Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-09-03
THE DRUM.
A New Chronicle of the Drum.

July, or what we call Independence
Day, without drum. 1t has a theory,
which, like some other theories, only
needs facts enough to sustain 1t, that
the progress of real civilization and
refinement is indicated by the decline
in Importance of the drum. Whether
this is a healthful sign we do not know,
for since society rests upon force of
order reserved somewhere, the elimi-
nation of the drum may mean loss of
that pugnacity which is necessary to a
vigorous state 1t is certain that there
is no sound equal to the throb of the
drum to set the blood pulsing to heroic
measure, nothing else that can so
arouse pugnacity and the desire to kill
somebody or something. The reason
that sportsmen do not use the drum to
beat up snipe and quail is that their
desire to kill is already excited beyond
their opportunity to crafty it. 1t is,
perhaps, too much to say that if the
drum were abolished there would be
no more wars, or that the converse is
true, that with the cessation of war
there will be no more drumming, for
we have the recent example of Mr..
Gladstone beating the drum great
deal when he meant peace; and the
drum will long remain in orchestras to
satisfy that in our human nature which
requires emphasis and noise. But we
all feel that the drum is the most i'm
portant adjunct of the martial spirit,
and that the point of view OF Ihacke-
rays drummer, old Pierre, is not far
wrong in making his instrument the
chief in the martial achievements of
France. Old Pierre was the fourth of
a generation of drummers. His ances-
tors drummed for King Harry of Ma
varre:
''While Condo was waving the baton,
My grandsre was trolling the sticks"
1t was his daddy who drummed the
English
From the meadows of famed Fontenoy....
$50 well did he drum at that battle
That the enemy showed us their backs;
COrbleu! it was pleasant to rattle
The sticks and to follow old SAKE"
It was old Pierre himself who ratified
the drumsticks at Yorktown, and
caused the British to lay down their
arms. 1t was the same drum that
drummed for Louis XVI. and the love-
ly court ladies at Versailles and for
fair Antoinctte, and which drummed
their heads off afterwards in the Place
de la Concorde. 1t was all the same
to the drum-it was monarchical, re-
publican, imperial.
''One day drummed down the Bastile....
''At midnight / beat the tattoo,
And woke up the pikemen of Paris
To follow the bold Barbaroux."
With equal fervor it followed the
fortunes of the gallant young captain,
Bonaparte.
SIN the glorious year ninety-six
We marched to the banks of the Pc;
I carried my drum and my sticks,
And we laid the proud Austrian low.
''This cross-'twas the Emperor gave it
God bless HIND; it covers a blow
had it at AusterlitZ fight,
AS / beat on my drum in the snow
Perhaps Thackeray invented his hero
in ''The Chronicle of the Drum;" but
if had gone to New Orleans he might
have found his counterpart in the per-
son of ''Old Jordan" man of color,
to whom this government owes what
success it has had anywhere in the
the field of war since it won its indie
pendence. Everybody in New Orleans
knows Old Jordan, Gen. Jackson's
drummer, the most prominent figure in
all martial professions, riding in car
riage with his historic drum since age
has enfeebled him; for Old Jordan
came i'll with the century; and has
drummed it up to its present brilliant
achievement. Visitors to the late eX-
position always found Old Jordan in
his place in the gallery of the govern
ment building, seated in an easy-chair,
with his drum before him and other in
sigma of his triumphs about him, &C.
counting his story day after day-every
day except Sunday, which ne said was
Gods day, and not an exhibition day
for him. 4 venerable figure and q
sturdy relic of our historic past, Old
Jordan has been the intimate friend of
all our military heroes, whom he al
ways addressed by their first names,
and who well knew that their success
was due to his rafting sticks. This
drum-the slightest tap upon it awak-
ems the echoes of many wars-was first
beaten to any purpose in the war of
1872. 1t was upon this drum that
Jackson depended. Jordan was only
lad then, but his drum was full of war,
and he handled the sticks in such man
ner as to attract the attention of Old
Hickory, who, in his perplexity, called
upon him to repel the invaders. Moth
ing loath, Jordan came to the front,
and it was his drum-this same batter
ed old instrument of noise and glory
that beat the long roll that called the
American soldiers to arms on the ap-
proach of the British in December,
1914; and it was his drum, on the 9Th
of January, 1915, on the plain of Chal-
mette, that struck terror into the Brit
ish host. It was not the cotton breast
work, as has been supposed, but this
drum, that rolled back the invader;
and it was the din of it that was the
dying music for Packenham when he
fell under the tree which still stands to
witness the proves of Jordan. The
battle was won by Old Jordan and Gen.
Jackson.
MY grandsire was ever victorious
Ny grandsire and Monsieur Turenne."
The Florida war was long and
harassing one, but it would have been
longer If Jordan had not been there,
following our flag through the swamps