1780 Revolutionary War Drummer’s Service and Back-Pay Certificate
An evocative original Revolutionary War service certificate documenting more than three years of military duty performed by regimental drummer Robert Cox.
Dated at camp on December 12, 1780, the commanding officer certifies:
“This may Certify that Robert Cox has Servd as a Drumer in my Regt from the year 1777 to this Date and is entitled to the ballance due him from the State.”
The certificate is signed at the right by the regiment’s commanding colonel. The signature is faint, partly crossed by a brown stain or ink mark, and has not been positively identified. No attribution to a particular officer is offered.
The document is addressed at the bottom “To the Committee Paytable.” Its reverse bears the contemporary docketing “Drum and Fife Pay Table,” indicating that it was submitted to state authorities as supporting evidence for Cox’s unpaid military compensation.
Regimental drummers performed an essential military role during the American Revolution. On campaign and in battle, drum signals transmitted commands that otherwise could not be heard above musket and artillery fire. Different beats ordered assembly, marching, changes in formation, alarms, guard duty, and retreat. Drummers also accompanied recruiting parties, military ceremonies, and other official functions and were frequently exposed to the same hazards as the soldiers surrounding them.
The certificate establishes that Cox had served continuously as a drummer from 1777 through December 1780, encompassing more than three years of active Revolutionary War service. Unlike an ordinary financial voucher, it directly documents an identifiable enlisted musician, his specialized military duty, and the government’s outstanding obligation to compensate him.
Condition: Original horizontal and vertical folds with associated creasing and localized wear. Irregular edge wear and small marginal losses are present, particularly at the upper-right corner and along the right edge. Two small punctures appear in a blank portion of the sheet. A horizontal brown stain or old ink mark crosses the right portion of the text and partially obscures the commanding officer’s signature. Scattered toning, light staining, and handling wear throughout. The principal text remains substantially legible, and the reverse retains its original “Drum and Fife Pay Table” docketing.
A compelling Revolutionary War manuscript documenting the service and unpaid wages of a regimental drummer—one of the men whose signals helped communicate orders across the noise and confusion of an eighteenth-century battlefield.
An evocative original Revolutionary War service certificate documenting more than three years of military duty performed by regimental drummer Robert Cox.
Dated at camp on December 12, 1780, the commanding officer certifies:
“This may Certify that Robert Cox has Servd as a Drumer in my Regt from the year 1777 to this Date and is entitled to the ballance due him from the State.”
The certificate is signed at the right by the regiment’s commanding colonel. The signature is faint, partly crossed by a brown stain or ink mark, and has not been positively identified. No attribution to a particular officer is offered.
The document is addressed at the bottom “To the Committee Paytable.” Its reverse bears the contemporary docketing “Drum and Fife Pay Table,” indicating that it was submitted to state authorities as supporting evidence for Cox’s unpaid military compensation.
Regimental drummers performed an essential military role during the American Revolution. On campaign and in battle, drum signals transmitted commands that otherwise could not be heard above musket and artillery fire. Different beats ordered assembly, marching, changes in formation, alarms, guard duty, and retreat. Drummers also accompanied recruiting parties, military ceremonies, and other official functions and were frequently exposed to the same hazards as the soldiers surrounding them.
The certificate establishes that Cox had served continuously as a drummer from 1777 through December 1780, encompassing more than three years of active Revolutionary War service. Unlike an ordinary financial voucher, it directly documents an identifiable enlisted musician, his specialized military duty, and the government’s outstanding obligation to compensate him.
Condition: Original horizontal and vertical folds with associated creasing and localized wear. Irregular edge wear and small marginal losses are present, particularly at the upper-right corner and along the right edge. Two small punctures appear in a blank portion of the sheet. A horizontal brown stain or old ink mark crosses the right portion of the text and partially obscures the commanding officer’s signature. Scattered toning, light staining, and handling wear throughout. The principal text remains substantially legible, and the reverse retains its original “Drum and Fife Pay Table” docketing.
A compelling Revolutionary War manuscript documenting the service and unpaid wages of a regimental drummer—one of the men whose signals helped communicate orders across the noise and confusion of an eighteenth-century battlefield.
