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1957-29, Drum
"Hessian" Side Drum
1957-29, Drum

"Hessian" Side Drum

Dateca.1770-1785
OriginEurope, Germany, Waldeck, Frebershausen (possibly)
MediumBrass, wood, parchment, rope, iron, gut, and paint
DimensionsOverall height: 17 3/8"; Shell height; 12 3/8"; Shell diameter; 14 3/8"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1957-29
DescriptionSnare drum with a brass shell mounted with a brass and iron snare tensioner, painted wooden hoops, and replaced gut snares, ears, and parchment heads.
Label TextUnique to the so-called "Hessian" regiments which fought alongside the British during the Revolutionary War were the gleaming brass drums played by their musicians. Only a small handfull are known today, and Colonial Williamsburg's example was likely captured during the Revolutionary War by American forces.

Though it is still unknown to which unit of German mercenaries carried this drum, it offers some tanatlizing clues. The distinctive blue, red, and pale yellow design painted on the hoops may point to whom the drum belonged. Its snare strainer bracket is struck with the words FREBERSCH and AUSEN, believed to be an early spelling of Frebershausen, a small town in Waldeck, in an area where many "Hessian" soldiers originated. This marking likely refers to where the drum was made, or perhaps the home location of the company to which it belonged.
MarkingsPunched on strainer bracket: "FREBERSCH" over "•AUSEN." in two lines, with the "F" struck over a mispunched "E."
ProvenanceThis drum was purchased at auction in New York in 1930 by William H. Woodin, Secretary of the Treasury under Frankln Roosevelt. Woodin presented it some time later to the dealer from whom it was bought by Colonial Williamsburg. According to the dealer, Mr. Woodin had been told that it was "a relic picked up at the Battle of Trenton".
Exhibition(s)