Banner graphic above: The Field Music 1st PRVC poses for the camera at Fairfax Station, Virgina in June 1863. Their next stop was Gettysburg!

Thank you for visiting the website of the

Civil War Field Music

of the 1st Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps

proudly portrayed by the

B.S.A. Venture Crew 1861 Fife and Drum Corps

chartered by the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association

(formerly Venture Crew 53 of Maytown PA)

recruiting in Gettysburg, York & Lancaster

Our mission:

To Preserve our Civil War Heritage
To Honor Our Nation's Veterans
To Promote the Ideals of Scouting 

It's Official! We are now Venture Crew 1861 chartered by the

GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION located at the HISTORIC DANIEL LADY FARM.

Formed in 2004 as the Troop 53 Fife & Drum Corps (FDC) and subsequently Venture Crew 53, the group is now rechartered as Venture Crew 1861 with the New Birth of Freedom Council of the Boy Scouts of America. They portray the Field Music of the 1st Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps. The crew number is significant because 1861 is the year Governor Andrew Curtin and the Pennsylvania Legislature formed the Regiment with volunteers from Gettysburg, York, Lancaster and surrounding counties--many of the same counties where many of the musicians in today's FDC live.  

The FDC began as a Boy Scout band but expanded into the hobby of Civil War reenacting at the 145th Anniversary of First Bull Run in 2006.  The Corps continues to participate in numerous living history events, battle reenactments, veterans' ceremonies, scouting events, community festivals and parades. and are the official Field Music for the PA Reserve Battalion. They were featured in the August 2007 issue of Boys’ Life magazine participating in Gettysburg’s Remembrance Day Ceremonies. The FDC performed with the Music of the United State Volunteers (USV) for the 2009 rededication of the Lincoln Memorial in Wash. D.C. and opened the official kick-off ceremonies for 150th Anniversary of Civil War held in the State Capitol Rotunda.

The Corps  provides group instruction in fife, drum or bugle. Practices have been held in maytown PA and the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. Members also participate in special instructional events such as the U.S. Army “Old Guard” Fife and Drum Corps Junior Workshop in Arlington VA and the National Civil War Field Music School in Lamberville N.J.  Musical instruments, Civil War uniforms and equipment are provided by the FDC although some members own their own. 

The Venture Crew  also has sponsored ski trips, indoor rock climbing and other activities. The Venture Crew is co-ed and accepts youth ages 13-20 who have completed 8th grade. Musicians do not have to be Venture Crew age to particpate in the Fife & Drum Corps.  The Fife & Drum Corps  accepts youth members aged 11 to 21. Members pay dues and event fees to cover operating costs. Generous sponsors defray uniform, instrument and equipment costs.

 Venture Crew 1861 is chartered by the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association ~ gbpa.org ~ the nation’s oldest battlefield preservation society, sponsor of the Pennsylvania Gettysburg Monuments Project Trust, and owner of the Daniel Lady Farm which served as Maj.Gen. Edward Johnson’s Division Headquarters and a Confederate field hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863.

For more information on joining the Fife and Drum Corps, performance requests & scheduling, please contact:

Michael Cassidy Venture Crew 1861 Advisor
P.O. Box 63, Maytown PA 17550
Email: newrycassidy@comcast.net
Ph. 717-426-3941 Cell# 717-368-1235

Field Music, 1st P.R.V.C. / Venture Crew 53 at Gettysburg Remembrance Day November 2010