73rd OVI Regimental Band to perform in Sidney

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SIDNEY — The 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regimental Band, a group of Union re-enactors, have announced that they will be attending Sidney Ohio’s Civil War Living History Weekend. The event is scheduled to be held at Sidney’s 220 acre Tawawa Park Sept. 17-18, 2016.

“I am delighted to announce that the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Regimental Band will attend our inaugural event,” Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst said. “They are a great unit, and I’m certain that the community will enjoy their music.

“The organizing committee knew that we wanted a band that could perform in concert Saturday evening,” he said. “We were a bit worried when the 6th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Band determined that logistically, they would not be able to come to Ohio for our event.”

“It is said that timing is everything, and it was certainly the case in this instance. The 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment Band was already engaged to perform in Dayton earlier on Sept. 17. They readjusted their schedule to travel to Sidney for our event following their performance in Dayton.”

The 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment Band, in its current form, was established in 2011. The organization exists for the purpose of enriching and entertaining the modern public with historically authentic music and playing techniques contemporary to the time period of the War of the Rebellion.

Their music is presented, whenever possible, through performance with instrumentation typical of authentic military regimental brass bands of the Civil War era. The 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment Band is based in Waverly, Ohio. Members of the band hail from throughout the State of Ohio.

“We were delighted to be asked to be a part of Sidney, Ohio’s Civil War Living History Weekend,” Band Director John Huffman stated. “We are looking forward to the Saturday evening concert, and perhaps late in the evening playing by candlelight.”

At the start of the Civil War there were few military bands. The few that did exist included the U.S. Marine Band, The U.S. Military Academy Band, several Regular Army regimental bands, and bands associated with state militias. The better known of the latter included the 7th New York Regimental Band and the 24th Massachusetts Regimental Band.

Militia bands were very highly valued by the local militias as they participated in musters, ceremonies and parades and were useful in recruiting soldiers. As state and local militias were mustered into service they naturally brought along their bands. Within a few months of the start of the war, Congress authorized the creation of Regimental bands for the Regular Army.

The War Department issued General Order Number 48 issued on July 31, 1861. It entitled two field musicians (buglers or fifes and drummers) per company of soldiers and a band of 16-24 musicians for each regiment. This led to the formation of hundreds of bands and the enlistment of thousands of musicians whose duties were solely to provide music for the Army.

The musicians were considered noncombatants and initially, had few duties outside their musical ones. These brass bands played a significant role in the life of soldiers. They were the pride of their units and it was acknowledged that they provided a boost to morale that was so badly needed.

Later during the Civil War, military bands often were assigned battlefield chores. Those chores included serving as stretcher bearers, assisting in medical operations, and even assisting with the burial of the dead.

The organizing committee has been working closely with groups of re-enactors representing both Union and Confederate units to solicit their involvement in Sidney’s event. Since the first of the year, it has been announced that the Army of the Ohio, a Union reenacting unit composed of infantry, artillery and cavalry companies from Ohio and New York, would be attending the event. In addition, the Jefferson Davis Rifles and the Independent Guard, Confederate reenacting units, have also announced that they would be attending Sidney’s Civil War Living History Weekend.

In addition to Mayor Barhorst, Sidney, Ohio’s Civil War Living History Planning Committee includes Shelby County Historical Society Executive Director Tilda Philpot, Sidney native now Tipp City resident and Union re-enactor Doug Slagel, Confederate re-enactor J.R. Sharp, whose Company B of the 1st Tennessee Infantry camped at Brookside last spring, and Elizabeth Topping, who has been reenacting as a period civilian for twenty-two years. The committee has been working to organize the Sidney event for more than nine months. The event has already generated considerable excitement in re-enacting circles.

Although no Civil War battles were fought anywhere near Sidney, a considerable number of local men served in the Union Army during the Civil War. In fact, the 1860 Census records that Shelby County had a population of 17,493. Of that number 8960 were male, and a staggering 14 percent of them served in the Army during the war. Of those, 25.58 percent (326) died in the service of their country.

John Huffman Jr. is the director for the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regimental Band. The Ohio State University graduate had the privilege of dotting the Script Ohio “I” in 2008, having spent much of his career directing the Waverly High School Marching Band.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2016/03/web1_58937361.jpgJohn Huffman Jr. is the director for the 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regimental Band. The Ohio State University graduate had the privilege of dotting the Script Ohio “I” in 2008, having spent much of his career directing the Waverly High School Marching Band. Courtesy photo

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2016/03/web1_40537321.jpgCourtesy photo

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