Band Quarters

Band Quarters. . This building was erected in 1870 to serve as housing for the post band, with a capacity of 20 men. By 1905, it had been converted to a Non-Commissioned Officer's quarters for two families., The Tenth Cavalry Regimental Band was organized at Fort Sill by the first commander of the post, Colonel Benjamin H. Grierson. An accomplished musician himself, Grierson picked men who could read and write so he could teach them music. Sometimes he would personally conduct the band in concert. , The function of a regimental band was to play at parades and other formations and at guard mounts and retreat, to send outgoing forces into the field with martial music in their ears, and to welcome troops returning to the post. Troops leaving post were often accompanied by "The Girl I Left Behind Me" and upon their return with the tune, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." , Field music provided by company buglers, trumpeters, drummers and fifers was part of the daily routine. A cavalry company usually had three trumpeters who took turns sounding the calls and acting as orderly-trumpeter. Infantry calls were sounded with both drum and bugle. Musicians were seldom assigned to fatigue and guard duties, and spent much of their time in supervised practice on their instruments. , After 1876, Congress refused to fund musical groups so it was necessary for the regiments to sponsor their own bands through collections and subscriptions. The basic pay for a musician private was $13.00 a month, while a Chief Trumpeter in the calvalry or Principal Musician in the infantry was paid $22.00 a month. A Regimental Chief Musician was paid $60.00 a month. , Members of the band wore regulation regimental uniforms plus such ornaments of insignia as the commanding officer deemed suitable. Cavalry bands were usually mounted on white or gray horses. The army bands kept the morale and spirits of the other soldiers high and sometimes made a harsh existance more pleasant and tolerable. , Captions , Upper Left: The 5th Field Artillery Band practicing near the chapel at Fort Sill, OK, in 1913. , Lower Left: The original Band Quarters as it looked around 1905 when it was used as a Non-Commissioned Officers quarters.