The drum played by Robert Bain of the Los Angeles Veteran Drum Corps – Anoka County Historical Society, Anoka, Minnesota.
“It began when a drum was brought to America, probably around 1776, by Hessian soldiers who had been hired to help the British army quell what was then seen as a colonial uprising. During the Battle of Bemis Heights in New York on Oct. 17, 1777, the drum was captured by James Bain, an American Soldier. He carried the drum through the rest of the Revolutionary War, then gave it to his son John, who carried it through the Mexican War (1846-48).
The drum remained in the family and passed down a generation to Peter, who carried it in the New York State militia. Peter’s sons Robert and Thomas carried the drum when each served in the Civil War, and after the war it stayed with Robert. He played the drum at patriotic gatherings, and at the onset of World War I, he played it at rallies in support of the soldiers. In 1922, the drum was muffled and played at Robert’s funeral.”
