Talking about Revolution: Treating a 1740 War Drum

Below, watch the full treatment of the Revolutionary War Drum by Senior Conservator of Objects and Frames, Josh McCauley.

The power of the drum is rooted in its ability to send messages. With the constant tempo of warriors' feet beating on the ground, it summons allies and beats back enemies with the same force. It can be used as an instrument of war or peace, a companion to dance and celebration. During the Revolutionary War, the drum played a vital role in conveying messages, persuading troops to fight, and boosting morale.

This Revolutionary War drum, circa 1740, was used at the Battles of Eutaw, Saratoga, and Cowpens. General Charles R. Floyd of Georgia originally owned this drum and presented it to the newly founded Georgia Historical Society in 1841. This drum was the first artifact in the Georgia Historical Society's collection.

Revolutionary War drum circa 1740 Battles of Eutaw, Saratoga, and Cowpens — Revolutionary drum, verso, before treatment

This cylinder drum is constructed of a wood laminate cylinder with two skins stretched onto wooden flesh hoops, with wooden head rings that are held with rope, gut strings, and leather rope tensioners. The full inscription on the drum cylinder reads, "This Drum was used in the American Army of the Revolution, at the Battles of EUTAW, SARATOGA, and COWPENS. Presented to the Georgia Historical Society by General Charles R. Floyd in 1841". Although 280 years old, being in the care of a museum collection for the past 180 years has provided this drum with excellent care and stewardship.

The top skin and wooden head ring were slightly askew. The top batter skin had a 2" tear and a 1" tear at the outer edge of the flesh hoop. Below the 1" tear was an associated area of loss measuring 1/2" x 1 1/2". The top skin exhibited minor distortions, a moderate grime layer, liquid droplet staining, and possible pencil markings. The top wooden head ring displayed wood losses, splits, and some cleaving outside the metal fastened half lap joint. There was a 3/4" vertical crack in the wood fibers on the top head located 8" to the right of the half-lap joint.

The bottom batter skin had a 1/2" tear 1" from the outer edge and a 1" tear on the outer edge of the flesh hoop. The bottom skin exhibited little distortion at the outer edge, a moderate grime layer, staining, and possible pencil markings. The bottom wooden head ring exhibited cleaving at the inside end of the metal fastened half lap joint. The second rope hole from the proper left of the half-lap joint showed a sizeable vertical split, and the next rope hole to the left has a 1/2" crack in the wood fibers below the opening.

The drum cylinder had horizontal wood splits at the metal fasteners located end of the shell lap joint. The cylinder exhibited a 3 1/2" vertical crack in the wood fibers at the lower center below the "COWPENS" inscription. The paint layer of the inscription has minimal losses and abrasions. The outer surface of the drum cylinder exhibited moderate abrasions, scratches, gouges, and a moderate grime layer overall.

The rope was discolored, had areas of accretions, and exhibited a 4" break in the rope fibers located near the inscription. The leather rope tensioners are a variety of shapes and sizes and were most likely replaced as needed over time. The leather was brittle and in a dry state. Two rope tensioners were missing and had been replaced with hair; the replacement hair is possibly horsehair.

Detail: Revolutionary drum, top batter skin, before treatment

With so many different components, Senior Conservator of Objects and Frames Josh McCauley welcomed the challenge of treating this historic object. "Overall, the treatment was interesting because of the various material used in the drum. Each component required different levels of treatment and research which was interesting."

The first step was to disassemble the drum, in order to clean and stabilize the different components. Josh shared that "It was very nerve-racking to take apart the drum as well, so many concerns had to be thought through before I proceeded. It was crucial that I had to take apart the drum to repair the drumhead damage." Once disassembled, cleaning began using dry methods, a mild solvent, or an appropriate solution depending on each individual component's needs. Then, treatment of the drumhead batters could proceed. Tears in the skins were repaired with goldbeater's skin, an animal membrane, adhered with a reversible adhesive. The repairs were inpainted to emulate the surrounding surface as closely as possible.

Next, the cracks, cleaving, and structurally unstable splits on the wooden head rings and the wooden cylinder were stabilized and filled as deemed appropriate. The leather tensioners were consolidated with a reversible conservation-grade adhesive. The break in the rope was secured as best possible to prevent further damage. This was one of the areas that Josh spent considerable time researching before proceeding with treatment; "researching the proper knot systems used on rope drums was particularly interesting."

After this, the painted inscription was consolidated using a reversible conservation-grade adhesive. Recent abrasions, scratches, and gouges in the cylinder and heads were also inpainted to better integrate with the overall patina.

With an artifact as old and complex as this drum, it truly takes hours of research and years of experience to execute an appropriate and effective conservation treatment for an object such as this. "The skin on the drumheads for example had components of the treatment that were more in line with a paper conservation treatment, humidifying, and flattening, then backing and filling with goldbeater’s skin. The goldbeater’s skin fills were shaped and inserted using similar techniques that paper conservators use when performing fills. I feel that the treatment was successful, the overall change in appearance is subtle, but the drum is cleaner, richer in tone, and the components are more stable." Now preserved, this historical artifact is back in the care of Georgia Historical Society, who will continue to steward it for decades to come.

Below, watch the full treatment of the Revolutionary War Drum by Senior Conservator of Objects and Frames, Josh McCauley.

Carissa Tonner