The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) will display its newly restored Revolutionary War-era drum (circa 1775 – 1783) on Friday, September 16, 2022, at its open house event to commemorate Constitution Day. This event is free and open to the public.

One of the jewels of the GHS collection, the drum recently returned from conservation, conducted by the Conservation Center in Chicago. It was one of the first artifacts donated to the Georgia Historical Society. Nearly 250 years old, the drum was in very fragile condition and required extensive restoration.

“We believe that this vital conservation work was important not only to help us teach about the war for America’s independence but for teaching the role that music and percussion played in military history, most especially in the early days of our Republic,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “Though we don’t know who carried it, or whose hands beat out the call to arms, this rare drum is a tangible link to the Revolutionary generation that still resonates.”

The inscription on the drum states: “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.”

General Charles Floyd of Georgia obtained the drum from his cousin, John Floyd, who was Governor of Virginia, in about 1820. It was probably carried by a Virginia regiment which served under the command of General Daniel Morgan at the battle of Cowpens. The same detachment, or its parent unit, could have served at the battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina.

This rare artifact, along with Abraham Baldwin’s 1787 draft copy of the US Constitution and other unique objects and documents highlighting Georgia’s role in the development and evolution of our national story, will be on display for public viewing during GHS’s Constitution Day open house event on Friday, September 16, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.