Re: Civil War era harp question

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

fjm wrote:
>
>Following Pat's supplied url I ended reading the background info on the
>Alan Bates harmonica collection,
>http://www.usd.edu/smm/Batespage.htm
>
>An interesting read, this piece suggests that harmonicas were in wide
>use by soldiers during the American Civil War and that harmonicas were
>widely available. I'll pursue this via my other sources. Thanks Pat, 

One fact that is usually ignored by harmonica "histories" is that
harmonicas were being made in the USA for some years before Hohner
started exporting them. As well as the Aeolian mentioned earlier (made
in NYC) , reed organ makers like James Bazin of Massachusetts, were
making harmonicas and other mouth blown free reed instruments as far
back as the 1820s.

 -- Pat.