Was Carrington Backsticking in the 1870s? YES!

And, on another page from the "There's Nothing New Under the Sun" book, it looks to me that champion drummer A.R. Carrington had mastered backsticking (at least right-handed backsticking) and a few other tricks we haven't seen recently (e.g., a 5-stick solo) as early as the 1870s as depicted in the bottom middle image of this collage from that period.

From the digital collection of the New York Public Library.
Image Title: A.R. Carrington, champion drum soloist, 1870s.
Creator: Armstrong & Co. (Boston, Mass.) -- Lithographer
Published Date: 187-
Medium: Lithographs
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 27.6 x 21.4 cm.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832408
Record ID: 1062097
Digital Item Published: 1-29-2008; updated 2-29-2008

Until this blog's editor saw and studied of the above print, it had been commonly thought that backsticking originated in 1938 based on the work of Joe Marrella who wrote in "The Baron of Backsticking" (which originally appeared in the December 2007 edition of Drum Corps World (Volume 36, Number 15)) as follows:

Believe it or not, BackSticking was developed in 1938 by its creator as a method to improve a drummer’s left hand. The first BackSticking exercise was accenting triplets. The technique was first taught to the Air Force snare drum section in 1958 by my dear friend, my mentor, my instructor, and the person most responsible for my success in drum corps, as well as scores of others.

His name is John Dowlan. To me, he is the “Baron of BackSticking”.

However, notwithstanding Joe Marrella's worthy addition to drumming source material, it is now clear that some form of the technique was practiced by A.R. Carrington some 60 years ealier than 1938, in the 1870s, as evidenced by the drawing illustrating Carrington's right hand in the middle of a backsticking flip. That is beyond argument.

See also "Backsticking -- A Drumming Technique Institutionalized by John Dowlan",this blog, December 28, 2008.

Related Information:
Also, see advertisement, column 5 in the July 19, 1879 edition of the New York Clipper, p. 185 advertising the appearance of A.R. Carrington, Champion Drum Soloist, among 75 artists performing at the National Theater in Cinncinnati that season.

And, see the Utica New York Observer, July 3, 1878:

Prof. A.R. Carrington divided the honors with Mr. Russell. His first appearance was with a splendid snare drum, which he played with piano accompaniment. The manner in which he handles the drum-sticks is something marvelous, and the musical effects produced are wonderful. During his most rapid performance a drum stick would be seen whirling in the air, or would be thrown from behind up under one leg, and caught, the most exact time being kept the while. It was reserved for the Professor to close the entertainment with his "Points of War." [Ed. Note: "Points of War" is also known as "Three Camps" according to "Drummers from the Past", by Jack Lawton. But "Points of War" may have referred to one or more other pieces, possibly in the Camp Duty. See, e.g., The Demon Drummer of Tedworth; "Soldiers of the English Civil War (1)" by Keith Roberts, Angus McBride, Osprey Pub., at p. 49. Points of war are referred to as "signaled commands", different from the Camp Duty in "Drum Calls" by Jeff Nordin and Charles Knutson, part of Clann Tartan Manual, Edition VII, edited By Maeve Kane.] On this occasion he had the addition of a bass drum placed two chairs at his side. The scientific drumming in this piece is not to be described. To one who has not heard it, it would seem utterly impossible that so vivid a picture of army [movements?], concluding with a severe battle, could be given by the means employed. With the aid of the synopsis printed on the program, it was not difficult to follow the often different features to the end. The clock struct ten but the audience followed him attentively to the close. We would be pleased to receive another visit from the champion and charming drummer of [Shiloh?].

Note: The 5th edition of The Chicago Blue Book (1894) (self-described as "a book containing a list of fashionable addresses") lists a Mr. and Mrs. A.R. Carrington residing at 645 Adams St., Chicago.

The Phenomenal Digital Collection of Prints of the New York Public Library

The images below are on-line at the digital collection of prints of the New York Public Library.

Image Title: [Group of boys in military costume, holding rifles, flags and a drum.]
Creator: Leck, George H. -- Photographer
Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views. / United States. / States / Massachusetts. / Stereoscopic views of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Source Description: Approx. 72,000 stereoscopic views : 10 x 18 cm. or smaller.
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Catalog Call Number: MFY Dennis Coll 90-F243
Digital ID: G90F243_019F
Record ID: 656020
Digital Item Published: 8-31-2005; updated 7-22-2008


Image Title: Tattoo in camp.
Published Date: 1890
Depicted Date: 1863
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 15 x 29 cm. (5 3/4 x 11 1/2 in.)
Notes: Printed on border: "115" Written on border: "Gettysburg"
Original Source: From An artist's story of the great war, 30 years after . . . : illustrated with nearly 300 relief etchings after sketches in the field, and 20 half-tone equestrian portraits from original oil paintings. (New York : Fords, Howard & Hulbert, c1890) Forbes, Edwin (1839-1895), Author.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / American history -- 1863
Source Description: 4 folders (152 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC AME-1863
Digital ID: 813432
Record ID: 702584
Digital Item Published: 10-28-2005; updated 1-16-2008


Image Title: Timbalier, tambour a cheval. XVIIe siècle. Règne de Louis XIV.
Alternate Title: Costumes de Paris a travers les siècles.
Creator(s): Garcia -- Artist
Chevrolat -- Engraver
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : col. ; 17.3 x 23 cm.
Notes: Written on border: "French army"
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832410
Record ID: 1062099
Digital Item Published: 2-29-2008; updated 3-15-2008


Image Title: Rappahannock Station, Va., Feb. 13, 1864.
Alternate Title: [Rappahannock Station, Virginia, February 13, 1864.]
Creator: Forbes, Edwin, 1839-1895 -- Artist
Published Date: 1890
Depicted Date: 1864
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 30.6 x 21.8 cm.
Notes: Printed on image: "From life"
Original Source: From An artist's story of the great war, 30 years after . . . : illustrated with nearly 300 relief etchings after sketches in the field, and 20 half-tone equestrian portraits from original oil paintings. (New York : Fords, Howard & Hulbert, c1890) Forbes, Edwin (1839-1895), Author.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832436
Record ID: 1062125
Digital Item Published: 1-29-2008; updated 2-29-2008


Image Title: View of a boy with a drum and a dog. Dubuque, Iowa.
Alternate Title: Scenery on the Mississippi & tributaries in the vicinity of Dubuque, Iowa.
Creator: Root, Samuel, 1819-1889 -- Photographer
Created Date: ca. 1867
Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views. / United States. / States / Iowa. / Stereoscopic views of Dubuque, Iowa / by S. Root.
Source Description: Approx. 72,000 stereoscopic views : 10 x 18 cm. or smaller.
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Catalog Call Number: MFY Dennis Coll 90-F193
Digital ID: G90F193_001F
Record ID: 654217
Digital Item Published: 6-15-2005; updated 7-22-2008


Image Title: Drum Beaten at the Battle of Lexington by William Dimond, Now in Possesion of the Lexington Historical Society. The Long Roll on This Drum was the First Overt Act of the Revolution
Additional Name(s): Lexington Historical Society (Mass.) -- Copyright Holder
Medium: Offset photomechanical prints
Specific Material Type: Photomechanical prints
Source: Detroit Publishing Company postcards / Unnumbered cards
Source Description: 347 postcards
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Catalog Call Number: MFY 95-29
Digital ID: 79331
Record ID: 204685
Digital Item Published: 4-9-2004; updated 7-28-2007


Image Title: [View of a large bass drum.]["LET US HAVE PEACE"]
Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views. / United States. / States / Massachusetts. / Stereoscopic views of the Boston coliseum and the peace jubilees, 1869, 1872.
Source Description: Approx. 72,000 stereoscopic views : 10 x 18 cm. or smaller.
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Catalog Call Number: MFY Dennis Coll 90-F330
Digital ID: G90F330_014F
Record ID: 658677
Digital Item Published: 3-9-2006; updated 7-22-2008


Image Title: L'ancien tambour supprimé dans l'armée par le général Farre et rétabli par le général Billot.
Creator(s): Hyon, Georges Louis, b. 1855 -- Artist, Coste -- Engraver
Published Date: 1882
Medium: Engravings
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 27.2 x 22.5 cm.
Notes: Written on border: "Le Monde illustre July 15, 1882"
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832404
Record ID: 1062093
Digital Item Published: 1-29-2008; updated 2-29-2008


Image Title: Johnnie Clem, the drummer of Shiloh.
Published Date: 1891
Depicted Date: ca. 1862
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 12.7 x 7.5 cm.
Notes: Illegible artist signature on image.
Original Source: From Historical collections of Ohio . . . contrasting the Ohio of 1846 with 1886. (Columbus : Henry Howe & Son, 1891) Howe, Henry (1816-1893), Author.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832409
Record ID: 1062098
Digital Item Published: 1-29-2008; updated 2-29-2008


Image Title: Leut. "Jimmy" Europe and his famous band; Another drum, beaten by Willie Webb, of Louisville, Ky., was a trophy left by the Germans when they retreated hurriedly in the Champagne engagement.
Additional Name(s): Miller, Kelly, 1863-1939 -- Author
Medium: Halftone photomechanical prints
Specific Material Type: Prints
Item/Page/Plate: Plate # 34 + C
Source: Kelly Miller's history of the world war for human rights; being an intensely human and brilliant account of the world war and why and for what purpose America and the allies are fighting and the important part taken by the Negro, including the horrors and wonders of modern warfare, the new and strange devices, etc. ... by Kelly Miller ... illustrated with 128 genuine pictures from recent official photographs, also outline map drawings.
Source Description: xiii, 17-608 p. front., illus., maps, plates (1 double) ports. 21cm.
Location: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / General Research and Reference Division
Catalog Call Number: Sc 940.9-M (Miller, K. History of the world war for human rights)
Digital ID: 1206660
Record ID: 482393
Digital Item Published: 4-15-2004; updated 10-4-2007


Image Title: [....] Infanterie [Two soldiers in white uniforms with read trim. First soldier is playing a drum, the second is blowing a bugle.]
Creator: Cenni, G. -- Artist
Additional Name(s): Vinkhuijzen, Hendrik Jacobus -- Collector
Medium: Pen works
Specific Material Type: drawings
Source: The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms / Mexico. / Mexico, 1826-1862 [part 1].
Source Description: 26 drawings : pen work: 20 x 12 cm. or smaller; 10 prints : lithographs ; 20 x 12 cm. or smaller
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / General Research Division
Catalog Call Number: 8-MMEH (Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms), vol. 472
Digital ID: 76664
Record ID: 120886
Digital Item Published: 2-20-2004; updated 1-16-2008


Image Title: The Infant Drummer, Wm. Henry Marsh. Aged 2½ Years.
Medium: Engravings
Specific Material Type: Prints
Source: Muller Collection / William Henry Marsh
Location: The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts / Music Division
Catalog Call Number: Muller Collection (Marsh, William Henry #1)
Digital ID: 1270440
Record ID: 624934
Digital Item Published: 10-24-2005; updated 7-31-2007


Image Title: The drummer-boy.
Alternate Title: [Drummer for the French army, 19th century.]
Creator(s): Yves & Barret -- Engraver Neuville, Alphonse Marie de, 1835-1885 -- Artist
Created Date: 1877
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 18.3 x 12 cm.
Notes: Printed on border: "Fac-simile of a sketch from the original painting by A. De Neuville."
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832412
Record ID: 1062101
Digital Item Published: 1-29-2008; updated 2-29-2008


Image Title: A morning lesson.
Alternate Title: Drummer boys with Sherman at Atlanta, 1864.
Creator: Forbes, Edwin, 1839-1895 -- Artist
Published Date: 1890
Depicted Date: 1864
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 8.5 x 10.3 cm.
Original Source: From An artist's story of the great war, 30 years after . . . : illustrated with nearly 300 relief etchings after sketches in the field, and 20 half-tone equestrian portraits from original oil paintings. (New York : Fords, Howard & Hulbert, c1890) Forbes, Edwin (1839-1895), Author.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832413
Record ID: 1062102
Digital Item Published: 2-29-2008; updated 3-15-2008

Image Title: The drummers of the Republic.
Creator: Jimenez, Luis -- unknown role
Additional Name(s): Boussod, Valadon & Co. -- unknown role
Published Date: 1896
Specific Material Type: Prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : col. ; 14 x 23 cm. (5 1/2 x 9 in.)
Notes: Printed on border: "Publication authorized by the artist." "Typogravure Boussod, Valadon & Co, Paris." "From the painting by Luis Jimenez." Stamp imprint on border: "Gift of A.A. Hopkins." Underneath signature on image: "[illegible] [1871?]."
Original Source: From Life of Napoleon Bonaparte. (New York : Century, 1896) Sloane, William Milligan (1850-1928), Author.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Army -- France -- 1700s
Source Description: 2 folders (53 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC ARMY-Fra-17
Digital ID: 830359
Record ID: 707273
Digital Item Published: 10-28-2005; updated 1-16-2008


Image Title: [Studio view of a group of women holding brooms(?) and 1 woman with a drum.]
Source: Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views. / United States. / States / Massachusetts. / Stereoscopic views of Lowell, Massachusetts.
Source Description: Approx. 72,000 stereoscopic views : 10 x 18 cm. or smaller.
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Catalog Call Number: MFY Dennis Coll 90-F246
Digital ID: G90F246_044ZF
Record ID: 656094
Digital Item Published: 8-31-2005; updated 7-22-2008


Image Title: Clarence Mackenzie.
Depicted Date: ca. 1861
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 14.2 x 11.2 cm.
Notes: Written on verso: "Drummer boy of the 13th regiment of Brooklyn." Clarence Mackenzie was the first member of his regiment to be killed in 1861 at the age of twelve.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832418
Record ID: 1062107
Digital Item Published: 1-29-2008; updated 2-29-2008

Image Title: A.R. Carrington, champion drum soloist, 1870s.
Creator: Armstrong & Co. (Boston, Mass.) -- Lithographer
Published Date: 187-
Medium: Lithographs
Specific Material Type: prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 27.6 x 21.4 cm.
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Music -- drum
Source Description: 1 folder (38 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC MUSIC-Dru
Digital ID: 832408
Record ID: 1062097
Digital Item Published: 1-29-2008; updated 2-29-2008


Image Title: Drum used by Americans in the Battle of New Orleans
Creator: Fritch, Louis T., 1882-1956 -- Photographer
Specific Material Type: Photographs
Item Physical Description: 24.5 x 19 cm.
Notes: In collection of the Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans
Source: "The Pageant of America" Collection / v.6 - The winning of freedom / (Unpublished photographs) / Andre, Arnold and Nathan Hale [also labeled "Arms, Artillery, Equipment"]
Source Description: Approx. 8,000 photographs
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
Digital ID: 112396
Record ID: 134802
Digital Item Published: 2-20-2004; updated 7-21-2008


Image Title: The Kings Herb-woman, & her 6 Maids, with baskets of sweet herbs & flowers, strewing the way; the deans beadle of Westin; the high constable of Westminster; a fife; drums; the drum major.
Additional Name(s): Sandford, Francis, 1630-1694 -- Author
Medium: Engravings
Specific Material Type: Prints
Item Physical Description: 53 x 43 cm.
Item/Page/Plate: Plate 1
Source: The history of the coronation of ... James II ... King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, and of ... Queen Mary ... in ... Westminster ... the 23 of April ... 1685 ...
Source Description: 29 x 44 cm.
Location: Humanities and Social Sciences Library / General Research Division
Catalog Call Number: CI++ (Sandford, F. History of the coronation)
Digital ID: 1117390
Record ID: 355100
Digital Item Published: 3-3-2004; updated 10-4-2007


Image Title: Ninth Cavalry Drum Corps [1918]
Additional Name(s): Curtis, Mary -- Author
Medium: Halftone photomechanical prints
Specific Material Type: Photomechanical prints
Item/Page/Plate: 40
Source: The black soldier; or, the colored boys of the United States army.
Source Description: 60 p. illus., ports. 23 cm.
Location: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / General Research and Reference Division
Catalog Call Number: Sc 355-C (Curtis, M. Black soldier)
Digital ID: 1233762
Record ID: 583043
Digital Item Published: 10-21-2004; updated 10-4-2007

Image Title: Drum corps.
Creator: Remington, Frederic, 1861-1909 -- Artist
Additional Name(s): Aikman, Walter Monteith, 1857-1939 -- Engraver
Published Date: 1889
Created Date: 1889
Specific Material Type: Prints
Item Physical Description: 1 print : b&w ; 14 x 21 cm. (5 1/2 x 8 1/4 in.)
Notes: Printed on image: "Frederic Remington, City of Mexico '89." Written on border: "Nov, 1889."
Original Source: From Harper's magazine. (New York : Harper Brothers, 1850-) .
Source: Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection / Army -- Mexico
Source Description: 1 folder (10 pictures)
Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection
Catalog Call Number: PC ARMY-Mex
Digital ID: 831156
Record ID: 697582
Digital Item Published: 10-28-2005; updated 9-2-2008

Historic Drum in Anoka County History Center

Drum donated by Richard Sorensen to Anoka County History Center (Minnesota)

Although the drum pictured is described as a "huge Revolutionary War drum", judging by the relative size of the drumsticks exhibited with the drum (which one could assume are somewhere in the vicinity of 17 inches in length), the drum is not of the size commonly associated with field drums of the late 18th century (e.g., 20 to 22 inches in diamter and height). Rather the drum appears to be more Civil War era (possibly, although the relatively modern snare strainer, which admittedly could have been added recently, bespeaks early 20th century).

The shell appears to have two (and possibly three) lines of tacks and is accompanied by a Civil War style neck sling. The rope is also machine made (20th century).

The tacks appear to be iron, rather than copper so the shell could be (probably is) older than the sling, rope and snare mechanism. It appears that over the years, this drum has received "upgrades" to keep it playable which suggests that it may have seen a fair amount of use by a number of different drummers.

100 Year Old Playing Even Older Drum

WickedLocal.com/Plymouth reports:

PLYMOUTH - Harold Boyer celebrates a century

Nearly a century of percussion has taken its toll on Harold Boyer’s eardrums. But the heart and soul of the little drummer boy who led the first Pilgrim Progress haven’t missed a beat.

Boyer celebrated his 100th birthday the way he has celebrated many grand occasions since arriving in Plymouth for the town’s tercentennial, tapping out a beat on the old rope drum that accompanied him through most of the last century.

Boyer led the parade again last weekend, marching with his trusty drum at the head of the annual procession opening Plimoth Plantation. Boyer and his drum are fixtures of the Plantation. They welcomed the English crew that brought Mayflower II to Plymouth Harbor in 1957. They were there again last summer when survivors of the original crew celebrated the 50th anniversary of their historic journey.

The drum is described as 112 years old.

Looks Like a Thompson & O'Dell:

Mr. Boyer's drum looks a lot like this Thompson & O'Dell drum now in the National Music Museum.


See "Portrait view of snare drum by J. B. Treat, Boston, 1905" The museum's website describes the drum:

"NMM 10045. Snare drum by J. B. Treat for Thompson and Odell, Boston, 1905. Paper label affixed inside shell, visible through vent hole: THE CELEBRATED / "ARTIST DRUM." / MADE BY / J.B. TREAT., followed by a long advertisement by Thompson and Odell, dated November 1905. Wood shell with natural finish, 225mm (8-7/8") x 421mm (16-9/16"). Twelve leather tugs. Wood rims with the outside edge painted black, with twelve metal hooks through which the rope passes. Brass snare adjuster. Ex coll.: Armand Zildjian. William F. Ludwig II Collection, 2001."

"Lit.: Jayson Dobney, Innovations in American Snare Drums 1850-1920, M.M. Thesis (Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 2003), pp. 140-141."

Bordentown Military Institute Drum

A blogger on the Not So Modern Drummer website wrote about the drum pictured above:

The photos show a very old military drum, which I think NSMD displayed in an issue from about ten years ago. The diameter is 15 3/8" and the height is 5" (not including the 1.25" wooden hoops). The bottom calf head (torn) reads, “Bordertown Military Institute, B.M.I., New Jersey.” The snares are not metal - they are a varnished rope. The drum is in excellent condition.

Bordertown or Bordentown?
Founded in 1881, the Bordentown Military Institute operated as an independent military school in Bordentown, New Jersey, for 91 years. In 1972, it merged with the Lenox School in Lenox, Massachusetts. Bordentown/Lenox was in existence for only one year, however, closing its doors completely in June 1973.

How Old is the BMI Drum?
Compare the Union Shield on the BMI drum with that on this known 1915 drum:


The BMI drum's union shield appears to be of an earlier time. That union shield is of a similar shape to many painted union shields appearing on Civil War and earlier drums. However, the single claw, single tension (where turning the rod tightens/loosens both heads simultaneously) turnbuckle rod design of the BMI drum suggests that the date of manufacture was closer to 1900 or later. See, e.g., this drum from approximately 1900 in the collection of the National Music Museum:


NMM 13539. Snare drum by Charles Stromberg for Thompson & Odell Music Co., Boston, ca. 1892-1904. The Artist Drum. Board of Trustees, 2007.National Music Museum.

The BMI drum appears to be of a more modern rod tension design. My guess is that the drum dates from the early 1900's, approximately 1910 (later than the Charles Stromberg drum and earlier than the WWI drum).

Backsticking -- A Drumming Technique Institutionalized by John Dowlan

I first saw backsticking during a visit to a rehearsal of the New York Skyliners at the 369th Regiment Armory (Fifth Avenue between 142nd and 143rd Streets in Harlem, Manhattan) sometime in the early 1960s. To say that I was floored would be an understatement. At the time it was revolutionary. Today it's commonplace but it was a step jump in technique generally credited to John Dowlan.



(The images above courtesy of Rudimental Drumming website.)

From "The Baron of Backsticking" by Joe Marrella:

Believe it or not, BackSticking was developed in 1938 by its creator as a method to improve a drummer’s left hand. The first BackSticking exercise was accenting triplets. The technique was first taught to the Air Force snare drum section in 1958 by my dear friend, my mentor, my instructor, and the person most responsible for my success in drum corps, as well as scores of others.

His name is John Dowlan. To me, he is the “Baron of BackSticking”.

Drums of the U.S. Air Force Drum & Bugle Corps

One of my favorite drum corps, innovators and very lucky guys to have had the opportunity to play under the command of the late great Truman Crawford, this corps was years ahead of the rest of drum corps. The USAF D&B Corps that gave us many great performers, teachers and leaders. Here are some photos of its drums. See for the corps' history.



And, of course, the boys had fun, lots of it. How many Yankees in this photo can you name?

Nobel & Cooley Civil War Drum

The drum was manufactured in Granville in the early 1860's and "picked up" on the Gettsyburg battlefield in 1863 by James Forrest who mustered into the Union Army on June 19th, 1863 as a musician in the 28th Pennsylvania Mil. Infantry regiment. This places him at the right time and in a regiment that was involved on the battlefield.

Over 140 years later, this drum has come back home to Granville.

The hoops on this Civil War drum were bent using the same bending machine that is till used today to build high quality custom snare drum for today's musicians.

Source: Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation, Granville, Massachusetts

Nobel & Cooley Printed Label

The Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation
Dedicated to Celebrating Yankee Ingenuity

Tucked away in the foothills of the Berkshires is an intact factory with all the machinery necessary to manufacture toy and professional drums. SIA toured the factory during the 1988 Connecticut Valley Tour. The Southern New England Chapter visited the site for an in-depth inspection of the Company's manufacturing equipment in 2005.

In 1854 Noble & Cooley Company, located in Granville Massachusetts, began manufacturing drums. The area has a unique heritage in small-scale industry and in particular in producing vernacular solutions to technological problems. The local farmers, faced with diminishing returns in agriculture and shortages of labor, turned to mechanized manufacturing to survive.

Noble & Cooley is a surviving example of the manufacturing firms that were once plentiful in the remote valleys of New England. Silas Noble, a master mechanic, and James P. Cooley, an entrepreneur, started by making drums in Noble's farmhouse kitchen. The drums sold quickly and in 1856 they built their first factory. Business expanded during the Civil War when the Company produced drums for Northern regiments. During this period the factory expanded and the company switched over from waterpower to steam. By 1873 they were producing 100,000 drums a year. Around this time vernacular tooling, jigs and fixtures were introduced to cut labor costs and increase output. The Company developed proprietary technology in steam bending, decorating and assembly of drums.

At the turn of the 19 th century Noble & Cooley adapted the technology for manufacturing "tin" cans to making toy drums. A machine for printing up to eight colors sequentially was developed and built in the machine shop. Toy drums continued to sell and the company adapted to WWII materials restrictions by building paperboard drums. Mid-20 th century marketing strategies included licensing of Disney and Muppets characters to be printed on the drums to increase sales.

In recent years globalization and a changing market in children's playthings have eliminated the economic viability of large scale toy drum manufacturing. For the past 20 plus years the company has shifted focus to the manufacturing of very high quality professional snare drums and drumsets. The machinery and production space used to manufacture toy drums has been unused. The owners, descendants of the founders, believed that the Company was historically significant and should be preserved. They generously agreed to transfer ownership of some of the historic buildings and machinery to a non-profit organization with the objective of preserving the Company's history and manufacturing technology.

Local preservationists organized The Noble & Cooley Center for Historical Preservation (NCCHP), a 501 (c)3 non-profit corporation. The mission of the center is to preserve the regional history of manufacturing, agricultural pursuits, and rural crafts through acquisition and maintenance of significant historical buildings, machinery, historical collections and local artifacts. Initially, the focus will be on dynamic demonstrations of manufacturing toy drums. The corporation will also promote preservation and study of the acquired properties, collections, and artifacts and make them available to the public. The museum will be located within the historic buildings of Noble & Cooley Company on Water Street in Granville, Massachusetts.

The historical buildings will provide the space in which to build an educational facility to share the history of the region. The factory buildings retain much of the equipment that was used to manufacture toys from the 1850's through the 1950's. The museum will also preserve and demonstrate the progression of factory power sources from water to steam to electricity. The rural character of western Massachusetts will be represented in displays of farming and logging techniques of the 19 th century. The center will be a showcase of the "Yankee Ingenuity" that enabled the local area to prosper.

Engraving of Sentinel with Drum on Horseback

General Putnam leaving his plow for the defense of his country. Lithograph.

Remembering the Revolutionary War CD

Marquise de Lafayette Portrait with Drum

Alonzo Chappel's fine oil of the Marquis de Lafayette has been reinserted into one of the most beloved engravings of the man. Please note the various symbols chappel has provided. The first that stans out is the "glove on the floor". ot has Lafayette laid down the gauntlet? The drum, the flag (of course), the muskets (with bayonet) and other items that are accoutraments of the time are all in there. The original engravings were book plate reproductions so that the people could see just who these people were.

From Line of Battle Enterprise.

Alonzo Chappel, American, 1828-1887

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Beyond the Marker
Harry M. Ward, Major General Adam Stephen and the Cause of American Liberty
(Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 1989):

The Revolutionary War's Philadelphia Campaign of 1777 transformed General Lafayette's military career. Still a teenager, the French aristocrat joined the Continental Army in the summer of that year, as a volunteer major general without command, but did not see his first significant action until the Battle of Brandywine. He served with distinction in the conflict, surviving a leg wound and helping to rally American forces as defeat loomed. Then in December 1777, just prior to the Army's withdrawal to Valley Forge, the young marquis received his first divisional command. Lafayette replaced General Adam Stephen, who had been dismissed from the service for drunkenness and poor leadership at the Battle of Germantown.

General George Washington was one of Lafayette's strongest supporters. He informed the Continental Congress that the Frenchman "possesses a large share of that Military order, which generally characterises the Nobility of his Country." He also quoted, approvingly, a line about Lafayette that originated with General Nathanael Greene — "The Marquis is determined to be in the way of danger."

After serving with distinction in the American Revolution, Lafayette returned to France, where he worked closely with American ambassadors Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. In the 1780s, Lafayette became a participant of the reform movement, working to establish a constitutional monarchy in France, but did not join with radical forces during the French Revolution and was forced to flee the country. He would return to public life in Paris only after the exile of Napoleon Bonaparte.

President James Monroe invited Lafayette to return to the United States in 1824. During the next year, he visited every state in the young nation, generally receiving an enthusiastic reception from Americans eager to remember the glories of the Revolution and to honor the Frenchman for his friendship with Washington and contribution to the American cause.

Drum from Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
National Park Service Museum Collections
American Revolutionary War


On March 15, 1781 Major General Nathanael Greene and his army of 4,400 Americans contested the British invasion of North Carolina at Guilford Courthouse. Lt. Gen. Charles, Earl Cornwallis, commanded the tough professional force of 1,900 British soldiers. Greene deployed his men into smaller groups to take advantage of the terrain.

The Courthouse battle was fierce. The veteran British troops were severely crippled. Cornwallis lost a quarter of his army and almost a third of his officers. Greene lost only six percent of his men. With greatly diminished ranks and depleted supplies, Cornwallis withdrew to the coast, 200 miles away.

The battle fought at Guilford Courthouse was the largest and most hotly contested action of the Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign. It is considered the high-water mark of that campaign in that it changed the course of the war and contributed to the eventual American victory at Yorktown seven months later.

The drum and fife regulated the Revolutionary War soldier's life. By commands of music, the soldier was notified when to awake in the mornings, when to attend drill, when to stop for meals, and when to report for pay. While on the march, music assisted with cadence and order, helping men to march in time. Music encouraged soldiers to press a march or attack with vigor.

Orders were also given using whistles, blowing horns, and bagpipes. Music and songs in camp lifted soldiers' spirits following exhausting duty. They helped build fellowship in the regiments.

Drums have been used to convey commands since ancient times. They provide distinct sounds that can be heard for great distances. The drum was the very voice and tongue of the commander. After the adoption of firearms, the fife came into use. Its peculiar piercing sound transcended the noise of men and gunfire, and added melody to the drumbeats. By the Revolution, armies had adopted a system of commands given by the drum and fife, which could rapidly communicate orders to whole armies at one time.

See also.

Poster of Historic Drum Beaten at Battle of Lexington

Now in the possession of the Lexington Historical Society.
The long roll on this drum was the first act of the Revolution.
Drum beaten at the Battle of Lexington by William Dimond.

Poster now available at www.allposters.com

New Mexico Civil War Drum -- Can You Help ID This Drum?

An art conservator for a southwestern museum has been asked to treat a drum from the museum's collection. The drum is going to be exhibited in a new museum and the curator would like it to be repaired prior to exhibit.

The donor claimed the drum was from the Civil War Battle of Glorieta, New Mexico.

The conservator asks whether any of our readers might be familiar with such drums

It is possible that this drum was made on the western frontier. It does not have an obvious snare mechanism and there is no evidence that there ever was an attachment point for a snare mechanism.

The shell of the drum is made from wood and covered with a sheet of tin. The drum has also clearly been repaired at least once. All of the repairs appear to have some age to them, and might have been field repairs.

Any information that our readers can provide would be most helpful.

Questions:

1. First, would you recommend doing anything at all to this drum?
2. If you would recommend doing something, what would you recommend?
3. Do you have any knowledge of shell construction involving a tin sheet laid over a wooden shell?
4. Would this have been a snare drum?
5. Would this have been a military drum?

If you have any suggestions, opinions, etc., please email the Blogmaster.

Brass Snare Drum, ca. 1870-90

Of interest here are the design details, shown especially well in these photographs. eBay item no. 250325919975 described by eBayer atomic-asis( 296) as follows:

This is a Late 1800's Miltary Snare Drum. We've had a few people looks at this and this is what we have been told.

"Hi Mark, I would estimate that your drum was made just after the civil war era. These brass drums with painted rims and solid tension mechanisms are quite commonly found to be of the late 1870 - 1890 period. I hope this is of some help. You might also like to take the drum outside in bright light and look through the small hole in the body. There is often a makers label inside and can often date the drum accurately." -Civil War Preservationist

Another gentleman who is a specialist on vintage drums thought that it was post-civil war due to the fact that there is brass hardware on the drum. He also noted that the snare used fibrous string instead of metal and the heads are calfhide. Please note, some of snares are broken, however they do look original. Also, one of the lug is missing. All in all, a great collectors item!