drummer

Ramona Collector Preserved Great-Great-Grandfather's Civil War Drum

A Ramona man, who's also a history buff and avid collector, recently discovered the true value of a family treasure that dates back to the Civil War.

"My great great grandfather was a drummer boy in the Battle of Shiloh," said Norm Case. "They fought over three days and over 3,000 men lost their lives. it was a very bloody battle. It was played April 6 in 1862."

Four generations later, Case safeguards the drum at the Ramona home and winery (Hatfield Creek Vineyards & Winery) he shares with his wife Elaine Lyttleton.

Up until modern times, drums were used as a form of communication on the battlefields.

"It was the way to muster the men for breakfast or muster the men to grab the weapons to fight or to retreat," Case said.

Curious about the drum's value, Case and Lyttleton brought it to the Antiques Roadshow. The episode recently aired.

The drum was appraised at $15,000, but Case won't be selling it.

"I'd rather have it here on display, able to share it with people and then pass it on to my son," he said.

Case, a retired firefighter from the city of Monterey Park also kept another relic used by his great-great-grandfather during the Civil War — a shotgun made with a Damascus barrel.

"You really couldn't fire a heavy load in this, like they make today. It was made in about 1850."

The Civil War-era drum is just one of the many antique Case collects.

He also owns a collection of historical artifacts inside a carriage house adjacent to the home, such as a 1929 Ford Model A car.

"I actually have a Ford Pinto engine dated 1980 in it so that I can pull this teardrop trailer up to Yosemite with it," he said.

Case and his wife met years ago at a teardrop trailer meet-up.

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