Item:
ONAC24MA009

Original American Revolutionary War Field Drum of the Brunswick Infantry Regiment von Rhetz - Fought in the 1777 Saratoga Campaign

Item Description

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. It isn’t often that we use the term “Once-in-a-Lifetime”, but we are entirely certain that we will never see anything like this again. This is a regimental drum of the Brunswick Infantry Regiment Rhetz, raised in 1748 and re-organized as a two-battalion regiment in 1770, being given the above designation in 1773. Their uniforms were dark blue with white capes, cuffs, and lapels, their colors translated to the zig-zag pattern painted on the top & bottom hoops.

This rope-tension snared field drum measures 17¾” tall with a diameter of roughly 16”. It consists of a cylindrical body of heavy sheet brass, approximately 13 1/2 inches H, with a large, embossed crest, being the ducal coronet of that electorate over the "running horse" of Brunswick, the latter encircled by a band bearing the motto "NEC ASPERA TERRENT." The body of the drum is affixed by hempen tension cords with leather adjusting tabs to sheepskin heads and wooden rims at top and bottom, each rim being 2 inches wide and painted in an alternating triangular pattern of blue and the units facing color red, white, yellow, etc.), in this case, white-- blue being the body color of Brunswick uniform coats. These exact colors were worn by the Regiment von Rhetz, which has blue coats with white facings. The photograph shown with a similar-looking drum is that of the Regiment von Riedesel, whose colors were blue and yellow. The drum for Rhetz would have been the same as this, the only difference being white instead of yellow. From this, we are confident in this drum having been used by the Regiment von Rhetz. The top skin has a small area of breakage, but this isn’t terribly serious. The top band shows a slant, certainly from shrinkage of age, and the 2005 auction listing appears to show this slant as well. There is some cracking in the hoops as shown, and the leather ties holding the ropes in place are in varying condition, some showing heavy crazing and cracking while others haven’t been subject to as much tension, showing smooth surfaces. The correct tension ropes are stretched across the bottom skin. This is the most well-preserved drum we have ever encountered considering its period. Handling this drum feels more like an honor than anything else, and we are indeed honored to have the opportunity to offer such a prestigious piece of our country’s history.

The Duke of Brunswick was one of several German rulers who was willing to furnish troops for service in North America, and a treaty was signed on January 9th, 1776, at the city of Brunswick, whereby a corps of 4,300 men would be taken into British service. Under the terms of this treaty the duke agreed to furnish a small general staff, a regiment of dragoons, four infantry regiments, a grenadier battalion and a light infantry battalion. One of these infantry regiments was Infantry Regiment Rhetz, commanded by Major General August W. von Rhetz.

The Regiment von Rhetz fought in the 1777 Saratoga Campaign and surrendered with the rest of the army at the end of the campaign, becoming part of the imprisoned Convention Army and being held in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maryland until nearly the end of the war. However, von Rhetz did not actually travel to North America with his regiment, so he was not present for this fighting or for the regiment's captivity.

The paint of the drum is extraordinarily retained, with some areas of loss as shown. The bottom hoop has fallen victim to heavy woodworm damage, which has thankfully helped in giving the drum a phenomenal patina. The crude construction of the nails and soldering of the brass is entirely evident of mid-to-late 18th century manufacture.

Interestingly, there is a small inscription on the top hoop, which appears to be a German name followed by a date, Gustav Schonsberg 11/5 1918, possibly inscribed by a German soldier during the First World War? Or just an old museum inscription. When this drum was sold via auction in 2005, it was in a group of property from the Royal House of Hanover. It is likely that this drum returned home after the American Revolutionary War, being kept in a myriad of museums over the next 225+ years before being deaccessioned. There is a long length of wire which was twisted and attached in order to hang the drum on a wall, which we have left in place in case its next owner would like to utilize it.

To find any genuine artifact from the American Revolutionary War is challenging. Even more challenging is to find anything used by the German or “Hessian” troops contracted by the British to bolster their ranks. This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pick up a genuine field drum carried by one of those regiments, likely at the Battle of Saratoga, and was likewise captured with the rest of its regiment before being sent home. This drum comes ready to become the centerpiece of any militaria collection.

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