The exhibit at Fort Ward Museum explores the essential role that music played in the daily life of the Civil War soldier, in camp and on the battlefield. The exhibit features a variety of musical instruments and sheet music of the period from the Museum’s extensive Civil War collection.

Musicians were an integral part of Civil War army life. Regimental drummers, fifers and buglers sounded the calls in camp that regulated the soldier’s day, from the wake-up notes of “Reveille” to drills, meals, special duties, and finally “Taps” at night. On the battlefield, their instruments signaled instructions that could be heard over the roar and confusion of combat. On the march, the fife and drum corps set a steady cadence that kept thousands of boots moving in unison.  Music also bolstered the morale of the troops. Many Union regiments had their own bands, inspired by the popularity of the brass band movement of mid-19th-century America, ensembles that performed for dress parades, ceremonies and even during battle to lift the spirits of the men. The repertoire of Civil War brass bands was a mix of stirring patriotic anthems, sentimental parlor songs, and fast-paced “quicksteps” that kept the soldiers in formation.

Highlights of musical instruments on view in the exhibit include a Union infantry drum with painted eagle emblem, examples of fifes and bugles, cymbals, and a number of brass band instruments, including an over-the-shoulder saxhorn, designed to be played with the bell facing the troops marching behind. Examples of sheet music include patriotic anthems like “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Flag of Our Union,” to familiar period songs like “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.” A profile of artist William Lydston, Jr., who served as a musician in a Civil War band, shows several of his drawings in the Museum collection that depict the band performing in camp and on the battlefield.