United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drums 1

[Dookieryan]

@jonpaulseid that "gentlemen's agreement" was not only because of the age of the fifers/drummers but also because they were a vital source of communication as they can be heard over the gun and cannon fire

[Thompsontech1]

Thank you Blacknight48 for that terrific response.

[Thompsontech1]

That is a great question. The US Army Old Guard Fife and drum, Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum as well as the Yorktown Fife and Drum are all red and white. I believe is has to do with our British past instead of our American past. Pre Revolutionary war, but I will look further to confirm.

[blackknight48]

Colonial Fife and Drum musicians wear uniforms patterned after those worn by the Continental Army musicians during the American Revolution. Continental Army musicians generally (but not always) wore red instead of blue in order to be seen through the smoke of battle. The uniform worn today is an accurate replica of the one worn in 1781, and consists of a black tricorn hat, a white wig, a cream colored waistcoat, colonial coveralls, and the red coat.

[Jonpaulseid]

@blackknight48 that's not entirely correct. While there may be some truth in the vivid red of their regimental coats being visible through powder smoke, the red coats with blue facings (collars and cuffs) were worn by field musicians to distinguish them from combatants. There was a "gentleman's agreement" not to shoot at the field musicians, who were at the time considered to be non-combatants (they were usually young boys or old men).