Sep 10, 2018 1 min read

Civil War snare drum

This drum was carried by Jesse J. Morris, who enlisted in Cross Creek in 1862, at the age of 26. He was mustered in on Sept. 4, 1862, with the rank of Principle Musician, 140th Pa. Volunteer Company K. He was mustered out May 31, 1865. This drum is one of the few surviving that were carried in battle.

The Civil War drummer boy’s training was rigorous. While there were some formal schools of instruction, most learned on the job, sometimes aided by texts. Drum rolls or calls were a means of communicating the commands of officers to their men. The drumbeat told soldiers when and how to maneuver a smoke-covered battlefield. The drummer also provided a visual location for a soldier’s unit; the enemy knew that if a drummer was taken out, the commander lost contact with his troops.

More than 32,000 regulation drums were manufactured from 1861 to 1865 for the Union Army alone.

Alice Burroughs is a volunteer and member of the antiquities committee for the Washington County Historical Society.