CWF&D Gets a New Leader – John C. Moon
After Bill Geiger’s death in 1970, Earl Soles was appointed Director of Craft Shops. When George Carroll resigned in 1971, Soles, as supervisor of the Corps, was faced with a potential crisis of leadership for the Corps. Carroll’s replacement would be hard to find but the search began immediately.
Carroll had recommended Bill White, who was about to graduate from James Blair High School, to be hired as a staff person to teach the fifers and drummers and to perform as the Corps’ drum major. Just prior to graduation, White was asked to meet with Soles at which time Soles offered him the job of music instructor of the Corps for the summer. White had been hired to work in the candle maker shop as a summer hire, but he readily accepted Soles’ offer.
Herb Watson also remained with the Corps and he assumed the administrative responsibilities, with the help of Cheryl Reitz, the Corps’ secretary. The Corps continued to perform through the summer and fall of 1971. In the fall, White agreed to continue to work part-time as the Music Assistant so he could begin college classes. Significantly, in August, the Corps made a trip to Old Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts, and Mystic Seaport, Connecticut. In September the Corps hosted the sixth Field Musick Day.
By October of 1971, the search for a new Drum Major/Music Master had narrowed to John Colin Moon, a former Drum Major in the British Army who was working for the Jennings Jones, Ltd., company in Long Island, New York, that represented The Henry Potter Drum Company of London. Moon also had served as the Director of Music of the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Moon recalls:
During late October I received two calls from Bill Hammes, then Assistant Director of Craft Shops, ascertaining my credentials and testing any mutual interest in my considering the position of Musickmaster at Colonial Williamsburg. November found me traveling down to Williamsburg for a series of interviews with Foundation Officers. In a hectic and pressured two days I was interviewed by Carlisle Humelsine, the President of CWF, Mills Brown and Jimmy Fuller of Personnel, Peter Brown, then Vice President of the Historic Area, Earl Soles, then Director of Craft Shops, Bill Hammes, his assistant and James Darling, the Foundation’s Music Consultant. In addition, a demonstration was arranged to allow me to meet the current program staff and to hear the current players perform.
Recollection from John C. Moon, Musickmaster of the Fifes and Drums
Moon recalls a meeting with Carlisle Humelsine, the President of Colonial Williamsburg: “I met with Mr. Humelsine and he asked me what I needed. I said, ‘one year without interference’. Mr. Humelsine said, ‘I’ll give you two’ and we shook hands. That’s all it took to finalize the agreement. Mr. Humelsein was a great supporter of the Corps. I never wanted for anything.”
Moon accepted the position and arrived for work as the new Drum Major and Musick Master on January 2, 1972. By that time the Corps had successfully weathered seven months without a named supervisor. Moon recognized the role White and Watson had played during that period.
During my first discussions with them I decided that, rather than follow the rule of ‘a new broom sweeping clean’, I would retain them, learn from them, and acknowledge the difficult task they had undertaken…and survived…over the previous months. This decision was important in many respects. It postulates one of many philosophies I embrace, that of promoting from within, by internal recruiting. It also offered a degree of deserved trust and recognition to the incumbents. I can’t give enough praise to Bill and Herb for surviving the transition.
JCM
The strength of the 1971 Senior Corps also deserves credit for “surviving” the previous seven months since Carroll’s departure. Many of these members—Bill White, Greg Kyte, Tom Jenkins, Brian Rose, Kent Puffenburger, Alan Sherman, Charlie Breeland, Greg Force, Rodney Edmundson, Tom Rice, and Jim Barbour—had been in the Corps for years and they provided the experience and momentum to keep the Corps performing and operational.
Moon’s first directive was “all activities will start on time,” which he described as “a nice and easy policy that all could understand…” He also remembers “having heard the Fifers and Drummers perform in November, I had promised myself that my first musical adjustment would be that of introducing dynamics to an acceptable level by marking all drum scores with volume signs, then enforcing their usage. The drummers, by nature, rebelled against such heavy-handed measures, but the tacit support of the fifers was evident to all.”
In February of 1972, Colonial Williamsburg arranged for a reception for the Corps’ parents, which allowed Moon “to meet them in an informal atmosphere, one upshot of which was to convince me not to involve parents regularly, in ways similar to the PTA or to Little League. I felt it important that they be kept advised of activities but not be given the impression that their presence or input was a necessity. We continued in that vein, arranging an annual Parents’ Meeting consisting of some performance, some information sharing, some award giving and some refreshments.”
This first reception would evolve into annual parents’ meetings, which have been held yearly ever since. Moon ways “it was a way to tell them thank you for the use of your offspring.” White remembers that Moon brought a firm approach to the Corps members and their Parents, which White summarized as “this is your son’s job, you can’t come down here and fix it for him, he has to fix it for himself.”
January and February found Moon absorbed in orientation, uniform fittings and learning about the Corps and how it fit into Colonial Williamsburg. By March, Moon was beginning to implement changes, which are best described in his own words:
MARCH 1972. We established a clothing inspection schedule…This schedule included spot checks on items on issue, forecasts of needs and a calendar of special events that might require special uniform support. Herb Watson upgraded the laundry system then in use and Bill White assumed responsibility for the preparation of Instructor’s schedules.
APRIL1972. With the help of all staff I established the keeping of records on all current and graduating members and we revised the Corps’ rules and regulations and republished and distributed them to all.
MAY 1972. I reviewed the current repertoire, then gave myself the goal of finding, then arranging, then publishing and teaching two new pieces of music each month. This decision to continuously add to the Corps repertoire resulted in a habit that continued until my retirement.
JUNE 1972. We ordered canteens and fife cases for the Senior Corps and we established a new summer program of combined presentations at the Music Teacher’s Room and ordered new flags for the Colour Guard.
JULY 1972. I reviewed the previous six months with Messrs. Soles and Hammes and received the green light to continue the formalization and growth of the F&D as a department. Along with the new roll-call system, lost and found system and points awards, NCO’s were now appointed regularly to monitor the cleaning of the building by Corps members and those losing points, or undergoing punishment from previous loss of points, were put to work to clean up after each activity. We arranged the first Corps trip since my arrival and decided to eschew the previous habitual attendance at New England Musters. A word about this decision:
Following information gleaned from staff and other Craft Shops staff, it was apparent that these Musters, while affording an opportunity to see and hear other corps, were usually fraught with intake of alcohol, bad language and doubtful behavior by other adult corps’ members, thus providing a less than positive experience or example for our non-adult members.
We established a training program to take the junior players on the street to perform…and we stepped up the historical lineage research on units in Williamsburg during the late 18th century.
AUGUST 1972. We embarked upon a Corps trip that allowed us to travel to and perform at the USMA at West Point, Gettysburg and Valley Forge NP…. My staff did an outstanding job of preparing and administering this trip, which proved to be the last one where another officer of the Foundation was required to travel with and oversee the Corps.
SEPTEMBER 1972. We established a new awards system for points accrued and started to collect items for new scrapbooks that could provide a graphic description of the Corps’ progress.
OCTOBER 1972. It was by now obvious that one of Herb Watson’s strengths, that of musical talent, was not being used to full capacity and I arranged more performance opportunities with him and the staff musicians as well as involving him in the new fife arrangements being considered for the Corps repertoire.
NOVEMBER 1972. We completed the Fifer/Drummer and Corporal Music books and opened up discussions as to the possibility of the Foundation publishing some of the new scores that were being issued to members, thus providing a secondary result for the amount of work being expended on the new internal repertoire.
DECEMBER 1972. We prepared and presented a combined military music program, staged on Palace Green, with the USMC Drum and Bugle Corps, which resulted in three highlights. 1. The CW F&D Corps was obviously as musically professional as our guests. 2. We suffered a great deal of damage to our Regimentals, being caught by torrential rain once the program had started (causing displeasure within the hierarchy of the Costume Department). 3. The Marine Corps Drum Major dropped his mace during the performance.
From the notes of John C. Moon
Not mentioned in the above timeline were a performance on July 4th with the Special Continental Army Band at Ft. Monroe, and the Corps’ hosting of the seventh Field Music Day in September.
Thus ended Moon’s first year with the Corps. While Moon had implemented strict policies, White also saw that he had a light side. The seniors in the Corps often tested him and he went along with most of it. In the spring of 1972, publicity shots were scheduled with the Corps in regimentals and Moon in his full British Drum Major uniform that included a kilt. While assembling in the main room at the old Courthouse, one of the drummers put his arm around Moon and asked for a date. “John chased him around the room three times”, recalls White.
On the summer trip to West Point, several of the seniors decided that Moon had not been “initiated” in to the Corps. Several grabbed him and tried to throw him into the outdoor pool. Moon, however, was not going to go down without a fight. He grabbed on to Greg Kyte and would not let go, so the two of them went into the pool. As Moon went to his room to change, one of the other adult chaperones could be heard saying “don’t let those juvenile delinquents in the room.” One can surmise that Moon had seen plenty of such antics during his years in the British Army and that he felt they were part of the transition process. White recalls that Moon “was good-natured about these kinds of things and we sensed he was fitting in.”
In 1973, a set of Rose-Morris drums was ordered from Henry Potter and Company in London. These drums would be referred to by future Corps members as the “Rose-Morris Drums” or the “London Drums.” In 2018, this set of drums we refurbished and fitted with Remo synthetic heads, giving the Corps a set of ___ Snare and ____ bass “all-weather” drums.
Also in the spring, research was begun that would lead to changing the Corps from the 2nd Virginia Regiment to the State Garrison Regiment (SGR). White would take the lead in this research.
Moon reports that the beginning of another significant development was underway. Moon records that in March:
I was asked to assume managerial responsibilities for the Corps and supervisory responsibilities for the whole Militia program, including training, schedule of programs and program content. I apportioned several secondary responsibilities to Bill White and Herb Watson and set up a working relationship with Nick Payne, the Keeper of the Magazine and Captain of the Militia. An important step was taken to establish the Corps with two operandi, one of continued support to the Militia programs, the other to have its own calendar of events independent of other departmental programs. This was a major development in the growth of the Corps, giving them a clearer understanding of their counterpart role in the 18th century.
John C. Moon
In April, Harold L. Peterson, the Curator of the National Park Service and a noted expert on armaments (and the same person who had contacted Colonial Williamsburg about Carroll in 1960), inspected the Militia’s equipment and provided advice on 18th century arms and accoutrements. The decision was made to “embrace the Harvey Manual of Arms for musketry (later found to have been printed and sold at the Williamsburg Post Office), the Steven’s Artillery Manual for our cannon and mortars.”
In May the Powder Magazine was put under Moon’s management. White’s schedule was adjusted to allow him to continue with his college classes and with the Corps, and to assume more responsibilities. Chosen Corps members began training as interpreters in the Magazine, which allowed them to be employed as casual relief during the summer months.
Since the beginning of the Corps, dozens of alumni, mostly college students, had been hired as “Goaler-Guardsmen” to work as casual relief during summers, holiday seasons, and weekends and all of them were in the Militia. These Corps alumni, as Militiamen, often show up in photographs of the Corps over the years.
In the summer, the Corps began music theory classes taught by Watson. The Corps performed at the Colonial Williamsburg 4th of July ceremonies, then returned to Ft. Monroe for another concert, with total audience that day close to 30,000. In October, the new Rose-Morris drums arrived from London. During 1972 and 1973, White had been researching the SGR. By December of 1973, White’s research has led to exciting details about the unit. Moon reports:
Another major decision, that to affiliate the Corps’ lineage with that of the Virginia State Garrison Regiment. Bill White had found significant information during his research into unit history and it was obvious that this unit was not only raised in Williamsburg by an Act of Assembly in the Capitol Building, but the Magazine Guard was provided by the Regiment. This allowed an authentic presentation of Regular Troops and their Field Music (Magazine staff and Senior Corps) and a clearer picture of comparison to the Independent and Militia Companies in town (The Craft Shops Militia Company and the Junior Corps). Plans were made to acquire the necessary arms, equipment and accoutrements for all four, including changes in clothing and new uniform issue, resulting in a complex proposal presented to Messrs. Brown and Soles, with several target dates of implementation. My staff and I worked more hours than scheduled in order to complete this new thrust, but the results were satisfactory.
John C. Moon
One particularly memorable muster in 1973 was one in which U.S. Army Captain Robert T. White, the last known Vietnam POW, reviewed the Militia and the Corps. In September the Corps hosted the last Field Musick Day, which only included three 18th century units – the Junior and Senior Corps and the Militia – and one modern band, the U.S. continental Army Band from Ft. Monroe. Bill White explains that getting other corps to attend had been a problem. There was a tradition in New England of camping at the musters, but Colonial Williamsburg could not provide such arrangements. As a result, many New England corps did not attend the Field Musick Days
In January 1974, Moon passed his two-year mark with the Corps. The following are excerpts from Kent Puffenberger, a snare drummer who entered the Corps at age 9 and who holds the “Issue Number” of 001. Kent started in the Corps in 1965 while the Corps was in Cameron Hall:
Operations would be moved to the Old Courthouse building, adjacent to the Williamsburg Lodge, where I would spend the remainder of my time in the Corps. And soon thereafter, in 1972, a new Music Master would take charge of the Corps: John Moon. Mr. Moon, having come from England, had a different style of drumming, with his crushed-down rolls, as opposed to the open-style we were accustomed to but there was no mistaking how absolutely ‘spot-on’ his time-keeping skills were. By this time, I had worked my way into the Senior Corps.
In 1974, my last year in the Corps, I had reached the rank of Drum Sergeant. This year, by far, was my favorite year in the Corps. At the end of that summer, when it was time for all the high school seniors to leave the Corps, Mr. Moon invited us all to a farewell dinner at the Lodge. Mr. Moon thanked us all, but made special mention of me – about how he felt I had most improved in my maturity, and that he was proud of the way I had carried out my responsibilities as Drum Sergeant. I want to thank him for those kind words, which have served as a source of pride and inspiration for me even to this day.
Kent Puffenberger; 001, snare; 1965-1971
In January of 1974 new Rules and Regulations books were distributed to all Corps members and parents. Moon explains:
The key to such discipline is being constant by the staff and an understanding by the young men that rules would not be bent. We have three rules. One, do as you are told. The system is built so that each person has a place in the hierarchy. The senior order is followed. Two, keep yourself clean. That includes a responsibility for one’s equipment. If your drum breaks, I’m not going to mend it. Three, if you are told to do something and you don’t want to do it, do it first, then complain.
John C. Moon, 1974 Rules and Regulations of the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums
In the spring of 1974 plans for implementation of the SGR began and White submitted a paper on the unit, which was used as training material for all adults and Corps members involved.
© William H. Casterline, Jr. 2018
