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| Pennsylvania State Archives intern Christie Briley |
Sometimes a good story begins with a mystery. Passed down from family member to family member, the aged drum looked like it had seen better days. The origin and owner were unknown, but there were enough tantalizing breadcrumbs to begin the search.
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A researcher at the
Pennsylvania State Archives was able to verify that this drum,
passed down
through family, likely belonged to her ancestor and Civil War veteran,
John
Heffelfinger, whose regiment fought in the Gettysburg Campaign.
Image submitted
by patron.
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[click on image to enlarge]
Excerpt from
muster-out roll for the 149th Regiment, Company C,
Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry (PVI), showing John Heffelfinger’s August 13, 1862
enlistment as a
musician, in Myerstown, Pennsylvania.
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[click on image to enlarge]
Excerpt from
muster-out roll for 149th Regiment, Company C,
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
(PVI), showing the expense for “…one batterhead and three snare heads.”
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As one of the regiment's musicians, Heffelfinger may have understood the unique demands of war as few others did. A troop musician was the first line of communication on and off the battlefield. Drum calls organized troop movement from Reveille in the morning, indicating a call for officers to attend a meeting, or relaying orders to charge or retreat on the battlefield. He would have been expected to remain at the ready any time of day and to stay awake as long as necessary to call the company to arms. Drummers were often stationed near high-ranking officials on the field of battle to relay orders. After orders were given, the regimental musicians worked as runners or acted in any capacity that was needed including taking up arms and fighting if required. Heffefinger, as the musician with the snare drum, would have also been a vital part of the regimental band. Music, as it does even now, served as a motivational tool to keep up soldiers’ spirits.
When the smoke of war cleared, the 149th Regiment had lost a total of 336 soldiers. Heffelfinger himself lived to join the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), which was a veteran awareness and advocacy group. He died on April 12, 1908, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
The mystery drum still may have more secrets to tell. In her search, our patron found that Heffelfinger's father, William, was a drummer in the War of 1812. As she mused, "Did it start with him [William] in 1812 and get handed down to John?" This new crumb may yield further insight into her family's past.
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