Ramona Brass Band Planning Summer Excursion to Gettysburg, Part I

The Ramona Community Brass Band continues on, with support for Ramona High School’s JNROTC Military Salute of Veterans this past Saturday and a Civil War reenactor weekend over Nov. 10 and 11 in Moorpark CA, in the Simi Valley, not far from the Reagan Library.

The band’s summer season was cut off due to logistical hiccups. We usually attend at least two Civil War events and always look forward to playing at home on July 4 for the Ramona Fireworks party. Unfortunately, we had to juggle people and places to keep the band staffed, but this time it was too much.

This summer was a hiatus for the band. Too many members on crucial instrument parts were unable to make it for events we had planned to support and we had to shutter the band. This left me time to think about how to fill up my summer hours.

Recently I published an account of my east coast drum corps adventure a that trip was all about playing in the drum corps competitions to be sure, but another part of that was to explore the options and test the waters for bringing the brass band back east next summer for the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg.

The bloodiest battle of the war started on July 1, 1863, and lasted three days ending at the same time as the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi to Gen. Grant.  Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was battered nearly to breaking and had to withdraw from Pennsylvania. The Union Army under Gen. Meade was spent from the vicious fighting and had to accept that although they won the battle; they didn’t have strength left to crush Lee in his retreat south. It is considered the turning point in the war in favor of the north.

So with that understanding, the recognition of the 150th anniversary is a huge part of our history. The 150th anniversary will not come again, and I’m willing to bet it will be the biggest event in reenactor history so far. I know some band people in that area and made some great connections over Facebook with other people who have bands on the east coast and mid-west similar to mine. There are bands more established than ours, with not only the proper uniforms for their look, but they are far enough along to have their own sets of the replica horns of the civil war, the “over the shoulder” type horns. 

Our band is still working towards having all the equipment that will give the right look, including the horns. Make no mistake, they are expensive, and the replicas cost more than the actual horns, so the first thing is to get in uniform and start playing with what you have.

A few of those bandleaders have found our band on Facebook and contacted me to encourage us and say to “let the music come first and the period equipment will come in its own time.”  With all this contact, the other bands are encouraging our band to make it back and participate with them over the event’s run.

I’m blessed with a friend who is financially sound enough that he was able to sponsor the trip for the drum corps participation this summer. My friend is a fellow former Marine and now a huge entrepreneur. When we worked out the details, I asked him what he would want in return for the sponsorship.

His reply, “Come to my home town in Colorado and play a concert for us. These people need to hear how a band is supposed to sound.”  

When I mentioned the cost, he shrugged it off and said “I will help with that.”

When I added that we have high hopes to go back east for the Gettysburg 150th, he said, “I can help and I know others who can help, too.” That is amazing to me that he can so easily offer that to us! It won’t make the entire bill, but he can get us a large part of the way. So now we seek out others to support the brass band as it starts to look like next summer will be a transcontinental trip for the band to represent Ramona.

A high school classmate of my mine has asked that the band come play in my home town in Pennsylvania on July 4. Vince Smith is the chairperson for a board which oversees the preservation of the George Taylor home in Catasauqua.  George Taylor was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the town has maintained his home for some time. It is open for tours year round.

During the first visit to the Gettysburg Park this summer, I met a museum staff member who is coordinating an event in which is a lead-in event to the bigger 150th event in Gettysburg itself. Cheyenne Brugh, my student who came along for the drum corps summer was with me and as she also is in the brass band.  Because she comes to the reenactments, she knows a fair bit of the Civil War event activity. 

Inside the museum they were playing a recording of Civil War dance music and we started to do the Virginia Reel in time with it.  The worker I met noticed us, came over to chat about what we were doing and before you know it, she is inviting the brass band to her event in Maryland next summer.

Like many of the Civil War events all around the country, the focus is mostly on the battles. The Gettysburg event is shaping up to be much more. Through the efforts of a local band musician, Joel Cribbs, the Gettysburg Wax Museum is
coordinating a week long feature of music in the civil war and it will end with
a “battle of the bands”.

I was approached about leading one of them, so of course I chose the Union
side. The idea is that it will be about 100 musicians in two bands each, and we will meet head to head and serenade each other and then play together at the closing. Our members will be meeting and performing with folks from all over the country that are coming together for this huge event.

Joel is leading the coordination with the museum to make this happen, and the museum PR director is nearly 100 percent sure country music star and Civil War preservationist Trace Adkins will act as the host, bringing some celebrity to the event and hopefully national media attention.

One of the most well-known musicians in the brass world is Jari Villanueva, who is a retired USAF trumpet player and president of the TAPS 150 Project. Among his duties leading the Maryland National Guard Band, he is leader of the Federal City Brass Band of Baltimore, Maryland. He’s become a huge supporter for the Ramona band as they build their reputation and historic impression, all the while encouraging our efforts at historical accuracy. 

Jari and I are connected through Facebook with our bands. I’ve played several of his arrangements in my Marine Band years and I find now we have many mutual friends in music. He is the leader of the combined Confederate band for the summer event, so we have lots to talk about and plan to do.

We arranged to meet in Gettysburg for lunch in late August and spent the day roaming the battlefield and talking “shop”. We were in ‘Devils Den’, looking east toward ‘Little Round Top’ and Jari sets his hand on my shoulder and states he wants me to come back in November for the Cemetery rededication and act as drum major for his band. Who can turn down such an honor? I’m in the process now of booking a flight for that weekend coming soon.

Each year the cemetery holds commemorations for the battle dead and many reenactor groups lay wreaths. The Federal City Band accompanies them in the morning and leads a parade of several bands and other reenactors later in the day from the center of town and out through the battlefield area. The real highlight is the sunset “concert” on “Little Round Top”.  ‘LRT’, as it’s called was the scene of the main action on the second day of the battle. This is the point made most famous by the action of the 20th Maine regiment led by Col Joshua L. Chamberlain.

They repelled wave after wave of rebs, attacking up hill until they were out of ammunition. Making one, last desperate defense with fixed bayonets on their muskets, they swept down among the rebs coming up and broke the attack and took hundreds of prisoners among the fleeing rebs.

For the reenactor bands the day ends here with a rousing concert of patriotic airs and then a solemn session of hymns before Jari caps the day with Taps at sunset with all parties on the hillside among the monuments and in full uniform. As I said, who can turn down such an honor?

The November event is a great next step to introduce me and the concept of the Ramona band to our fellow bands back east in the hobby. What a day to live in when a hobby so local can be connected all the way across the continent, 3000 miles away. I’m always looking for musicians for the band and this cross country trek is shaping up to be an amazing adventure for all hands. I will add more in part II to explain further our summer tour ideas and update on the weekend in Gettysburg coming soon!

This coming weekend the band is heading to Tierra Rejada Ranch at 5191 Read Rd, in Moorpark CA for a huge Civil War event weekend. We will camp with the army and portray a Marine detachment come ashore to fight along with them. We get to perform one concert a day for the audience too, so most of the boys will be on double duty. 

I have been asked to portray Gen. Grant for a skit recreating the surrender of Gen Lee’s army at Appomattox Court House in April of 1865. The gentleman who portrays Lee, is a fine look alike, so this should be another highlight, even though for me it makes a third costume change. It’s all part of the game.

It should be exciting to see with the battles in the day time, an evening battle with pyrotechnics is worth the trip alone, and the characters all in period clothes give a real sense of time travel. Make a day trip to the ranch and root for the boys in blue this weekend and you may even learn something as you step back in time. 

Part II of the work up to Gettysburg will come soon.