The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-10-06
BRAVE BAND OF THE FIRST
Accompanied Chorus OF Soldiers That
Sang 1.-The Star SpangIed Bauner."

The band which accompanied the First
Regiment Of the District OF Columbia
[ will ever be memorable in the annals OF
mat organization. Ii will not only be
known as the regimental band OF the
First Volunteer Regiment OF the Dis
trict OF Columbia, but the history OF the
campaign before Santiago can never be
written without including i'm the narra-
tive that inspiring scene which was only
made possible by these musicians, who,
on the 18th OF July, having accompan-
led me regiment to the trenches and
suffered all the hardships of soldiers,
played the "Star-spangled Banner" and
accompanied that grand chorus of SOL
dlers who sang the inspiring words OF
America as their anthem of victory.
The band was mustered into the SER
vice OF the United states June /, 1895,
and left Washington for Tampa June
5, with seventeen men, arriving there
June o, at which place an additional mu-
Sician was received This was Egbert
Hart, who was rated at sergeant, to act
as drum major. More men could have
been detailed for band duty, but there
were no instruments TO give them. The
band remained at Tampa with the regi-
ment until July 2. when they went To
Port Tampa and embarked for Santiago
de Cuba. They disembarked at Siboney
in the afternoon of July IL and marched
to Camp Fish, where they spent the
night. on the following morning at sun
rise they started for the firing line, with
instruments and blankets and haver-
sacks.
The bands of other regiments had
been left at Sboney. so that the First
District of Columbia Volunteers had
with them the only musical organiza-
ton on the firing line at that time 1t
was on the 18th that the band made it
self famous by playing before the lines.
and as the strains of the grand old air
fioated over the trenches 'Col. Harries
waved his sword as a baton and led the
soldiers in singing this patriotic tune.
The air was caught up by the First
Illinois and then by the Seventy-first
New York regiments. and from them
spread throughout the trenches and en-
circled the doomed city Of Santiago
While in the trenches the band played
nearly every national air. including
Sousa's THE Stars and Stripes For
ever" Until after the surrender of san
tiago every member of the band re-
mained i'm good health and they all
agree that they never played with such
fervor as under the trying conditions
they encountered i'm the trenches.
Their long tramn from Siboney.
through mud and water. had put their
musical Instruments in such a condition
az 10 make them almost unfit for
use. Their drum heads rotted out, and
their wind instruments were full of
mud. but. Notwithstanding these OBJ
stacles. they played magnificently.
on July 20 Noble Il. Dawson was
ordered To report 10 Col. Humphrey. at
Santiago. on detachment service. This
reduced the number in the band to Is.
and IL was on this day that members
of the band began to suffer the distem-
pers that We're paralyzing the entire
American forces in Cuba. One after
another they were taken down with
fever. Although the numbers in the
band We're greatly reduced, that or
ganization never missed being on duty
when needed.