Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-22
WAR DAYS MUSIC.
Bands, Drummers. BugIers and
Famous Soldiers Songs.
A DRUM MAJOR A GREAT MAN,
Especially One Who Had Been Through The
Mexican War--A Veteran Filler Consld-
cred a Prize by Any Regiment
"AlI the Way From Pike"
CCopyrighted 1893 by Charles KinF)

Copyrighted 1893 by Charles King)
We were talking the other night OF the
songs we sang and the music we most
enjoyed while Mcclellan was orE.,,lliz li
the army around Washington IN VI, ana
matters were at least so comparatively
quiet ON the Potomac that, except when
ont ON pieket duty. there was time and
inclination for music. | doubt " there
was better place to observe the variety
In style. subject or composition tiah
among the wooded heights overlooking
the Chain bridge along about the end
of Septemher for right there within
rife shot of one another were camped
regiments representing almost every
state from Maine TO the Mississippi.
Even California wns represented. hut
rather by name than IN fact, for the
First California" commanded by Col
onel and Senator Baker-sO soon TO lay
down his gallant life at Balls Bluff
was practically recruited in New York
aud Pennsylvania, and largely Othcered
! by gentlemen OF he middle states. Odd
! ~ enough, too, the fortunes Of war had
marched that very regiment under IFS
| brilliant commander. straight across the
| Potomac aud halted il in the thick
| forest side by side with the
| Seycnty-ninth (Highlunders) of New
| York. ut that moment commanded by
No
| ernor Of Washington territory aud
I its delegate in congress, had become
! bitter political opponent of Orcgon's SEN
| ator, Baker, who was one of MIR, Lin
coins closest personal friends aud politi-
cal advisers. There were two or three
days of strained relations for both
men were eminent citizens and emphatic
| fighters. Then Mr.. Lincoln solved the
| problem forced upon him 10y the orders
| of generals WIN typrn poggiblv IGNORANT
of the old time differences between Baker
and Stevens. He settled the yeXed
question In his own iuimituhle way and
to the comfort and satisfaction of both
parties, a thing only Mr.. Lincoln had the
faculty, or the power, of doing. He
promoted Colonel Stevens 10 the grade Of
yi1gadier general on Sep. - aud sent
him to nm important command az Port
Royal. south Carolina, leaving Baker in
possession of the field and his culuncl's
eagles. Within the year pnch had met
tue soldiers tatc--Bnker killed at Balls
| Bluff, Stevens at Chantilly.
but there WAS music of another kind
! an inspiring lSind-along tile heights at
! Chain bridge day In and duy ont aud II
was Of this want to speak. Every rem-
ment had its band in those dnys. some
good some so so. some positively bad
ANA every regiment had It's own drum
and fife corps, aud all day long it seemed
TO- me those bands and those corps of
'held music were at practice. Tho
melodies. OF course the frat rcgi-
merits To leap TO the front rs the
echo of Sumer's shOtted gums aroused
the NOrth--thc Sixth aud Eighth OF
Massachusetts and New Works famous
Seventh their avn ine bands. adj
mrnbly alike In instruction, instrument
intQn aud equipment. For weeks. Ia
flsfI lNf Ituf a "a
IN April when the Seventh strobe away
to the COrtlandt street ferry. every man
and boy who could whistle Mt all. was
piping their famous quickstep. "Sky-
rocket the composition of their old
leader. Grafulla. hut the Seventh was
recalled mt the end Of their thirty days.
went home and were mustered ont MS
gray clad pr'vntcs ana corporals and re-.
nppearcd--sOme 800 of their number
MS commissioned officers. either In the
regulars or volunteers The three
months men were rushing to the front
then and, before Bull Run was fought
many of the three year" regiment had
hoen mustered In and We're ready for
uutN' Even among those there came
some capital bands, those from the
western states being without execution
the old fashioned brass. or cornet bauls.
While IN some cases the ca stern binds
were made mp Of both brass and reed
Instruments For q few weeks, when
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth NIasso-
! chusetts were brlgadrd with MS western
ers at kalorama Hill, we had delightful
n,!nsiic every evening. for the bands Of the
ll1ith Wisconsin. Fifteenth MnssDchu-
setts the Brooklyn phalanx" and lntor
The. Nineteenth Massachusetts were
really ine. but not until Badly Smiths
,N,ermonters seized the heights on the
virginia shore at Chain bridge. and orr
brigade Went mp in the dond of night
w. support the move not until our force
al dozen regiments from MI over tbn
North was camppd about the bold and
romantic shores, did we realize how
much there was To army music whether
OF tull bnnd. fife and drum, battery
hugle or cavalry trumpet
II was considered Il great thing In
those days TO haye drum major or n
victorian iter who had been through Tho
Mexican war and was master of mn tho
old army service calls aud MARCHING
iunos; We enjoyed our bands. of course,
ana looked forward with ongcmess to
the afternoon concert, for regularly
every fair day, when o'clock came
around, the really good bands would be
assembled. and then the banks az mo
Potomac seemed hathed in a hood of
martial melody. First, the band az tbc
sixth Maine would strike up nud fnyor
ns with some stirring quickstep. Then
on the roadside north of the new fortj.
iication Forts Ethan Allen nud NInr,vl
the band Of the Third Vermont wonld
chime in with another the instant tbc
echoes Of the first had died away nnd
before the applause for their Effort w,as
stned our own silver comets" Of tbn
First Wisconsin would be uplIfted and md
he woods would ring again And so
II went through those dreamy bogv
autumn days. when the army was HSeS
ting on good ready" and being diIled
and disciplined for the task ahesd Of f.
Another year and the three brigeass
presently assembled there about Sbain
bridge were in the thick of 6ebt aftnr
i1ight and the band men had so,netbins
lar more trying to do than footing for
our entertainment. BY the time tha
thlrd year came around some of those
enthusiastic regiments were not mm,,b
hlgger than the bands behind wbi,5
they had so joyously and prondl,
lfamped across the potomac-thnt Re
~ e9 S"9ipting the recruits sent forward
70 MI the. cups rent by battle ma d;s'
ease. ANA then came the order linit.
ilg ,ne number Of musicians and muster.