The 4th U.S. Artillery Regimental Brass Band is representative of the small army bands of the mid-19th century. Regulations permitted a 14-piece band for each regiment of about 800 men. Although regimental bands were abolished early in the Civil War, many regiments contrived to keep their bands together throughout the war, from the firing on Fort Sumter to the Surrender at Appomattox.

Virgil Hughes held up the rusted, dented hunk of metal and valves that once passed for a tuba and stoked it. It's not much to look at now, but once... once it must have gleamed, polished to a military shine. Made sometime before 1855, a Civil War musician may have played it as boys in blue or grey marched to battle. It may have cheered weary soldiers in camp. It may have played for who-knows-how-many after Shiloh, Chancellorsville, or Gettysburg. "But I have no idea who carried it or who played it" said Hughes, 74. "If I did it would be worth 10 times as much".

The tuba is destined to join the musicians of the 4th U.S. Artillery Regimental Brass Band, of which Hughes is founder and administrator. "We have about 20 people in the band- but they're busy people, so at any one time, maybe a dozen will play. That's enough to be representative of a Civil War band."

The 4th U.S. Artillery Brass Band is an accurate re-creation of one of the many bands of the Civil War. The original band gave its first concert at Fortress Monroe in 1825. We try to re-create not only the music, but also the look and feel of a 19th century band concert. All of the music was written prior to 1865.

We play the proper antique brass instruments and even wear the correct, hot and scratchy wool uniforms, topped off with a rather silly "light artillery shako" cap of 1839.

Any band concert was an occasion in the 19th century, and it was considered only proper to wear the dress uniform, with its brass shoulder scales, horsehair plumes, brass buttons, and yards of trim in red, which is the branch color for the artillery. Custom does permit removal of the artillery shako after the first number, for they are every bit as uncomfortable as they appear to be.

The army bands were smaller than we would now expect, with the specification of "12 musicians and 2 drummers." Drummers were not considered musicians, because each company of 100 men had 2 drummers to give "calls" or signals for moving, maneuvering, and firing during battle. (A fine insult to any modern drummer).

The army bands were arranged like a vocal choir in four parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. the soprano is split between Bb cornets, similar to the modern trumpet, and Eb cornets, which are smaller and higher pitched. The alto horn is lower, and the tenor horm is lower still, covering the same range as the trombone, but without the slide. The largest, lowest horn is the Eb bass, a fourth higher than the modern tuba. Some of the horns are similar to familiar modern instruments, but before the era of standardized instruments, there were many variations peculiar to the 19th century.

Another variation was necessary for those bands in the mounted branches (cavalry and light artillery). The upright horns, such as the modern baritone, require one hand to hold and the other to operate. This is fine for foot bands, but mounted bands were expected to play while riding and needed a third hand to guide the horse. The problem was solved by the "around the shoulder" instruments, the ancestors of the modern sousaphone.

Although we would like to have three complete sets of 19th century horns, a shortage of original horns (and the money to buy them) dictates another solution. Some of our horns are original, others we have built as reproductions, using parts from old school horns.