The long tradition of the fife as a military signal instrument often overshadows its equally long tradition as an entertaining musical instrument particularly well suited to the jigs and reels popular with early North Americans of European descent. It was an essential instrument to 18th century military forces, being used not only to signal commands in battle but also to call out daily routines of camp life. The fife remained popular throughout the 18th century and played a reduced, though still important, role during the period of the American Civil War. No. 83301