February

An interim report by your friendly chaplain as it relates to the American Civil War;

I recently broke down and purchased the complete O.R. set from the Guild Press of Indiana. This includes:

The War of the Rebellion

(A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies)

* Series I -- Fifty-three volumes (books 1 thru 111), and includes the battle reports for both the Union and Confederate Armies.

* Series II -- Eight volumes and books of Union and Confederate correspondence, orders, reports, and returns relating to POW's and to state or political prisoners associated with the military.

* Series III -- Five volumes and books including Union correspondence, orders, reports, and returns not included in Series I and II (such as annual and special reports of the secretary of War, General-in-Chief, et al. It also includes calls for troops and correspondence between National and State authorities

* Series IV -- Three volumes and books including Confederate correspondence, orders, reports, and returns (as with Series III) but excludes any correspondence between Union and Confederate authorities in that series.

This nearly six hundred page data base includes statistics of Union Regiments (and some Confederate statistics also)

A User's Guide to the Official Records Of the American Civil War by Alan and Barbara Aimone
This is an overview of the history and significance of the Official Records. Mr. Aimone is an historian at West Point.

Military Operations of the Civil War (A Guide Index to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies)

This includes almost one thousand pages of a huge re-indexing effort of the Offical Records done at the National Archives in teh 1960's and 70's resulting in FIVE volumes of index information covering the war by theaters of operation and by state and cross-referencing the Army and Navy records and the OR-Atlas.

Translated ladies and gentlemen and Civil War history buffs, I "hit the mother lode" and now can do some serious digging where others only wished to explore. "On the street", this collection would cost in the vicinity of nearly $6,000 for a hard copy...which would probably fill a small to moderate size home library. So much for "on the street". Counting shipping and handling, the Guild Press of Indiana sold me the entire package on one CD-ROM for less than $85.00. They have copyrights for their effort but are cooperative to the point of quoting matter in a given research. I tell you this as I have already researched quite a bit as it relates to "Wilson's Creek".

Do we have officers and/or staff members of the 2nd who would be interested in what information I have researched on this one topic alone? I kid you not....this "stuff" is dynamite as its in field officers own words...including personal feeling towards how the operation(s) went. I realize we have a contingency going to Wilson's Creek as our National event this year...I'm sure many would appreciate exactly how truly disorganized this less than 7 hour battle was for both sides with great losses of life and much confusion throughout.

Please advise if any of you have an interest in this or if I'm simply "blowing smoke where the sun don't shine". One last piece of information about the O.R. (Official Record); Although it is authored by those who actually fought and accounted for their units, these reports were handed in before a thorough examination of factual statements could be authenticated. Translated: Subject to a certain amount of error at the time of the posting.

Reminder: This coming Saturday is the Lake Mills Conservation Club Annual Banquet. Mark Fritschler and Mark Williams can't make it this year, so I especially need everyone who can make it there to help in the kitchen. I'm going to be there around 6 p.m.

Does anyone have the lyrics to "Bedbug and the Flea?" I think it would be KEWL to be singing that in a Confederate camp since the tune was later usurped for "Marching Through Georgia."

Thanks.

Jay
(who as a British Rev War reenactor really gets a kick out of singing
"To Anacreon in Heav'n" the London drinking song whose tune later became the
"Star Spangled Banner")
Bugler, 21st NCT
jay-callaham@worldnet.att.net
"If you do not receive this, of course it must have miscarried; therefore, I beg you write and let me know." -- Sir Boyle Roche, 18th century MP, with a vision!

Glad you liked the article and I enjoyed your stuff also! Jim Moffet also responded about the tune "The Bedbug and the Flea". I agree with both of you that the TUNE is fine and to the period. It's the words which use that old tune and were arranged to a new smash hit that I was objecting to... As musicians we know the differences between composing, arranging, variations on a theme, and even styles/phrasing of tunes so that they aren't quite the same.
Feel free to add this stuff to mine in any way you want. Jay Callaham has already hinted about putting this into a newsletter.
The more we spread the good word about good ACW music the better!

The 3rd ME Field Music frequently plays "Martial Airs" for various
occasions such as you mentioned, particularly parades, inspections, and (one of our favorites) Bayonet Drill! The only thing we might add is that Commanders like to have us play a fair distance away from the troops so as not to overly distract them or interfere with the Leader's voice commands. We tend to shut up when the Unit is marching about so as not to throw off the Co. Drummer's cadance, which is hard to coordinate with over distance, but resume when they halt to engage in a more stationary activity. This has good effect with spectators as well as participants. A "Duty Drummer" is assigned to stick with the Co. in the field mostly for cadances and the occasional "Fire By Drum", and the Drum Major rotates them with other snare Drummers in the Corps from time to time to keep them fresh. Another Detail a Musician is apt to be detached for (usually a Fifer, as we seem to be somewhat expendable) is to act as an "Interpreter" for spectators during Skirmish Drills, Artillery demos etc. to explain what is going on & field questions.
As CW Field Musicians, when not required for communications etc. were detailed to assist the Surgeons or Ambulance Corps, we as Reenactors when not required to play, routinely check anyone "down" to make sure that they are only suffering a theatrical "hit" and not heat stroke or a "real" injury, and call for / render aid where appropriate. We are the Unit's "Water-Boys", stuffing our haversacks with ice and lugging grain sacks of water jugs up to the line to make sure canteens are topped off and the lads are well hydrated. Anyone who gets played out or suffers a minor injury will be escorted back to the camp or aid station by a Musician. In the 3rd Maine, we look out for one another, and we take care of our own - on or off the field. I'm proud to say that the Field Music / Fife & Drum Corps is actively and regularly engaged in that tradition... as well as offering the jaunty Martial Air from time to time.

I've heard of the bugle being used for accompainiment of various forms of music in the CW in camp or on the march, as well as for it's own instrumental contributions beyond martial communications. Two annecdotal mentions of these applications that I'm aware of occur in the lyrics of period songs; "Bring the good old bugle, boys, we'll sing another song..." of that controversial late-war ditty "Marching through GA", and another published in 1862 by a Mainer, E. W. LOCKE, "We Are Marching On To Richmond". Part of the chorus goes: "Then tramp away while the bugles play, We're marching on to Richmond..."
I suppose that the repitoire would be somewhat limited by the bugle's
range, but this is one area of musical reenacting I don't hear nearly as much of as I would like (competently done, of course). A Reenacting mentor, historian and Guru some years ago claimed that the British tradition of playing "Last Post" and "Flowers of the Forest" on the bugle as "Tattoo" was practiced in many ACW Units. I'd surely like to hear that!

Speaking of "Marching Through.."; Our friends in the 3rd NJ tell us
that that tune was a pre-existing early or pre-war tune formerly known as "The Bedbug and the Flea", popular (can you imagine) with the Confederacy. This legitimizes, they claim, the playing of this melody at any reenactment, regardless of the time period being portrayed. (I might add: for this reason those of a Southern persuasion should desist from the pratice of throwing anything they can get their hands on - not to mention the barrage of dire threats and verbal abuse - at us whenever we play it.) We have been trying in vain to find the original lyrics of this primal version, or documentation to verify our pard's claim.

Did you post your article on any of the forums? If so feel free to also
post this commentary, or let me know that I might.

Keep the good stuff coming, RJ: Good mental stimulation as well as
musical inspiration! Lord knows we can use both!

February 1, 2000
I finally tired of pondering what that belt was, (Photo below) and called Bill Brewster of the Wis. Vet's Museum. Bill knew what I was talking about right away, because before those two photographs surfaced, he hadn't seen any evidence of the Iron Brigade using that kind of accouterment either.

Bill called it a "Billet Belt", and he said they were quite popular with
fire departments around that era. The museum has two or three examples of them in storage, but none from the Iron Brigade. The belts can be made of leather or painted canvas, and usually have a small buckle that's covered over by the belting material. It was popular to have the company (i.e. firehouse) designations painted or embossed on the belts. Bill wouldn't encourage reenactors to go out and start reproducing them. He speculates they were a very early-war fad among garrison troops who couldn't resist
spending their money at the sutlery.
Gary Van Kauwenbergh