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PATTERN 1885 INFANTRY BAND ENLISTED MAN’S DRESS
HELMET – COMPLETE WITH CORRECT PLUME AND FULL SET OF
HELMET AND CHEST CORDS - A RARE SPECIMEN IN EXCELLENT
CONDITION:
Beginning in October of
1885, the army authorized all regimental bands to wear
the plumed helmets which had been previously reserved
for only the mounted soldiers. For the cavalry and
light artillery regiments this involved little, if any
change except for the addition of the silver musician’s
“lyre” device worn in the center of the helmet eagle
plate instead of the regimental numeral. However, for
the infantry regiments, this new helmet was a complete
departure from the previously worn spike topped
dismounted helmet. The new pattern Infantry Band Helmet
featured a newly adopted plume and a full set of helmet
and chest cords as had been worn by the mounted
soldiers, both in the infantry color of branch - white.
Despite the twenty-five regiments
of infantry in existence during the Indian Wars, these
Infantry Band Helmets are quite rare. As detailed in
period army regulations and confirmed by surviving
photographs, each infantry regiment band was limited to
twenty musicians. Assuming that all twenty-five
regiments maintained a full allowance of musicians (note
that full strength rosters were seldom recorded in the
Indian Wars regiments) the total Infantry Band helmets
would have been limited at any one time to five
hundred. As the dress helmet was regarded as “company
property” rather than “personal issue”, as musicians
left the service and were replaced the same helmet may
have been issued to more than one soldier further
limiting the number of these helmets that would have
been produced. Factoring in those helmets lost to wear,
damaged in storage, sold to and consumed in civilian
marching bands, and the passage of time; surviving
examples of this helmet seldom appear except in the most
advanced collections of U.S. Army headgear.
23RD
INFANTRY REGIMENT BAND
at
FT. CLARK, TEXAS ca. 1887
The bandsmen were an important element of the efforts to
maintain the morale of the troops, performing on the
parade ground, at social events for soldiers and
civilians alike, and on a daily basis to provide an
ambient distraction from the dreary routine around the
post. Due to the small number of musicians who staffed
these regimental bands, much of their contribution to
the daily life of the soldiers who were posted in the
remote reaches of the American West during the Indian
Wars has passed unnoticed, albeit unfairly.
One other characteristic which is unique to these
Infantry Band Helmets is worthy of comment and note.
Army regulations allowed the regiment commanders,
nominally a colonel, to make such changes or additions
to the band’s uniform and helmets as he saw fit and the
degree to which the colonels exercised their
considerable prerogative of rank is well documented by
surviving specimens and in period photographs. As this
latitude impacted the helmets, any number of variations
were possible, three of which are shown below in a
photograph from Brass Spikes and Horsetail Plumes
by Gordon Chappell. From left to right: a plumed helmet
with no cords and no provision for attaching cords; a
spike topped helmet with a full set of white helmet and
chest cords; and finally a fully dressed helmet with the
white plume and draped with the white helmet and chest
cords.
This specimen of the Pattern 1885
Enlisted Man’s Infantry Band Dress Helmet is in
excellent condition. Complete with all of the original
correct trimmings and insignia, to include the plume,
plume holder, infantry side buttons, rings, the proper
infantry eagle plate with the German silver Musicians
insignia overlay, and of course an excellent helmet
body.
The musician “lyre” overlay on the infantry enlisted
man’s eagle plate and the infantry insignia on the side
buttons is the correct insignia configuration as these
helmets were adopted in 1885.
The helmet body is full form with no crushing, breakage,
or loss of finish. There is no damage other than a
small separation on the underside of the brim. The
inside surface of the sweat band retains the legible
maker’s contract stamp – “ Wm. H. HORSTMANN CO.,
PHILADELPHIA”.
It is also worth mentioning that the leather chin straps
for these helmets are virtually non-existent on the
market as they did not survive well in storage, so that
this helmet retains its chin strap in full form and
length is a definite added value.
The original plume and set of cords on this helmet are
in excellent condition. The plume falls gracefully over
the helmet with no tangles. The cords are complete with
all the trimmings and both sets of waffles and tassels,
and the cords have a clean, unstained color. There are
a few snags on the chest cords, likely from being
abraded by the musician’s brass instrument as he
performed.
This is an outstanding example of the relatively rare
Pattern 1885 Infantry Band Plumed Dress Helmet of a
quality seldom encountered on today’s market and it is
one that would deserve to be displayed as a centerpiece
in your collection. (0110) $2875
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