“The First and Fifth Regiments were formed in column of battalions, ordered to draw sabers and, while the band played 'Yankee Doodle Dandy,' went forward at a full gallop, scattering the foe in their front, and afterward secured a place of safety for the whole command.” -An excerpt of the regimental history st
1 Cavalry Regiment Michigan
While my second great‐grandfather, Daniel
it served to boost troop morale, and
Rook Vaughn was not part of this cavalry
oftentimes, the musicians doubled as “stretchers” and carried the wounded off
st
regiment, he was 1 Infantry Regiment
the battle/ields. Daniel certainly would
Michigan, Company “G”. He enlisted 10 Oct
have grown up very fast in this
1861 at the tender age of 15 as a musician
environment.
having “added” 2 years to his age in order to do so. He was discharged 10 Jun 1865,
All of this information I found on my
and then he reenlisted in the U.S. Army and
own, even his name. So, while it's nice to
was assigned to Fort Brown, located on the
inherit both stories and artifacts about
Texas‐Mexico border now known as
our ancestors, not all of us are lucky
Brownsville, Texas. One could say that
enough to receive these treasured items,
Daniel became a man in the midst of a war.
but it's not impossible to know some
In particular, in the midst of the American
details of ancestors, particularly those
Civil War.
who fought in the Civil War. There are
I cannot imagine the atrocities that Daniel saw as he led his regiment into battle, at times playing, I would guess, “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” While it's hard to imagine now a band playing as soldiers march into battle, it was de/initely an integral element
many resources to draw upon for information. In fact, there are so many that it can become overwhelming at times. Add to that the constraints of a budget, and you've just made your task harder.
of battle strategy at the time. Furthermore,
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