Smoking man Virginia State Garrison Regiment snare drum player, 9.45 inches

The Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums – also known as the Field Music of the Virginia State Garrison Regiment – carries forward the tradition of military music. Since 1958, visitors in the Historic Area have enjoyed the musical performances.

Fifers and Drummers were an important part of the American 18th-century military. Just as the state enlisted soldiers, it also trained fifers and drummers to work with soldiers in the field. The instruments served as signals for the infantry, relaying the commander's orders to soldiers in camp and on the field of battle. The steady rhythm and spirited tunes of the fifers and drummers kept the soldier's mind off the tedious march.

Fifers and drummers wear the same regimental coat as other units of the military do, but with one critical difference: the colors worn by the musicians are the reverse of their fighting brothers’, indicating their non-combat status. Tri-cornered hats are cocked at a military angle, centered over the left eye. An ornamental cockade is worn on the left. Today’s Fifes and Drums wear an all-black cockade, but styles and usage varied throughout the war. A stock made of leather allowed soldiers to maintain the high, stiff-necked collar without the trouble of washing and pressing a linen one in the field. One-quart canteens were issued to each soldier. A sling strap held the vessel ready at the left hip. Most canteens were small wooden casks. Buff-colored linen or wool breeches are fitted across the front and roomy in the seat. White knitted stockings of wool, linen, or cotton protected the lower leg. Black leather shoes fastened with polished brass buckles are worn by every member of today’s Fifes and Drums. The cuffs on a musician’s sleeve are decorative, since a functioning one would hinder them in playing their instruments.