The Seventh Regiment Band

 

It's not just their tunics with braided trim,
or their bright white trousers and baldric belts
that draws our attention to this band.  

The photo's sepia tone can't reveal
the full gleam of their brass buttons,
or their colorful swallowtail epaulettes,
or the shine on their brass instruments.

What stands out are the faces of bandsmen
who show a proud professionalism
in their military band.

Today I present a postcard photo 
of a band that was once
one of America's premier military bands,

The Seventh Regiment Band of New York City.

The photo shows a large ensemble of 59 men all dressed in the same fancy gray uniform with white trousers. They all wear the soft Kepi or forage cap that was the standard service hat of the United States Army during the Civil War. There are lots of cornets, trombones, french horns, euphoniums, tubas, clarinets, drums, and maybe a piccolo too. Behind them are several large canvas tents and a wooded hillside. In the top right corner someone has written:

State Camp
Peekskill, N. Y.
6 — 16th 1905

There is no other message since this postcard was intended to have only the address written on the back. It was sent from Peekskill, New York that very day and arrived at the home of Miss M. Chapman of 190 Vernon Ave., Brooklyn, New York later that same afternoon.  

The band is not identified but I could guess that they were a band engaged for a national guard training camp. I've written stories about such bands before in Tenting on the Old Camp Ground and The Band at the Old Campground, but those bands did not wear uniforms like these fellows. In the time before World War One a typical state national guard unit would hire a professional band for a week or two each summer to provide march music and entertainment for the officers and guardsmen doing their annual training encampment. Guard bandsmen were civilian musicians for the rest of the year and only wore a quasi army uniform for a couple of weeks. 

The band in Peekskill however wore tailored uniforms of the highest grade. And they counted over twice the number of bandsmen found in a standard state guard band. Who were they? The answer was easy to find in New York newspapers from June 1905.

New York Daily Tribune
4 June 1905
[click image to enlarge]

The location for the camp was at Peekskill, New York, a small city on the Hudson river about 50 miles north of New York City. It was here in 1882 that the New York State Camp of Military Instruction was established on a farm situated on a bluff that overlooked the Hudson River. In a few years it would be renamed to Camp Smith in honor of Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York. But in 1905 it was just called the State Camp and this was the 24th summer for the annual training of New York's National Guard units. This year the training sessions would be shorter lasting for just three weeks.

For the first week of June 1905 the First and Second Signal Corps and Tenth Regiment were resident. The 10th was a new regiment formed in May of that year with a strength of about 900 guardsmen. Newspapers around the state published long lists of its officers' names and their positions. Gartland's Band of Albany with 30 men was engaged to provide music for the 10th's parades and camp entertainment. This band would return for the third week of State Camp when the 22nd Regiment, Engineers would be resident there.  

Each regiment brought their own tents and equipment but this summer's training had a few innovations. The soldier's uniforms were now made from an olive drab fabric which previously had been in different colors for each regiment. The camp also had a new telephone system, which can be seen in the photo as a line of white poles in the photo. The Y. M. C. A. also had a new restaurant which reportedly had better food than the camp mess. Unfortunately the men endured a wet week with rain on six days out of seven.

Throughout the three weeks of national guard training there was a constant stream of visitors. West Point cadets from the nearby U. S. Military Academy just across the Hudson would come to observe or sometimes participate in mock battles with the guard. The regimental headquarters would often host regular army officers and even a U. S. Navy captain for a few days which always included a lavish meal with entertainment provided by the band. During the week civilians from Peekskill and surrounding area would drop in to watch drills, guard mount parades, or other events during which, of course, the band would play. 

Meanwhile signalman practiced their semaphore flag waving, engineers built floating bridges to cross streams, and riflemen tried to improve their marksmanship at the rifle ranges. The men were issued new Norwegian Krag rifles, considered superior to the old heavy Springfields. However the Krag's lighter barrel was easily bent if dropped which ruined its accuracy. Even the weight of a bayonet was said to eventually put it out of true. 

On Sunday 11 June the Tenth regiment departed and the Seventh Regiment arrived. They wore the new olive drab army uniforms, but had brought along their gray full dress uniforms for ceremonial parades. This regiment did not travel light and also brought along their own band, the celebrated Seventh Regiment Band.  If they were going to march in camp, they would march with style.

Seventh Regiment Armory, 
66th and 67th Streets,
Park and Lexington Avenues, New York City
Source: Wikimedia

The Seventh Regiment of the New York Militia was one of the oldest infantry regiments in New York. It was originally formed in 1806 as a city militia to defend New York City from a British blockade of the port. Over the next few decades the militia was called out to quell riots and protect private property during disturbances in the city. In 1847 it became the 7th Regiment of Infantry in the New York National Guard. During the Civil War the 7th served in the United States Army for several short duties of 30 to 90 days at a time, mainly guarding government positions around Washington, Baltimore, and New York. The unit became known as the "Silk Stocking" regiment or the "Blue-Bloods" because many of its soldiers came from families in New York City's social elite.

Following the war the 7th remained in the State Guard and in 1880 moved its headquarters into a privately funded building on Park Avenue and 67th Street. The Seventh Regiment Armory, now known as the the Park Avenue Armory, housed the administration for the regiment and each of its companies, as well as storage for equipment, rifles, and other arms. The armory's drill hall was under an immense vaulted ceiling supported without columns and measured 200 by 300 feet (61 by 91 m). There was even a 300-foot rifle range in its basement.    

The Seventh Regiment Band was organized in 1852 using German musicians from the city's orchestras and theaters. At the beginning of the Civil War, under the leadership of Claudio S. Grafulla (1812–1880), the band expanded from just brass instruments to including more woodwinds. Grafulla was born on the Spanish island of Menorca and immigrated to the United States in 1828 where he first found work playing the horn in one of New York City's many brass bands. He was also a talented composer and arranger whose popular marches helped establish a new American style band music.   

The band had its own practice room in the armory which is a short distance from Central Park. During the summer months the Seventh Regiment Band regularly performed concerts in the park. Programs were heavy on arrangements of German symphonic and Italian operatic repertoire. The band also played at events in Madison Square Garden and led parades for all sorts of civic and political events in New York.

In November 1899 George Llewellyn Humphrey was appointed as bandmaster of the Seventh Regiment Band to replace Ernest Neyer who had died earlier in August. Humphrey was selected from 150 applicants. He had previously led bands in Revenna and Akron, Ohio and was then musical director at the Herald Square Theatre. Like many of the musicians in New York he worked with both orchestras and bands following the city's entertainment seasons.

Philadelphia Inquirer
26 October 1900

In late October 1900, New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt returned to New York after several grueling weeks spent on the campaign trail. He was the new Republican candidate for vice president, on the ticket with President William McKinley who was seeking a second term. Roosevelt had only been New York's governor since January 1899 but in less than two years had earned a reputation as a reformer and opponent of New York's machine politics.

The Republican County Committee of New York planned a huge reception for Governor Roosevelt at Madison Square Garden. Part of the entertainment would be the assembled turnout of New Yorkers singing the Star-Spangled Banner with "500 trained singers, fifty military bands, and a chorus of 30,000 persons, directed by George L. Humphrey, bandmaster of the Seventh Regiment Band."    

In order to conduct this gigantic choir and band, Bandmaster Humphrey came up with the idea to use the powerful searchlight on the Garden's tower like a giant baton beating the time for the thousands of singers and musicians. The Boston Herald reported the next day that:

    The programme announced that the light would appear at 8:15 o’clock to lead the Roosevelt crowds about the square in the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner," but the singers were ready and waiting long before that signal.

    Promptly to the minute the searchlight flashed out its signal.  It was waved over the crowd and directed upon the various bands.  There was a hush in the assembly as every one strained his ears to catch the first blare of the horns.  Then came the strident note of a bugle, taking up the opening note of the anthem.  This was followed by the full crash of a dozen bands in and around the square, and the thunder of thousands of voices, whose volume rose even above the noise of the instruments.

    When the crowd reached the lines,

        And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,”

        Gave proof to the night that our flag was still there.

the bombs appropriately burst far above the heads of the singers, revealing red, white and blue stars, and showing the banner of the republic, “still high advanced.”  A mighty cheer arose, as the thousands raised in their singing to hail the colors of the flag.

    The light was waved up and down, in short, though precisely regulated, strokes. It was difficult to follow at first, but the singers soon got accustomed to it, and when Mr. Humphrey directed the singing of “America,” the crowd followed with ease and with tremendous effect.  

This was just one example of a monster concert in the golden age of bands. But from our perspective 126 years later, it was also a hint of the many spectacles to come in the new century. One can only imagine the excitement Teddy Roosevelt felt as he listened to the music and saw the adulation of the crowd. Five years later Bandmaster Humphrey and the bandsmen of the Seventh Regiment Band surely remembered that event with great pride as they traded stories over a campfire at Peekskill.

In August of 1905 the Seventh Regiment Band furnished the music for the thirty-ninth annual commencement of the New York College of Dentistry. Three weeks later the band led a parade of firemen in Larchmont, New York. In September they accompanied a male chorus of 400 voices from the United German Singing Societies at a concert in Central Park. And in November the Seventh Regiment Band "of 100 pieces" provided music for a mass meeting of lawyers at Carnegie Hall.

Bandmaster George L. Humphrey continued leading the Seventh Regiment Band until poor health forced his retirement in 1916. He moved to Washington, Pennsylvania where he died of tuberculosis on 28 December 1918. He was 64. 

I think the bandsman standing second left in the postcard photo is Bandmaster George L. Humphrey. This man holds no instrument (the horn to his left belongs to the next man) and a bandmaster was not a drum major, who stands on the opposite side in the full band photo. This man looks to be around age 51 which was Humphrey's age that summer in 1905. He also looks like someone who could easily wield a searchlight to beat 4/4 time if he had to.  

Footnote

Despite a very thorough search of the infinite internet archives I have been unable to find any other photos of the Seventh Regiment Band. This was the band that once led every important parade in New York City for decades. Its bandmasters were highly regarded musicians who composed marches in the same way that John Philip Sousa did with the U. S. Marine Band and his famous Sousa Marine Band. So it surprises me that this little postcard may be the only photo of this premier ensemble which once made a significant contribution to American band music.

Here is the 7th Regiment March

composed by Ernest Neyer (1847–1899)

who briefly was bandmaster of the 7th Regiment Band

from 1898 until his death on 31 August 1899.
He was succeeded by George L. Humphrey
who was the 7th's bandmaster in my postcard from 1905.

The 7th Regiment Band led by Lieut. Francis W. Sutherland
played Neyer's march on this 1923 recording which was made
for the Vocalion label of the Aeolian Company. 

 UPDATE: 

Just two days after I posted this story I tried searching for more information on the Seventh Regiment Band in another archive, Google Books. Much to my surprise a series of books, "The Seventh Regiment Gazette, A Military Review, Devoted to the Interest of the Seventh Regiment and the National Guard" has been digitized and Volumes 19-20 for 1905 was available for download. Not only did this monthly gazette have a day-by-day account of the 7th's week at the State Camp in Peekskill but there were photos of officers and staff.    

"The Seventh Regiment Gazette, A Military Review,
Devoted to the Interest of the Seventh Regiment and the National Guard"
Source: Google Books

On  page 575 of the PDF file are two portraits of Bandmaster Geroge L. Humphrey and Drum Major Charles H. Brown. They both wear very elaborate uniforms much more ornamented than the uniforms the band wears in my postcard. Drum Major Brown looks to be the same man with a mace seen on the far right of the band's photo. But the man I thought was Bandmaster Humphrey does not match the face in his portrait. For one thing Humphrey wears pince nez spectacles but the man in the photo does not. And is that a baton or a light saber that he is holding? 

"The Seventh Regiment Gazette, A Military Review,
Devoted to the Interest of the Seventh Regiment and the National Guard"
Source: Google Books

Just above are portraits of the Regimental and Battalion Sgt-Majors who are wearing guardsmen's dress uniforms. It's a gallant style that reflects the proud military traditions of the Seventh Regiment New York National Guard.   

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where camping tents are 20% off all weekend.

Playing on a Level Field

 

Unlike their usual work attire
these men wore uniforms
that were not regulation issue.
There was no insignia of rank
yet each man knew
their position in the squad.

They shared a common esprit du corps 
as teammates in the great game.

Their focus was always on victory, of course,
but they understood that even in defeat
there was honor and glory, too.

These men were soldiers first
and footballers second,
held captive behind enemy lines.
But they were two teams from rival leagues

that sadly never got to play a match with each other.

The game was a football match, known as match de football in French or a Fußballspiel in German. In this photo postcard two teams are at play on a very sandy ground next to a tall grassy berm. A few bystanders watch along a wire fence that surrounds the playing field. The men are dressed in knee length pants and long sleeve shirts. I believe one team distinguishes itself by wearing white bandanas as a headdress.  

They are all French soldiers of the First World War held captive at a prisoner of war camp in Königsbrück, a small town in Saxony in eastern Germany. I have a large collection of photo postcards from this camp and have written several stories about this remarkable place. My most recent story was in December 2024, The Königsbrück POW Camp, Music in Captivity.  

The Königsbrück POW camp was one of the first camps for captured enemy soldiers set up by the Imperial German military command in August 1914. The camp was situated on the grounds of a large German army base used for infantry and artillery training. Within months the POW camp was filled with thousands of French, Belgian, and Russian soldiers. Later in the war captured Italian and Serb soldiers were added to its prison population. At its height in 1918 there were around 15,000 men housed in barracks that were largely built and maintained by the prisoners.

For reasons I have yet to discover, the commandant permitted photographers to record the soldiers' daily lives at the Königsbrück camp. Thousands of photos were produced and most were used by the imprisoned soldiers for correspondence to their homeland. In my earlier stories I've already covered the music, theater, and some of the art that the prisoners participated in, but they had other recreations too and football was one popular activity. 

The photographs from Königsbrück were printed on postcard stock that had a distinctive imprint on the  back for the photographer, Carl Schmidt, located am Bahnhopf ~ at the train station. This card was sent via the Kriegsgefangenensendung, the prisoner of war postal service, to Mademoiselle Fernande Montels of Decazeville, a commune in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region in southern France, about 100 miles northeast of Toulouse. My understanding is that most of the mail received and sent from German POW camps in WW1 was conveyed across borders via the neutral Swiss Postal Service.

The writer to Mlle. Montels was Alfred Cerene, a French soldier in the 156e infantry regiment. Alfred's postcard has an official prisoner of war mark stamped with a date 28 January 1918. He was now approaching his 4th year in captivity. 

According to records kept at the International Red Cross Archives,  Alfred was captured on 20 August 1914 in a battle at Morchingen or Morhange as it is now known. This commune is in the Lorraine region of northeast France. In 1914 it had a German name because it was part of the French territory that Germany acquired after defeating the French army in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. 

Alfred's unit was part of the French 2nd Army which was deployed against the German 6th and 7th Armies during the Battle of Lorraine (14 August – 7 September 1914), one of first major battle lines on the Western Front. The German forces sustained over 66,500 casualties, including 21,800 dead. The French army reported over 46,000 casualties with many more soldiers captured. This initial conflict was very mobile and volatile. It set up conditions for the long trench warfare that began in late 1914. 

My second image at the top was clipped from this postcard of 29 men arranged in a typical athletic formation. Most wear a kind of football outfit with a few in army uniform. A soccer ball takes center place. They number more than just one team, almost enough for a kind of small league. Behind the group is substantial building with glass windows that looks too respectable to be prisoner barracks. I think it may be a building for the German camp commandant and staff, but the few military jackets and one hat are definitely from the French army. 

This postcard also came from the Königsbrück POW camp as shown on the back. There is no postmark but the front has a note and date:

A moy boy ami Charles Desmone...(?)  en souvenir in de notre captivites. 
~

To my friend Charles Desmone...(?)  in memory of our captivity.

16 – 8 – 17

Unfortunately the soldier's signature is too spikey to decipher
and only Charles knows who it is. 

A second photo of the football match at Königsbrück gets us closer to a goal. It's a rare action shot of men in motion, unlike most of the photos in my collection which are generally static poses for the camera. The goal is just two thin stakes with no net, only a piece of string defines the top.  

This card was also sent by Alfred Cerene to Mlle Fernande Montels of Decazeville. Judging by his calligraphy flourish it looks like he acquired a quality fountainpen. Maybe a gift from Fernande? There is no stamped date so we can only presume that it was sent in the winter of 1918. 

I have over a dozen postcards from Alfred all addressed to Fernande, but I have no way of knowing her relationship with him. The messages have a faint essence of love and hope that still lingers in the paper and handwriting. I like to assume they were sweethearts, but I do not know if they ever married. But since she was the recipient of these cards, I am indebted to her for preserving them. 

The image that starts my story is clipped from a postcard also from a WW1 prisoner of war camp. But this one is more rare, as it is a picture of German soldiers held at French prisoner of war camp. In my collecting experience postcards sent by captured German soldiers are very uncommon compared to those of French POWs. In this photo eleven men with their football, rank and regiment unknown, pose outdoors  on well trampled ground. In the distance behind is a hazy outline of a city. Closer is a barbed wire fence. It's a mix of men in their 20s and 30s, all wearing athletic shorts and jerseys that have no insignia. Since a football team required 11 players, I think this is a picture of a champion team. 

There is no caption or message on the front but the back has the standard French title Carte Postale with a note that looks contemporary with the photo.

Prisoners of War
88 Company
Rouen, Frankreich
2 F...... (Fußballer....?)
m....    1919

Rouen is a port city on the river Seine, about 75 miles northwest of Paris. During the war the British Army set up multiple convalescent depots in Rouen to deal with the thousands of casualties brought in from the front lines. After the war ended, some of these depots were used to house captured German soldiers until they could be repatriated. I believe these soldiers were part of that post-war process. We can't know if they were enlisted men or officers but they certainly shared a common bond as proud footballers.

The photos of the German and French prisoners' football teams are an unusual glimpse into a less brutal, even peaceful, aspect of this terrible Great War. Of course, these pictures bring up questions that may never be answered. Did the POWs ever play against a team of the camp guards? Were there any professional players in the teams? Did anyone save the football?  

According to the Wikipedia entry on Prisoners of War in World War One, during the course of over 4 years of warfare, between 6.6—9 million soldiers from all the belligerent nations were captured and held in prisoner-of-war camps. After the armistice ended the war on 11 November 1918, soldiers held prisoner by the Central Powers of Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire were released very quickly. However those held by the Allied Powers of France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, and the United States were retained for a year or more. Most were not granted freedom to return to their homelands until late 1920. For those held in Russia, where the government had fallen to the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the delay was longer to 1924. For some soldiers like Alfred Cerene these photos served as a memento of a very different experience of the war. A bond of brotherhood made from a shared love of football.

I'll finish with a short film of a football match
that the men in my photos would remember
and may even have attended.
It's was the Football final
of the 1912 Summer Olympics
held in Stockhom, Sweden.
The team from Great Britain beat Denmark,  4 — 2.

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where everyone is a good sport
and plays by the rules.

Tenting on the Old Camp Ground

 

                                We're tenting tonight on the old camp ground,

                                Give us a song to cheer

                                Our weary hearts, a song of home

                                And friends we love so dear.

                        Chorus:

                                Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,

                                Wishing for the war to cease;

                                Many are the hearts looking for the right

                                To see the dawn of peace.

                                Tenting tonight, tenting tonight,

                                Tenting on the old camp ground.

Tenting on the Old Camp Ground  (1863)
words and music by Walter Kittredge
{To listen to this song as you read, skip to the end}

It was a pretty day but very warm. The kind of summer day that if you worked outdoors finding some  cool shade under a tree or a canvas tent was especially appealing. The bandsmen's splendid uniforms were relatively new, bought the past summer, but were better suited for parades in the fall or spring rather than marching in July. The drum heads did not behave well in the heat and the shiny brass cornet and tuba absorbed so much energy from the sun that they became too hot to handle.

The men were members of the Second Regiment of the Minnesota National Guard. Each summer the guard performed its annual duty when multiple infantry and artillery companies from around southwest Minnesota assembled for military training. The town of New Ulm had hosted the previous encampment, and before that Faribault and Winona. This summer it was Mankato's turn. Over ten days the old fairgrounds north of the city near the Minnesota River became home to over 400 soldiers. Since most would arrive by train they formed into their respective companies at Makato's rail station and marched into camp to the accompaniment of the Second Regiment Band. On arrival they were immediately put to work setting up tents and arranging equipment. It would be a busy week. 

On the back of the bandsmen's photograph is a note:

Mankato     July 6th to 16th  1887 

Most newspapers in Minnesota regularly published very detailed reports on all the various National Guard encampments, including those in Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas. The Second Regiment received its share of attention, too, and on 2 July 1887 the Saint Paul Globe published a short announcement on the start of its summer training. At this time the population of Mankato was around 8,000. 

THE SECOND'S ENCAMPMENT. 

    The Second regiment, Minnesota National guards, will enter upon a ten days' encampment at Mankato July 6.  The regiment has an enviable record and is officered by men who have well maintained their reputations as disciplinarians.  Col. Bobleter is well and favorably known throughout the state.  His interest in his regiment and in military affairs generally is little short of enthusiastic and is evident in the high state of efficiency his command has attained.  

    The encampment, which will be the sixth held by the regiment, will still further familiarize its members with the practical duties of the soldier, and cannot fail of lasting good.  It is natural enough that the people of Mankato should look upon the encampment as a highly important event, and that it will be interesting we have no doubt.  Minnesota has good reason for the pride she takes in her militia, and the Second regiment is responsible for having developed a very good share of It.  We hope the encampment will be a huge success. 

Source: Winona by Walter Bennick, 2012

The guard soldiers were not the same as those in the regular army. The guard were primarily civilians and their military service was essentially part-time work and limited to a few weeks in the year. Soldiers  were paid $1.50 per day and officers received a regular officer's pay for their time. The annual encampment was designed to refresh training and discipline. This involved a lot of drills and exercises. For the infantry there were tests of marksmanship at a rifle range. For artillery it was specialized instruction on the bigger ordnance. The band's work entailed playing at the twice-daily guard mount, and giving a concert in the evening.

    

On 6 July 1887 the Saint Paul Globe followed up with a short account of the daily schedule for the guard soldiers. They named their temporary encampment, Camp McGill, after Minnesota's recently inaugurated governor, Andrew Ryan McGill, (1840 – 1905).  

THE SECOND REGIMENT

To Go Into Camp To-Day at Camp McGill,

Mankato.Special to the Globe.
    Camp McGill, Mankato, July 5. — Details from all companies of the Second regiment are at work to-day putting up tents and arranging the camp. The entire body of troops will move in tomorrow under command of Col. Joseph Bobleter. The camp is pitched on a large, level bunch just north of the city, with a splendid look-out and well exposed to the currents of air which constantly move through the valley. Excellent rifle ranges have been prepared and an artillery range is to be constructed with a firing distance of from 2,000 to 3,000 yards.
    The daily routine, as ordered by Col. Bobleter, is as follows: Reveille, 5:15 a. m.; sick call, 5:20; breakfast, 6; battalion drill, 6:30 to 8; guard mounting, 8:30; battalion skirmish drill, 9:10-10:30; rifle practice, 10:30; orderly hour, 11; dinner, 12; officers' school, 2 p. m.; supper, 6; dress parade, 6:50; guard mount, 8; concert by band, 8:30-9:30; tattoo, 9:40; taps, 10. Sunday, July 10, company and battalion drill and rifle practice to be omitted, and divine services held by regimental chaplain at 10:30.
    Tuesday, July 12, is set apart as Governor's Day, when the entire body of troops will be reviewed by Gov. McGill. Company F was the first to report for duty. The boys marched into camp to-day at 4 p. m. 'They presented a fine appearance in their brand new uniforms. After supper they formed in line and Lieut. W. L. Comstock, in behalf of the company, presented Capt. D. F. McGraw with a handsome gold-mounted sword. An informal guard was posted for the night at 8 o'clock to keep off stragglers.

Source: Winona by Walter Bennick, 2012

These encampments were popular with local folk, too, as it offered a kind of live entertainment that was different from a circus or county fair. The Second Regiment Band gave special concerts when the public was invited. The highlight of the 10 day encampment was the "sham battle" when soldiers would divide into two forces to stage a mock combat. Thousands of civilians traveled out to see this military spectacle. 

On 13 July 1887 the New Ulm Review reported on the activities at Camp McGill.

The Second Regiment holds its sixth

annual encampment at Mankato,

July 6th to 16th.

Special Correspondence to Review.

    Mankato, July 11.

    All of the companies comprising the Second Regiment were in camp by Wednesday evening and Mankato began to wear a military air.  Co. A arrived here at 11:30 a. m. Wednesday accompanied by Co. I, of St. Peter.  The site of the encampment, from a military point of view, is one of the most desirable spots that could possibly be selected for the purpose.  Situated on the brow of a commanding knoll about two miles north from the center of the city, it has all the natural advantages to be wished, besides the artificial advantages which a near proximity to the city affords.  The grounds include about 220 acres of level plain—just the kind of a place for the drills and evolutions of a military encampment.  The camp itself is situated at the south end of the field, with the parade and drill grounds to the north.  

    The camp comprises about 160 tents, and is laid out with true military precision and regularity. The different companies are located in the north half of the camp, each company possessing a separate street and two rows of five tents each.  The company streets run north and south.  South of the company streets is a street running east and west with the company officer's tents lining the south side.  Back of these tents are the tents occupied by the band and also the tents of the regimental staff.  Near the south side of the camp are the tent flies which cover the rough board tables that comprise the company dining rooms.  

    Mrs. Jos. Koehler acts as cook for Co. A. and has served us so well that the boys will be sure to find fault with their boardinghouse grub when they return home.  

    The strength of the various companies in camp is as follows:
                Company A               = 37

                      "         B               = 33

                      "         C               =  43

                      "         D             =  40

                      "         E             =  39

                      "         F             =  42

                      "         G             =  41

                      "         H             =  38

                      "         I             =  36

                      "         K             =  28

                      "         H, 3rd Rgt  =  24

                Band             =  17

                Staff & others      = 15

                                   _____

                                      Total        433

    Battery F Fourth Artillery. Maj Geo. B. Rodney commanding, arrived here Thursday evening.  Their "lightning drills" are a feature of the encampment.  So far the boys of Co. A. are all well and have not been obliged to call on Surgeon Berry for medical assistance.   

    Sunday was a glorious day, and it being a day of rest, the boys enjoyed themselves thoroughly.  Col. Bend, Capts. Bean and Bronson, Lieuts. Paltaquist and Clark, Sergt. Maj. Bartram and Principal Musician Neil, of the First Regiment, Gen. Brandt, inspector

general, Capt. Groesbeck, of the United States Army were the guests of the officers of the Second Regiment Sunday.  Monday evening Gov. McGill and staff arrived. The party consists of Gov. McGill, Gen. Seeley, Gen. Richeson, Col. Hawley, Col. Blakely, Col. Caine, Capt. Braden and ex-Gov. Hubbard.  They are the guests of Col. Bobleter and will remain at Mankato until Wednesday evening.  Today (Tuesday) is Governor's day and tomorrow will be sham-battle day.  Saturday, we will break camp.

There were horses too, though it's unclear if they were from a cavalry unit. The stables are visible in the top corner of the bandsmen's photo. Of course officers would either travel in a carriage or ride their own horse to the camp. And certainly there would have been many horse-drawn wagons used to haul the tents, equipment, and miscellaneous paraphernalia.

Source: Winona by Walter Bennick, 2012

The band was a professional ensemble hired for the year by the guards' regimental command. In March 1886 the Germania band of Mankato was "mustered in" by the Second Regiment to perform at its summer encampment and at any parades or events where the regiment was present. The band had a long history in Mankato and numbered 22 musicians in 1887 with "several honorary members in reserve". Many of its musicians were German, Bohemian, or Czech immigrants who had played in European military bands. Reports of the Germania Band engagement as the Second Regiment's Band  promoted them as one of the best bands in the state. During the 10 day encampment the band regularly played  evening concerts and sometimes changed into an orchestra as bandsmen traded brass and woodwinds  for string instruments. I wonder if they got extra pay for doubling on more than one instrument.

One of the other bands considered by the regiment was a band from Albert Lea, Minnesota, whose photo I featured in my story from September 2017, The Lake Park Cornet Band. 

At the end of the encampment the "boys", as they were universally called, returned home to their respective communities, usually treated to a welcoming party at the station with music from their local band. Each town's newspaper heaped fulsome praise on its guard company's soldiers and officers. Every summer it was repeated across the nation as National Guard units in each state fulfilled their two week service. In February 2019 I featured postcard photos from another National Guard band from Washington in The Band at the Old Campgrounds. That encampment occurred 23 years later in 1910. The band uniforms had become more utilitarian and practical then. The tents and cots were about the same though.

In 1887 the "boys" at Camp McGill in Mankato were mostly young men age 20 to 30+ with lives that so far had avoided a major war. But they very likely knew about military service from their fathers who fought in the Union Army during the Civil War of 1861-1865. Minnesota sent around 25,000 men in 11 infantry regiments, two companies of sharpshooters, several units of artillery and cavalry, and several dozen sailors. Minnesotans distinguished themselves in many major battles like Gettysburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, and Atlanta as well as with General Sherman's "March to the Sea."  

The fathers of the soldiers of 1887 might more vividly remember the stories of the Dakota War of 1862 when the Second Regiment was part of a force that fought two battles against Santee Sioux warriors in New Ulm, Minnesota, 30 miles northwest of Mankato. That war cost the lives of 77 soldiers, 36 volunteer guards, and 358 settlers as well as over 150 Sioux.   

In the next decade, some of the men in the Second Regiment may have volunteered for the brief Spanish American War of 1898. Other may have served in the violent occupation of Cuba or the Philippines. In 1917 their sons or grandsons would likely take part in the American Expeditionary Force that President Woodrow Wilson sent to join the Great War in Europe. This list could go on and on, though now 138 years later, it is not just the boys but the men and women who serve in the National Guard. 

Each state's National Guard is still an integral part of our country's armed forces. They even continue to maintain bands in the Guard. But in 2025 the National  Guard face formidable new challenges that America must address. The Guard's main mission is to protect Americans, but sadly, defining who is an American is not so easy anymore. And right now, I don't know what music a band should play. Everything seems out of tune.

I finish with a rendition of the song
that is the title and opening text of my story.
It was popular in the Civil War
and likely sung in Mankato in 1897.
Here is "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground",
written by Walter Kittredge in 1863/64.

 It is performed by Tom Rousha.

                                We've been fighting today on the old camp ground,

                                Many are lying near;

                                Some are dead, and some are dying,

                                Many are in tears.

                        Final Chorus:

                                Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,

                                Wishing for the war to cease;

                                Many are the hearts looking for the right,

                                To see the dawn of peace.

                                Dying tonight, dying tonight,

                                Dying on the old camp ground

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where camping can be fun.
Except for the washing up.
And the mosquitos.
And the rain.

Music Over There

  

My collection has dozens and dozens of photos of military bands on parade, or in concert, or at camp, or on board ship. But this is the first one that shows the most common duty of a military band—playing for a flag ceremony. It's also the first one to show the flag of the United States of America in motion. 

It's a 48-star flag with stars in a neat order of six rows of eight. This was the flag adopted by congress in 1912 after statehood was granted to New Mexico, (#47 - January 6, 1912) and Arizona, (#48 - February 14, 1912). It's fastened to a halyard on a stout pole that is near some barrack-like buildings. Three soldiers stand at the flagpole and near them is the front line of an army band with its drum major at attention.

The rest of the band are behind on a white sand/gravel track. There are about 28 musicians and they seem to be playing as the camera takes their picture. It's an uncommon photo to find as most of the American military bands in my collection are usually posed at ease with their instruments down.

The full photo shows the band and flag. There's even a dog, too. Maybe the band's mascot? What's missing are the rest of the troops saluting the flag. I suspect they are assembled at a parade ground to the left beyond the camera frame.

Despite its uncommon qualities, the photo records a very ordinary event in the daily life of soldiers in camp—a flag ceremony. Here is a description that I found on TodaysMilitary.com. 

Reveille is sounded at bases around the world at sunrise, Reveille signals the beginning of the duty day and is a cue for service members to assemble for a morning roll call. Reveille is accompanied by the raising of the base’s colors and the U.S. flag, during which service members are required to stand at attention and face the colors and flag, if visible. If the flag is not within sight, they are to face the direction of the music. If reveille is followed by playing of the national anthem or “To the Color,” service members should salute for the duration of the song.

Retreat is sounded at sunset, Retreat marks the end of the workday. Retreat is accompanied by a ceremonious lowering of the base’s colors and the U.S. flag, during which service members are required to stand at attention and face the colors and flag, if visible. If the flag is not within sight, they are to face the direction of the music. If retreat is followed by playing of the national anthem or “To the Color,” service members should salute for the duration of the song.

Taps is sounded at 2100 hours (9 p.m.), Taps is the final call of the day, and indicates lights out and marks “quiet time” on the base. Service members do not have to stand at attention or salute at this time. To honor fallen military members, Taps is also sounded at military funerals, during which members are expected to stand at attention and salute for the entirety of the song.

Each day begins and ends with a bugle call and as the flag is raised or lowered buglers play "To the Color" or a band will play the National Anthem. It's a time-honored tradition that is still part of daily military life for American servicepeople. Though since the introduction of recordings, sometimes it's not a live rendition of the bugler's call.

But what made this ordinary photo exceptional was a message on the back. The postcard was printed in France—Carte Postale, Correspondance, Adresse, and has a stamped imprint for PHOTO BERARD, 43, Intendance, Bordeaux. Written in English by a clear hand is a short account of the photo. 

                                    looks west and this one east.  Seems
                                    as tho'  we are right out in the woods
                                    doesn't it  –  but that is just a little
                                    grove of pines.  The different bands
                                    that come through camp play for
                                    "Retreat" and sometimes they give
                                    us a little concert before Retreat.
                                    Gave us a dandy one last night.

The writer is an unknown American soldier, maybe an officer, who has sent this postcard home along with other photos and a letter. Perhaps he even took the photo himself. However this is the only photo I acquired so the rest of his message, as well as his identity, place and date is unknown. But for me what makes it special, of course, is his mention of the band. 

Bordeaux was one of four French ports, La Pallice, Saint Nazaire, and Brest being the other three,  where troops of the American Expeditionary Forces first assembled to join America's allies fighting in World War One. After President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917, it took several months to mobilize a full military force. The first American soldiers did not reach France until June 1917 and then were only a small  force of 14,000. Consequently the AEF did not participate in any significant combat action until late October 1917. Yet problems with transporting troops, weapons, equipment, and supplies across the Atlantic were eventually resolved so that by May 1918 over one million American troops had arrived in France. Before the war ended in November 1918, the United States military numbered 2,057,675 men. 

The soldiers in my photo are wearing the same uniforms, caps, and leggings worn by AEF troops in 1917-18 so I am confident that this is the time frame for this photo and not 1944-45. But there is another little clue in the photo that can help identify which unit the band is attached to. On the bass drumhead is a stenciled shape of a castle that matches the insignia of the Engineer Corps.

1917 U. S. Army Insignia

In the brief time that U. S. troops were Over There, around 200 bands were deployed to France. There were headquarters bands for infantry, cavalry, engineers, field artillery, and coast artillery, not to mention navy bands too. This decision to promote military bands came straight from the top, Major General John J. Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force. On his arrival in France in June 1917 General Pershing was impressed by the high quality of French and British army bands and dismayed by the dismal contrast that American bands made. He resolved to make sure that training army bandsmen was included in the vast AEF preparations for war. 

This photo is a small example of how music and army traditions are tied together. Pershing had to organize and prepare millions of men to engage in a foreign war. After three years of bloodshed there was no mystery about the dangers American troops would face. President Wilson urged that Americans should undertake this action to "Make the world safe for democracy." But with millions of men being drafted into military service slogans were not enough. Americans needed to be inspired to accept this perilous mission. Music played a part. 

In 1917 "The Star Spangled Banner" was a song usually played only by military bands. Though Francis Scott Key's patriotic poem from 1814 had been first adopted as a ceremonial standard by the United States Navy in 1889, and later played by army and guard bands, the U. S. Congress waited until March 1931 to make it the official national anthem of the United States. Yet because of the message I think it very likely that the band in this photo is playing "The Banner" as the flag is being lowered for Retreat.

Today is Saturday 24 May, 2025. This Monday will be Memorial Day, a National Holiday when Americans honor the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. This sacrifice has a special meaning for servicemen and servicewomen who remember their comrades on this day. 

In World War One, as American soldiers fought alongside soldiers from France, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia against the Imperial German Army, the cost of war acquired a greater significance. Between April 1917 and 11 November 1918, the American Expeditionary Force sustained about 320,000 casualties: 53,402 battle deaths, 63,114 noncombat deaths and 204,000 wounded. It is for them that we pause when we see the flag, put a hand to our heart or give a salute, and listen to our national anthem. 

The U. S. Army has a channel on YouTube

which has this brief explanation on

Rendering Honors to the Colors of the Flag.

And to finish here is an excerpt

of the Retreat Ceremony

from the 1942 film The Bugle Sounds.

It depicts a different war from the one

experienced by this unknown Engineers Band 

and it's a Hollywood movie, of course,

but the military tradition is the same then

as it was in 1918

and as it is in 2025. 

"The Bugle Sounds" is a 1942 American movie directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Wallace Beery as a cavalry sergeant in World War Two. The sergeant is opposed to replacing horses with modern tanks and his resistance gets him kicked out the army. But it's a fake setup to turn him into a double agent against German spies. This excerpt may be only memorable part of the film. 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where forgotten family photos

are a familiar family tradition.