Civil War Period Bass Drum
Item #: AA3365
Click on an image to enlarge
This is a Civil War Bass drum made by an unknown manufacturer. This bass drum is 23" tall and 24" across the head. This one has a wooden body with wooden hoops. The original top head is still on the drum and has one tear and one repair. The bottom head is damaged, having a very sizable hole just off center. The wooden body, elm I believe, of the drum was painted gold, but is pretty thin now and the natural color of the wood is showing through in places. There are no repairs that have been performed on the body, it is in very good condition. The original bent wooden hoops are still present and in good condition. They are red on the outside and inside of the hoop. The tension rope looks to be original, the leather tugs are definitely original to the drum. The leather thongs that secure the tugs to the rope are broken on tow of the tugs, but they are still present. The air vent hole ring is securely in place. There is no makers label on the inside of the drum, so I have no idea who made it. There are two rows of 19 brass tacks, one on either side of the vent hole. Two concentric circles of brass tacks surround the vent hole, with a row of 7 tacks above and below the circles. Although there were over 32,000 regulation drums manufactured from 1861 to 1865 for the Union Army, these don't become available very often. Drums were made primarily in the industrialized centers of the Northeast: Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Calfskin or sheepskin heads were tensioned by rope, laced either through holes in the wood hoops or through cast hooks clasped over the hoops. Tension was applied by sliding the tugs or braces down. The decorative braid also provided an extra supply of rope should it break. Snares were usually made of catgut, though rawhide was sometimes used. The crowning glory of many of these drums was their hand painted decorations. Normally the drummer boy would receive his drum with the painting on the shell of the drum. Again, although there were no standards, a blue background was designated for an infantry unit, while a red background signified artillery. An American bald eagle most commonly emblazoned the Federal Army drums but sometimes the Confederates used it as well. Federal drums were also decorated with 13 stars for each of their 13 states. Confederate states were represented with 11 stars. With these beautiful decorations, it is no wonder that these drums were treasured long after the passionate sentiment of America’s bloodiest battle had abated. Here is an opportunity to own a rare but very iconic item from the American Civil War. If you have a dedicated war room, this piece will fit right in!
Shipping Weight:
10 lbs
Item # AA3365
(Sold)
We are currently not accepting on-line orders. If you see something you would like give us a call.