Snare Drum of William C. Streetor, Co. F, 7th Enrolled Missouri Militia 1863 MHM Collections

Union and Confederate army regulations authorized each infantry company to have two musicians, usually a drummer and fifer. Drums were used to signal camp duties and battle orders, maintain the rhythm of the march, and entertain troops in band concerts. This rope-tension snare drum of St. Louisan William C. Streetor may have been presented to him as a token of esteem. Streetor, a sign writer and painter, served early in the war as a drum major with the 3rd Regiment, U.S. Reserve Corps. In 1863, he joined the 7th Regiment of the Enrolled Missouri Militia (EMM), a U.S. force composed of part-time civilian soldiers who were called up only in times of emergency.

William C Streetor