CONFEDERATE SOLDIER'S MUSIC BOOK: Original Music Book of Confederate Military Musician

No Publisher, No Date. No Edition. Wrappers. Very good. Confederate Manuscript Military Music -- Among the Rarest Type of Confederate Manuscript Material: A VERY GOOD ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT MUSIC BOOK BELONGING TO CONFEDERATE DRUMMER J.J. LAWRENCE OF COMPANY G [OF THE FIFTH TEXAS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY] DURING THE CIVIL WAR. The book measures approximately 6 and 5/16th inches by approximately 3 and 9/16ths inches. The outer sides of the wrappers are in marbled paper. Within are 40 pages with lines drawn to be used by the musician to add notes for songs to be played by him. Nine of the pages have been completed with song titles and notes. The remaining pages are blank, presumably because of Lawrence's untimely early death. The musician would add his own notes for songs to be played. The contemporary marbled wrappers show some wrinkling, rubbing, staining, and edge wear. Within, the contents are mildly foxed. A unique collection of songs, likely written down and carried by J.J. Lawrence, a Texas Confederate drummer killed in action in Virginia during the Civil War. There is a manuscript note on the inside front wrapper of the volume, “Bass Drum Band Fifth Tex. V.I.” and J.J. Lawrence is the only drummer listed in the roster of that regimental company. Though musicians on both sides of the Civil War were largely kept back from battle, Lawrence was killed at the Battle of Gaines Mill on June 27, 1862. If this was J.J. Lawrence manuscript music volume, and we think that it was, his death in the early years of the conflict would account for the fact that this music manuscript does not contain more songs, though all forty pages of the text have staff lines drawn in manuscript for musical notation. The nine songs that are written out include “The Bonnie Blue Flag,” “Pepita Marsch,” “Walger[?],” two versions of a “Parade March,” and four versions of “Quick Step.” Company G of the Fifth Texas Volunteer Infantry, also known as the Milam County Greys, was organized in Cameron, Texas on July 15, 1861. The regiment served as part of Hood’s Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. The Battle of Gaines Mill, fought in Hanover County, Virginia, was an early Confederate victory, though one in four Texas soldiers died in the battle, including Lawrence. While this book contains only a small sampling of music, Confederate manuscript music material is EXCEEDINGLY RARE to the Market. This volume, likely created by a Texas Confederate drummer boy killed in action in Virginia while serving in Hood’s Texas Brigade, is an important piece of historical evidence of the conflict. A REMARKABLE SURVIVAL and EXCEEDINGLY RARE.