Infantry Drummer Boy, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment--single figure
$49.00
Item Number: CW123
Infantry Drummer Boy, 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
‘Drummer Boys’ played an important role in the American Civil War on both sides of the conflict, with some becoming soldiers. In the Union Army, it was forbidden to recruit any boys under the age of 16, but many still joined eager and willing to do their part and join, what many thought would be a ‘great adventure’. By and large, the most popular reason young boys joined up was to escape what they viewed as a dull boring life working on a farm. (In 1860 the population of the United States was more than 80% rural). As drummers, these young boys helped to issue commands on the battlefield using their drum rolls and bugle calls to send orders to different units and formations. Soldiers marched to battle to the sound of drums and used their beat to regulate loading, firing, and reloading their weapons during the battle.
Our young K&C Drummer plays a steady beat as his comrades move into the attack.
The 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was made up solely of volunteers who participated in almost every major battle in the Eastern United States, including the ‘Seven Days Battle’… Antietam… Fredericksburg… Gettysburg… Petersburg and, eventually, all the way to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on 9 April 1865.
Another notable feature of the Regiment were its unique uniforms worn in the first two years of the war. These were in the style, cut, and colours of typical French ‘Foot Chasseurs’ and had, in fact, been purchased in bulk from a military uniform contractor in Europe and then transported across the Atlantic. These, in turn, were adapted, and, in some cases, copied to suit operational requirements on active service.
One of the 83rd’s most famous engagements was as one of the four regiments alongside the 20th Maine, 44th New York, and 16th Michigan defending the hillock known as Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. During this fierce struggle, the Regiment’s own Commanding Officer, Colonel Strong Vincent was mortally wounded.
As a side note, several years before in 2008, King & Country released its first batch of 83rd Pennsylvania soldiers in a broad range of defensive poses. This time, we are going on the counter offensive as, over a few months, we are releasing almost TWO DOZEN brand-new fighting Union ‘Pennsylvanians’ taking the battle to the enemy.
Released in MARCH 2022.
