At 24 years old, Solomon Conn, a son of a hotel keeper in Minamac, Indiana, enlisted as a private in Company B of the 87th Indiana Infantry on July 26, 1862. He purchased this violin in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 1, 1863. Conn carried the violin while serving, although his family admitted that he never learned to play. Written on the back of the instrument are the names of places where the soldiers of the 87th were either on duty or engaging the enemy. More place names are written along the left and right edges of the sides. This object stands as a unique memento of the common soldier during the Civil War.
Violin
- Description
- Physical Description
- Wood with personal carvings.
- Specific History
- At 24 years old, Solomon Conn, a son of a hotel keeper in Minamac, Indiana, enlisted as a private in Company B of the 87th Indiana Infantry on July 26, 1862. He purchased this violin in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 1, 1863. Conn carried the violin while serving, although his family admitted that he never learned to play. Written on the back of the instrument are the names of places where the soldiers of the 87th were either on duty or engaging the enemy. More place names are written along the left and right edges of the sides. Among the more well-known battles the 87th took part in were the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863 and Kennesaw Mountain in June 1864. By the end of the war, the 87th Volunteers had lost 283 men, most of them to disease.
- This object stands as a unique memento of the common soldier during the Civil War.
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- user
- Conn, Solomon
- Credit Line
- S. Jackson Conn and William M. Conn
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- metal (part material)
- Measurements
- overall: 24 in x 8 in x 4 in; 60.96 cm x 20.32 cm x 10.16 cm
- Object Name
- violin
