The Stonewall Brigade Band is a community concert band based in

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

. It is the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

's oldest continuous community band sponsored by local government and funded, in part, by tax monies. 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, for its first director,

A. J. Turner Augustus John Turner, (October 12, 1818 – May 14, 1905), known as "A. J. Turner", was an American composer, Bandleader, band leader and music Music school, professor. He was the first director of the Stonewall Brigade Band of Staunton, Vi ...

. At the onset of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, the band was mustered into the

5th Virginia Infantry The 5th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought in the Stonewall Brigade, mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. The regime ...

Regiment, part of the Stonewall Brigade under

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

Antebellum history

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. These two and other white, male citizens of the city formed the Mountain Saxhorn Band. The band's first formal concert occurred on July 17, 1857 at Union Hall on Beverley Street in Staunton. During the 1850s, the band began a tradition of playing for civic occasions, including political rallies held for Presidents

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

and

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

and candidates

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

and

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

. 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, 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 or medical assistants. 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. Stonewall Jackson by Routzahn, 1862

On August 22, 1861, Stonewall Jackson wrote to his wife "I wish my darling could be with me now and enjoy the sweet music of the brass band of the Fifth Regiment. It is an excellent band." Jackson was fond of music, but had no talent for it, and confessed he could not recognize one song from another.

Post war reorganization

The band was reorganized in 1869 with A. J. serving as leader. His son

T. M. Turner Thomas Memory Turner (July 17, 1847 – September 2, 1917) was an American composer, band leader, and music professor. He was known to his friends as "Mem". He was once assistant director of the Stonewall Brigade Band of Staunton, Virginia, the U ...

served as assistant leader. By 1875 the band was formally known as the Stonewall Brigade Band. The band's instruments from the time of the Civil War are still exhibited in their band room. They were apparently allowed to keep them as they were considered personal possessions, but several legends grew that

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

allowed the band to keep their instruments through some special order. Perhaps due to the legend, the band grew a certain fondness for Grant, and on June 30, 1874, the band greeted Grant in Staunton with several songs. Upon being asked, Mayor Trout identified the band as the Stonewall Brigade Band. Grant responded with a murmur: "The Immortal Jackson". The Band also played at Grant's funeral in 1885. On April Fools Day 1878, the band was sent a letter that the Governor had appointed them to play in Paris. In 1885 the band presented the daughter of Stonewall Jackson a wedding gift of a souvenir band roster printed on white satin. The band and its war-time instruments were exhibited at the 1893 World's Fair in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Gypsy Hill Park

The band has a bandstand in Gypsy Hill Park. The band performed in Gypsy Hill Park for Arbor Day, 1889.

Members

Original members

The earliest records list fourteen original members: *J. W. Alby *Samuel C. Baskins * Edwin M. Cushing *Alexander A. Grove *David E. Strasburg *James A. Armentrout *James Harvey Burdett *Augustus Dalias *John Blair Hoge * Augustus J. Turner *Joseph P. Ast *William A. Burnett * David W. Drake *Horace M. Stoddard

Original war-time members

These men made up the original, officially authorized Fifth Regiment Band: *James A. Armentrout *Hugh Barr *John M. Carroll *Horace M. Stoddard * T. Memory Turner *Joseph P. Ast *Samuel Baskins *Alexander Grove *David Strasburg *Charles E. Wood *Price T. Barnitz *James Harvey Burdett *Charles E. Haines *A. J. Turner

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 (1893–1904) *Thomas H. Beardsworth (1904–1922) *Martin G. Manch *Arthur Johnson (1922–1925) *Roy W. Wonson *William H. Ruebush *Josef Studeny (1940–1948) *John P. Swiecki (1948–1958) *Paul B. Sanger (1958–1966) *Raymond Borrell (1966–1975) *Robert N. Moody (1975–2018) *Kevin Haynes (2018–)

References

External links

Band website
{{Stonewall Brigade American brass bands Stonewall Brigade Musical groups established in 1855