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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

'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. At the onset of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, 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 regimen ...

Regiment, part of the

Stonewall Brigade The Stonewall Brigade of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, was a famous combat unit in United States military history. It was trained and first led by General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, a professor from Virginia Military Ins ...

under

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

Antebellum history

in 1855 one David W. Drake wished to start a band. He enlisted the help of

Edwin Cushing Edwin Merrill "Ned" Cushing (September 7, 1830 – December 7, 1903) was an American tenor horn player, auctioneer, and coroner in Staunton, Virginia. Cushing was a charter member and first president of the Stonewall Brigade Band. He was con ...

and prevailed upon A. J. Turner, his former music teacher in Newtown, to move to Staunton. These three and other white, male citizens of the city formed the Mountain

Saxhorn The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a ...

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, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...

and

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

and candidates

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...

and

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

. 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 was mustered into the Fifth Virginia Regiment. As well as entertaining the troops in the field, the band frequently appeared in concerts in Fredericksburg, Richmond, Staunton, and elsewhere to help recruiting rallies, clothing drives, and war relief fund raising. In addition to playing their instruments, the band members fought and acted as couriers and letter bearers. The band was also soon organized into a surgeon corps, serving as stretcher-bearers and surgeons' assistants. The band earned the name Stonewall Brigade Band soon after

First Manassas The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by

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. The band served throughout the Valley Campaign and the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate States Army, Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army ...

Post war reorganization

The band was reorganized in 1869 with A. J. serving as leader. His son T. M. Turner served as assistant leader. By 1875 the band was formally known as the Stonewall Brigade Band and incorporated under the laws of Virginia. On April Fool's Day 1878, the band was sent a letter that the Governor had appointed them to play in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Grant and the 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 the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

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.

Stonewall's Daughter's Marriage

Also in 1885, the band presented the daughter of Stonewall Jackson a wedding gift of a souvenir band roster printed on white satin.

Gypsy Hill Park

The band has a bandstand in Gypsy Hill Park. The band performed in Gypsy Hill Park for

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

, 1889.

1893 World's Fair

The band and its war-time instruments were exhibited at the

1893 World's Fair The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ce ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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–)

Notes

References

External links

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