U.S. War of 1812 Infantry Artillery Music

During the War of 1812, the Field Music – a unit of the army made up of fife and drum musicians – served a central role in the day-to-day lives of the soldiers. The fifes and drums dictated every aspect of the daily routine playing all duties, calls, and signals; the music told the soldiers when to eat, drill, when to get up and when to retire. Each soldier was expected to know what each call meant, and to respond to it immediately. Like the infantry, artillery musicians wore reversed colors, but with the collar trimmed in yellow, the branch of service color for the artillery at this time. Rarely did all of the components of any artillery regiment serve together, it may have been rare for more than a few musicians to play together. The exception seems to be the 2nd Artillery when they were pressed into service as infantry during the Niagara campaign, which allowed most of the regiment’s musicians to be at the same location and work together.

54mm

Gloss Finish

Three figures in box