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The romantic idea about drummers is that they were young boys (for instance the
Christmas carol "The Little Drummer Boy", or the painting "Steady the Drums and Fifes"). Drummers were more often adult men, recruited like the common soldiers. Fifers, on the other hand, being not an official part of the
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army a few hours previously. An eyewitness reported that "Even the little drummer boys that we had in the band, they were hung up on hooks, and opened like sheep. It was a pitiful sight". Doubt has since been cast on this account, since the youngest drummer to be killed was 18, and the youngest boy
57:
for use on the battlefield. Drums were part of the battlefield for hundreds of years, being introduced by the
Ottomans to Europe. Chinese armies, however, had used drums even before this. With the professionalization of armies, military music was developed as well. Drums were used for the men to
87:
by the adult soldiers. The life of a drummer boy appeared rather glamorous and as a result, boys would sometimes run away from home to enlist. Other boys may have been the sons or orphans of soldiers serving in the same unit. The image of a small child in the midst of battle was seen as deeply
249:
at
British positions. Accompanying the attack was an unnamed drummer boy of the 77th, who seeing a Russian boy trumpeter trying to escape, caught hold of him and beat him with his fists "in truly British fashion" until he surrendered. The boy presented the Russian trumpet to Sir
66:
being used to signal different commands from officers to troops. By the second half of the 18th century, most (if not all) Western armies had a standardized set of marches and signals to be played, often accompanied by
296:. "During a charge on the enemy's guns, Drummer Flynn, although wounded himself, engaged in a hand-to-hand encounter with two of the rebel artillerymen". He remains the youngest recipient of the medal.
80:
regiments early on, were usually recruited from young boys. During the second half of the 19th century, it was accepted in many western armies that under aged boys served as drummers.
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across a river while holding his drum over his head, and on reaching the far bank, beat the "charge". This led to the capture of the bridge and the rout of the
572:
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with the infantry, until they were finally abolished in the field in 1917. Drums, like other instruments, were now only used for parades and ceremonies.
274:
183:
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332:
176:, was killed by royalist counter-revolutionaries, supposedly while he was shouting "Long live the Republic!". His body was interred at the
352:, who had unofficially joined a Union Army regiment at the age of 9 as a drummer and mascot, became famous as "The Drummer Boy of
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in the signalling role, although it was often the drummers who were required to play them. A widely reported incident at the
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poignant by 19th-century artists, and idealized boy drummers were frequently depicted in paintings, sculpture and poetry.
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38:
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Although there were usually official age limits, these were often ignored; the youngest boys were sometimes treated as
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with the reluctant permission of his father at the age of 12 years, 5 months and 9 days. On
September 17, 1862 at the
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The use of drums beyond the parade ground declined rapidly as the 19th century progressed, being replaced by the
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416:. Part of the British force returned to their camp at night to find that it had been overrun by the
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shows a small drummer boy in the ranks, despite the youngest soldier present being over 16 years old
111:
714:
498:
A Civil War
Treasury: Being a Miscellany of Arms and Artillery, Facts and Figures, Legends and Lore
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122:
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339:
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45:, one of many depictions in 19th-century art of drummer boys in heroic or sentimental contexts
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and playing the regimental march on his bugle, while under heavy fire from the rebel forces.
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signalled the arrival of his regiment to the besieged garrison, by climbing the spire of the
429:, shows a small blond-haired boy amongst the adult soldiers. The US Army kept drummers and
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8:
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A statue depicting André Estienne, the "little drummer of Arcole", in his home town of
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Fondation Napoléon – Honorary drumsticks presented to the drummer of Arcole
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The night guard (including, in the foreground, a young drummer wearing a
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of 1879, spelled the end of boys being sent on active service by the
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161:; he joined the North Carolina Continental Militia at the age of 7.
34:
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Soldiers: Army Lives and
Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors
360:" and shot a Confederate officer who had demanded his surrender.
157:(1773–1829) was said to have been the youngest drummer boy in the
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was the youngest recorded person wounded in battle during the
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68:
655:
Zulu Rising: The Epic Story of iSandlwana and Rorke's Drift
593:
Medals of the
British Army: and How They Were Won: Volume 1
528:
Images of the Army: The
Military in British Art, 1815–1914
74:
477:
U.S. Civil War
History & Genealogy – The Drummer Boys
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army. Despite being 19 years old, he became famous as
335:, carried from the field and died three days later.
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march in step and were also an important part of the
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on some rifle pits which the
Russians were using to
331:he was mortally wounded near or in the area of the
696:
319:was the youngest soldier killed in the entire
16:Youth employed to play a drum in the military
618:"Athlone Heritage – Drummer Thomas Flynn VC"
241:, there was a bayonet attack by the British
363:An 11-year-old drummer in the Confederate
595:, Groombridge and Son, London 1861 (p.77)
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298:
138:
127:
110:
95:
33:
18:
677:Isandlwana 1879: The Great Zulu Victory
560:(in French). Retrieved: 19 January 2015
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307:and carrying a bugle) arriving at the
323:(1861–1865). Charles enlisted in the
254:and he was later rewarded by General
121:, an 1854 painting by English artist
531:, Manchester University Press 1988,
325:49th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
62:communications system, with various
27:depicts drummers and fifers at the
13:
680:, Osprey Publishing Limited 2002,
269:, 12-year-old Drummer Ross of the
180:along with other national heroes.
14:
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421:present was 16. Despite this,
192:Battle of the Bridge of Arcole
23:Steady the Drums and Fifes by
1:
555:http://www.histoire-image.org
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75:The idea of the "Drummer Boy"
427:The Last Stand at Isandlwana
389:The Last Stand at Isandlwana
338:Twelve-year-old drummer boy
212:The Little Drummer of Arcole
159:American War of Independence
7:
515:, Harper Press 2011 (p.275)
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280:On 28 November 1857 at the
172:drummer at the time of the
10:
741:
500:Da Capo Press 1992 (p.107)
378:
214:), and is depicted in the
194:in 1796, where he led his
282:Second Battle of Cawnpore
258:, the British commander.
233:On 19 April 1855, at the
204:Le Petit Tambour d'Arcole
453:Military use of children
267:Indian Rebellion of 1857
53:was responsible for the
222:, also in paintings by
106:Charles Moreau-Vauthier
558:L’Histoire par l’image
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375:at a critical moment.
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151:
136:
125:
108:
46:
31:
575:May 28, 2012, at the
526:J. W. M. Hichberger,
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356:" where he played a "
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290:64th Regiment of Foot
288:, a drummer with the
243:77th Regiment of Foot
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131:
114:
99:
37:
25:Lady Elizabeth Butler
22:
725:Obsolete occupations
486:, genealogyforum.com
425:'s famous painting,
406:Battle of Isandlwana
92:Notable drummer boys
423:Charles Edwin Fripp
394:Charles Edwin Fripp
235:Siege of Sevastopol
186:was a drummer with
117:Battle of Balaclava
482:2021-05-14 at the
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344:American Civil War
329:Battle of Antietam
321:American Civil War
317:Charles Edwin King
315:Thirteen-year-old
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292:, was awarded the
188:Napoleon Bonaparte
152:
149:American Civil War
137:
126:
109:
47:
32:
373:regimental colors
371:by taking up the
275:Shah Najaf Mosque
216:Panthéon in Paris
174:War in the Vendée
170:French Republican
43:Archibald Willard
39:The Spirit of '76
29:Battle of Albuera
732:
689:
672:
666:
657:, Pan Books 2011
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620:. Archived from
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561:
546:
540:
523:
517:
511:Richard Holmes,
508:
502:
496:Albert A. Nofi,
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487:
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369:Battle of Shiloh
271:93rd Highlanders
263:Siege of Lucknow
224:Charles Thévenin
168:, a 14-year-old
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739:
735:
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715:Children in war
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606:Holmes, (p.275)
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577:Wayback Machine
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551:La Mort de Bara
548:Dupuy, Pascal,
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494:
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484:Wayback Machine
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443:Musician (rank)
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309:Bank of England
220:Arc de Triomphe
190:'s army at the
123:Richard Buckner
94:
77:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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720:Military music
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664:978-0330445931
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609:
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541:
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462:
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458:Military drums
455:
450:
448:Corps of Drums
445:
438:
435:
410:Anglo-Zulu War
380:
377:
365:Orphan Brigade
294:Victoria Cross
284:, 15-year-old
184:André Estienne
155:Nathan Futrell
93:
90:
76:
73:
64:drum rudiments
15:
9:
6:
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2:
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686:1-84176-511-2
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642:Nofi, (p.108)
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624:on 2011-10-08
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588:Thomas Carter
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537:0-7190-2575-3
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710:Child labour
705:Army history
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675:Ian Knight,
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653:Ian Knight,
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626:. Retrieved
622:the original
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286:Thomas Flynn
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252:George Brown
232:
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143:Drummer boy
115:
82:
78:
50:
48:
408:during the
354:Chickamauga
305:laced tunic
265:during the
256:Lord Raglan
239:Crimean War
237:during the
218:and on the
166:Joseph Bara
147:during the
119:Drummer Boy
102:Joseph Bara
60:battlefield
699:Categories
628:2013-02-06
464:References
333:East Woods
55:army drums
358:long roll
350:John Clem
196:battalion
164:In 1793,
145:John Clem
100:Death of
573:Archived
480:Archived
437:See also
200:Austrian
178:Panthéon
539:(p.101)
379:Decline
261:At the
134:Cadenet
85:mascots
51:drummer
688:(p.64)
684:
662:
535:
431:fifers
311:, 1906
208:French
69:fifers
402:bugle
247:snipe
682:ISBN
660:ISBN
533:ISBN
418:Zulu
226:and
392:by
346:.
104:by
41:by
701::
590:,
230:.
210::
71:.
49:A
631:.
206:(
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