Stonewall Brigade Band |
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The Stonewall Brigade Band is a community concert band based in Staunton, Virginia. It is the United States's oldest continuous community band sponsored by local government and funded, in part, by tax monies.[1] Originally a brass band, the band was formed in 1855 as the Mountain Sax Horn Band. It was also called Turner's Silver Cornet Band by 1859,[2][3][4] for its first director, A. J. Turner. At the onset of the American Civil War, the band was mustered into the 5th Virginia Infantry Regiment under Stonewall Jackson.[5]
Antebellum history[]
Alto saxhorn used in the band's antebellum performances.
In Staunton, Virginia in 1855 one David W. Drake wished to found a band. He enlisted the help of his former music teacher in Newtown. Drake prevailed upon A. J. Turner to move to Staunton.[1][6] These two and other white, male citizens of the city formed the Mountain Saxhorn Band.[7][8][9] The band's first formal concert occurred on July 17, 1857 at Union Hall on Beverley Street in Staunton. On April 4, 1861, Turner's Silver Cornet Band, together with the Staunton Musical Association and the Glee Club, presented at Armory Hall the last concert that was to be given before the Civil War.
Civil War[]
The band earned the name Stonewall Brigade Band soon after First Manassas,[10] and has been known as such ever since. In addition to their instruments, the band members also fought and acted as couriers and letter bearers[11] or medical assistants.[10] In addition to entertaining the troops in the field, they frequently appeared in concerts in Fredericksburg, Richmond, Staunton, and elsewhere to help recruiting rallies, clothing drives, and war relief fund raising.
Post war reorganization[]
The band was reorganized in 1869 with A. J. serving as leader. His son T. M. Turner served as assistant leader.[12]
In 1885 the band presented the daughter of Stonewall Jackson a wedding gift of a souvenir band roster printed on white satin.[13]
Members[]
Original members[]
The earliest records list fourteen original members:[14]
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Original war-time members[]
These men made up the original, officially authorize Fifth Regiment Band:[15]
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List of directors[]
Directors of the Stonewall Brigade Band include:
- A. J. Turner (1855–1884)
- F. R. Webb (1884–1892)
- Francisco Touchon (1892–1892)
- Thomas Prosho (1892–1893)
- J. M. Brereton (1893–19040
- Thomas H. Beardsworth (1907–1922)
- Martin G. Manch
- Arthur Johnson (1922–1925)
- Roy W. Wonson
- William H. Ruebush
- Josef Studeny (1940–1948)
- John P. Swiecki
- Paul B. Sanger
- Raymond Borrell
- Robert N. Moody
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "History". http://www.stonewallbrigadeband.com/History/body_history.html. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ↑ "The Concert". Staunton Vindicator. June 1, 1860. p. 2. http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/news/rv1860/va.au.rv.1860.06.01.xml#02.
- ↑ "Staunton's Stonewall Brigade Band". http://vshadow.vcdh.virginia.edu/memory/augustamemory_p3b.html. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- ↑ "We call attention to the advertisement...". Republican Vindicator. June 4, 1859. http://vshadow.vcdh.virginia.edu/New/news.rv/rv29.gif.
- ↑ John Overton Casler. Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade. p. 48. https://books.google.com/books?id=TAMTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ↑ "Deaths During the Week". Staunton Spectator and vindicator. October 29, 1909. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024720/1909-10-29/ed-1/seq-3/print/image_681x640_from_304%2C0_to_4250%2C3714/.
- ↑ Marshall Moore Brice. The Stonewall Brigade Band.
- ↑ Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia. 3. p. 2583. https://books.google.com/books?id=ihwSAAAAYAAJ&q=stonewall+brigade+band&dq=stonewall+brigade+band&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nHyYT-OAPYLt0gGg-_m-Bg&ved=0CGgQ6AEwCQ.
- ↑ J. A. Hiner. "The Stonewall Brigade Band". p. 304. https://books.google.com/books?id=9s8_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA304#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 James I. Robertson. The Stonewall Brigade. p. 47. https://books.google.com/books?id=wMCusDZL3lgC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ↑ The Civil War Paintings of Mort Künstler. p. 142. https://books.google.com/books?id=I-uQ62-77xsC&pg=PA142#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ↑ "Reorganized". Republican Vindicator. November 19, 1869. http://vshadow.vcdh.virginia.edu/saxon/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=/xml_docs/valley_news/newspaper_catalog.xml&style=/xml_docs/valley_news/news_cat.xsl&level=edition&paper=rv&year=1869&month=11&day=19&edition=rv1869/va.au.rv.1869.11.19.xml.
- ↑ "Handsomely Done". Staunton Spectator. June 3, 1885. http://virginiachronicle.com/cgi-bin/virginia?a=d&d=SS18850603.1.3&srpos=30&e=------188-en-20-SS-21--txt-IN-+%22A.+J.+Turner%22----#.
- ↑ Brice 1967, p. 4
- ↑ Brice 1967, p. 27
- Marshall Moore Brice (1967). The Stonewall Brigade Band.
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Stonewall Brigade Band and the edit history here.