The 10th Regiment

The Vintage Brass Band is sole musical partner of the 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. Please visit their website at the following address:

http://www.10thillinoisvolcavalry.com/

The 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, informally known as “Lincoln’s Own,” portrays the fighting citizen soldier from the Civil War era. We are a re-enactment group dedicated to Living History and the presentation of the life styles in the 1860 through 1865 period. The Regiment actively participates in Civil War re-enactments throughout Illinois and the United States as mounted troopers, dismounted troopers and civilian personnel. These include a complete surgeon and nurse team, a journalist, a chaplain, and a member of the Christian Commission.

The 10th Cavalry re-enacts a unit that mustered from Camp Butler near Springfield, Illinois, in November 1861. It saw action in Arkansas at Prairie Grove, and participated in the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi as well as many other expeditions. After Vicksburg, the 10th Cavalry was engaged in the Red River Campaign ending up in Texas when the war was over in 1865. They returned to Springfield and were mustered out in November 1865. The Cavalry was the eyes and ears of the Infantry. It would scout ahead and report back to generals, but would hold an area if necessary until the army caught up to their position.

The 10th Cavalry was unique in that it had a regiment band that stayed with the regiment throughout the entire war. After one year, the War Department decided to save money by disbanding the regiment bands because musicians earned $1 more per month than the regular soldier. This was a savings of about $28,000 per month because there were some 28,000 musicians in the Union Army. In the case of the 10th Cavalry, however, the Regiment officers decided among themselves to donate the money needed to pay the musicians to remain with the regiment. The officers were convinced the musicians were essential to the morale of the soldiers.

Vintage 1861-1865:  music of Lincoln’s Own 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment

Today’s band re-enacts this band, playing the music the citizen soldier loved… to keep up his spirits, to remind him of what he left behind – his wife, his mother, his children, his home – and what he was fighting for.