Drummer (military)

[3] The image of a small child in the midst of battle was seen as deeply poignant by 19th-century artists, and idealized boy drummers were frequently depicted in paintings, sculpture and poetry.In 1793, Joseph Bara, a 14-year-old French Republican drummer at the time of the War in the Vendée, was killed by royalist counter-revolutionaries, supposedly while he was shouting "Long live the Republic!".[5] André Estienne was a drummer with Napoleon Bonaparte's army at the Battle of the Bridge of Arcole in 1796, where he led his battalion across a river while holding his drum over his head, and on reaching the far bank, beat the "charge".Despite being 19 years old, he became famous as Le Petit Tambour d'Arcole (French: The Little Drummer of Arcole), and is depicted in the Panthéon in Paris and on the Arc de Triomphe, also in paintings by Charles Thévenin and Horace Vernet.An 11-year-old drummer in the Confederate Orphan Brigade, known only as "Little Oirish", was credited with rallying troops at the Battle of Shiloh by taking up the regimental colors at a critical moment.[10] The use of drums beyond the parade ground declined rapidly as the 19th century progressed, being replaced by the bugle in the signalling role, although it was often the drummers who were required to play them.
Steady the Drums and Fifes by Lady Elizabeth Butler depicts drummers and fifers at the Battle of Albuera
The Spirit of '76 by Archibald Willard , one of many depictions in 19th-century art of drummer boys in heroic or sentimental contexts
Death of Joseph Bara by Charles Moreau-Vauthier
Battle of Balaclava Drummer Boy , an 1854 painting by English artist Richard Buckner
A statue depicting André Estienne, the "little drummer of Arcole", in his home town of Cadenet
Drummer boy John Clem during the American Civil War
The night guard (including, in the foreground, a young drummer wearing a laced tunic and carrying a bugle) arriving at the Bank of England , 1906
The Last Stand at Isandlwana by Charles Edwin Fripp shows a small drummer boy in the ranks, despite the youngest soldier present being over 16 years old
Lady Elizabeth ButlerBattle of AlbueraArchibald Willardarmy drumsbattlefielddrum rudimentsfifersmascotsJoseph BaraBattle of BalaclavaRichard BucknerCadenetJohn ClemAmerican Civil WarAmerican War of IndependenceFrench RepublicanWar in the VendéePanthéonNapoleon BonaparteBattle of the Bridge of ArcolebattalionAustrianFrenchPanthéon in ParisArc de TriompheCharles ThéveninHorace VernetSiege of SevastopolCrimean War77th Regiment of FootGeorge BrownLord RaglanSiege of LucknowIndian Rebellion of 185793rd HighlandersSecond Battle of CawnporeThomas Flynn64th Regiment of FootVictoria Crosslaced tunicBank of EnglandCharles Edwin King49th Pennsylvania Volunteer InfantryBattle of AntietamWilliam BlackChickamaugalong rollOrphan BrigadeBattle of Shilohregimental colorsThe Last Stand at IsandlwanaCharles Edwin FrippBattle of IsandlwanaAnglo-Zulu WarBritish ArmyMusician (rank)Corps of DrumsMilitary use of childrenMilitary drumsList of obsolete occupationsWayback MachineThomas Carter