Thursday, April 18, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
To the Editor: Your very nice slideshow of the reenactment does need one clarification. The "drummer slumped over his drum" was actually a member of Kellogg's Company of Artillery, NYS Militia. …
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To the Editor:
Your very nice slideshow of the reenactment does need one clarification.
The "drummer slumped over his drum" was actually a member of Kellogg's Company of Artillery, NYS Militia. Officers of that company wear blue coats with red trim, while the musicians wear contrasting, or "reversed" colors, in this case, a red coat with blue trim.
This makes it easier for the commanding officer to locate his drummer, whose job is to pass on commands which can be heard in the noise of battle.
Unfortunately, the enemy also want to spot the drummer, since killing him will disable the commander's signaling ability.
And that is indeed what happened to Kellogg's drummer, Arnold Pratt, in the original battle of Ogdensburg in 1812.
Linda Delfs, Albany
