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The First New York served as far north as Quebec, Canada, and as far south as Yorktown, Virginia—where it witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis’ British Army—but was primarily stationed at various posts in the Hudson and Mohawk River Valleys. The First New York was disbanded at the end of the Revolution in 1783, many of its members having survived eight years of hard service. The raw recruits of 1775 that were described by General Schuyler as "the sweepings of the New York streets" had been transformed into the seasoned veterans of 1783—declared by the Baron de Steuben to be "a model of order and discipline for the entire army." Fort Ticonderoga first formed a fife and drum corps in 1926, beginning a tradition of military music still found at the Fort today. In 1939, a corps representing the Fort performed at the World’s Fair in New York City. In 1973, as part of the preparations for our nation’s bicentennial, the corps was restructured for daily summer performances. The unit was officially named The Corps of Drums in 1978, and since 1980 The Corps has performed for such special events as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York; the christening of the Aegis missile cruiser U.S.S. Ticonderoga by Nancy Reagan, in Pascagoula, Mississippi; the birthday of the U.S.S. Constitution ("Old Ironsides") in Boston, Massachusetts; the Memorial Day Parade in Chicago, Illinois; the Pulaski Day Parade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston, and literally hundreds of parades and celebrations in northern New York, Vermont, and Canada. Today, the distinguished high school-aged members within the ranks of The Corps of Drums, and their commander, Drum Major Michael Edson (a member of The Corps since 1975) are proud of their talents and skills which foster a new sense of pride and patriotism in the hundreds of thousands of people that witness one of The Corps’ many performances during the year. The Corps of Drums can be seen daily within the walls of Fort Ticonderoga throughout July and August, where they perform music and conduct artillery demonstrations.
For information concerning parades, performances, or recordings, contact Fort Ticonderoga by email, mail, phone, or fax. Fort Ticonderoga History of Fifes & Drums during the American Revolution
In battle, fifes & drums were used to issue commands, and to call for a cease-fire. Visitors to Fort Ticonderoga can still hear these musical commands and signals today as corps members play for the raising and lowering of the 18th-century flags and demonstrations throughout the day.
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