Fifers to the Front!".....expecting the Field Musics to march to the head of the regiment, come up with a snappy tune, and a cadence to pull the men out of their stupor and put a bounce in their step. All good stuff.

The Colonel in the regiment behind (24th ILL) heard the yell, and had his BAND start up a tune. When they were done his field music's chimed in....and soon the column, much revived, was singing, smiling, stepping lively to the cadence.

1. Have never seen this in any manual as a command.

2. But a Field Officer immediately recognized what the shout was all about.

3. So much for silence in the ranks....

4. Have you heard of this anywhere else?

Would love to reenact this sometime/put it in our repetoire.

[dave81276]

R.J.,

Did you go to Payne's Farm?

[J.H.Berger]

Memoirs of a Dutch Mudsill by (Johann Heinrich) John Henry Otto. One of my favorites a MUST with many interesting details of daily life.
Sorry does not fit in here RJ but I love that book! Especially his bugle quotes;-))))

[RJSamp]

R.J.,

Did you go to Payne's Farm?

No I did not. The quote is from November 1862 near Murfreesboro TN if that will help tie in the research.

[markj]

I suppose the Colonel wanted something like this to happen.....

(see attachment)

Yours, &c.,

Mark Jaeger

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Perhaps this is one of those "common sense" things that wasn't written in a manual. Buttoning up the soldier's trouser fly wasn't in the manual or Regs either, but I suspect they did it without a command (well, most of 'em).

A good officer recognizes the physical condition of his men and takes steps to help improve it. When men are flagging on a march, some good music helps pep 'em up and keep them going. The presence of the Federal City Brass Band in the Yankee ranks at Payne's Farm 2005 kept a number of men "going' on the march. As the Federal commander for that event, I did not consult a manual before asking the Principal Musician to "play something".

[Jim Moffet]

One wonders where the field music was prior to the call "to the front." Was the brigade marching "left in front?" If so, the massed field music would probably have been at the tail of the battalion. Or possibly they weren't massed, and rather were marching with their own companies. My analysis of the sources would have the field music massed on the right of the line when the battalion formed. A specific drummer and fifer only returned to their home company if it were on some detached duty.

Anyone have sources to dispute this analysis?

Jim Moffet

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Analysis? It's just basic facts about where folks stood when an infantry battalion was formed, and where they marched. This is drill manual stuff at its most basic level.

[RJSamp]

Perhaps this is one of those "common sense" things that wasn't written in a manual. Buttoning up the soldier's trouser fly wasn't in the manual or Regs either, but I suspect they did it without a command (well, most of 'em).

A good officer recognizes the physical condition of his men and takes steps to help improve it. When men are flagging on a march, some good music helps pep 'em up and keep them going. The presence of the Federal City Brass Band in the Yankee ranks at Payne's Farm 2005 kept a number of men "going' on the march. As the Federal commander for that event, I did not consult a manual before asking the Principal Musician to "play something".

I would urge you to read the Dutch Mudsills book (John Henry Otto) and get into the period context before making up stuff. The "common sense" stuff you speak about is commented upon in the book.....3 Regulars die of sunstroke during a march because their officer's don't have the common sense to get the men out of the sun, take their knapsacks and coats off, and drink some water.

Otto is a THIRD SERGEANT when he yell's out the 'common sense' 'suggestion'/'command', not an officer. Obviously his Colonel, let alone his Captain, didn't have the common sense to pep up the morale of the boys during this yet another 25 mile march through hand deep dust under a beating sun. How many Sergeant's have you read about that had the perspicacity, temerity, ingenuity, brass balls, to shout out 'an order' to a Regiment?

Even more important......where have you read that "Fifers and Drummers to the Front" means strike up the music and establish a cadence? .....and this from a Third Sergeant?

More to the point, an expression that I have never read about (nor are you able to provide a citation other than 'common sense') in any period book or manual is recognized by the Colonel of ANOTHER regiment, and he immediately has his (the 24th IL Regimental band was the Brigade band) band play and boost the morale of the troops on the march.

It's quite another thing to have a Colonel order the band to play a tune. And hopefully you were reenacting a Brigade and ordered the Brigade Band to play at Payne's Farm. wouldn't want to have the historically inaccurate impression of 300 or 400 rifles with their own band for an 1864 event.

[RJSamp]

Analysis? It's just basic facts about where folks stood when an infantry battalion was formed, and where they marched. This is drill manual stuff at its most basic level.

No, it's the hard reality that we can't begin to come up with an authentic campaign impression.....even a once every five years RR/BGR event at 5 miles max per day pales in comparison to what it would take to come up with an authentic, historically precise, and SAFE authentic campaign impression.

When the Regiment/Brigade forms up for a road march, waits for the other Divisions and their wagons to pass, and then starts up (hopefully you've added a touch to the scenario like the canteen detail or the last of the pickets is NOT back yet!) they are fairly well formed. Add 15 miles of hot sun to the march through clouds of dust and accordion stops and starts.....and start dealing with straggling, bad food, broken down muscles, boils, lice, and blisters.....and all of a sudden your infantry battalion formation at its most basic level is in shambles. Jim Moffet's point is erudite, to say the least. Your lack of analysis means that you need to read the passage to have context in your response.

To continue:
1. Jim asks: Why wasn't the Fifers and Drummer's already in the Front? (they and/or their equipment was on the wagons or they were straggling...the campaigning had worn the young musicians out!).

2. If the basic formation of a battalion in a route column is to have the drummers and fifers up front.....why yell out "Fifers and Drummers to the Front" as a command to "Play us a tune" or "strike up the band" at the basic level?

3. If the basic formation of a battalion in a route column is to have the drummers and fifers up front.....why would a Colonel in the following regiment recognize that a cry of "Fifers and Drummers to the Front" meant to "Play us a tune" or "strike up the band" when his Band AND his fifers and drummers were well in hand and already in front. And their is no need in the US Army to bring the fifers and drummers to the front as they are already there at the most basic level.

There's Lot's of good stuff to analyze in a simple command from a 3rd Sergeant on a march.....

Bottom line on this is that it's going to be a PRUSSIAN ARMY manual (1845 Exerzier Reglement) order that the Colonel and JHO both had drilled under for a decade plus each...... and JHO who had the experience and common sense to know that his 'poys' needed a lift shouted out an old Prussian Army command IN ENGLISH to get the Drummers and Fifers to 'loosen or grease the joints' and play something.

It's like the basic command to Dance:
Get up off of your A_S, come on baby let's Shake it!