[Harp-L] U.S. Civil War relic harmonica

[David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Y'all, 

Word of warning if you're into War Between the States (they call it the Civil War in Ohio)  and harmonicas and are thinking about the combining the two hobbies.... Harmonicas weren't as common during the war as the movies would have you think and most "dug" harmonicas are not Civil War, they were usually lost by some kid years later. I have however, seen possibly authentic dug harps. Usually a reedplate is all that's left and it's usually in pieces. 

The Civil War is the time that the harp starts catching on. That's in the North. It doesn't really get to the SOuth after the war. For some soldier to get himself one in the South, he'd had to 1) find a Yankee with a harp 2) take it if he's dead, trade some tobacco for it if he's alive. Tobacco was hard to get in the north, so you had all these Yankee soldiers with the nic fits when they ran out.  In the South, I'm not aware of any of captains of these ultra=fast side-wheel steamer who risked their life to bring a cargo of harmonicas, for which there was little market, through the UNion blockade. 

Somebody goes to one of the 1,300 )or so War Between the States battlefields in the U.S..most of which are unprotected.. or the 436 or so in Virginia with a metal detector and they find a harp, they assume it is Civil War. Usually, it is not, it fell out of some kids pocket years later. Usually when a dug harp is listed as authentic Civil War, it's not, but that doesn't mean they are trying to rip you off necessarily, they probably dont' know better. There's as much chance of a harps laying under the ground at Valley Forge as there is at Gettysburg, and Washington had NO harmonicas at Valley Forge. Y'all get the idea?
What got me thinking about this is the following Ebay listing for a Civil War Harmonica.



"This Auction is for a Complete Dug Harmonica Reed Civil War Era Relic."

http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-Dug-Harmonica-Reed-Civil-War-Era-Relic_W0QQitemZ380026368968QQihZ025QQcategoryZ208QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


The reedplate, my friends, is not Civil War. It is from a mid 1930s Marine Band/Old Standby. Now Y'all know. And knowing is half the battle. 

Dave
_____________________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk RIver Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com