A. J. Turner
| Augustus John Turner | |
|---|---|
Turner in Staunton, Virginia.
|
|
| Nickname(s) | A. J. |
| Born |
October 12, 1818 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 1905 (aged 86) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1862 |
| Rank | Chief Musician |
| Unit | Company Band, 5th Virginia Infantry |
| Battles/wars | |
| Spouse(s) | Kate M. Aby |
| Relations |
Charles W. Turner (son) Thomas Memory Turner (son) Cora Turner Freijs (daughter) |
Augustus John Turner, (October 12, 1818 – May 14, 1905), known as "A. J. Turner", was an American composer, band leader and music professor. He was the first director of the Stonewall Brigade Band of Staunton, Virginia, the oldest continuous community band funded by tax moneys in the United States. Turner was a professor of music at both the Wesleyan Female Institute and the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Institute, and he played a part in the temperance movement.
Augustus John Turner was born on October 12, 1818, in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, to Samuel M. Turner, a farmer, and Mahala Johnson Chapman. Both his grandfathers fought in the American Revolution.
Before moving to Staunton, Turner lived in Middletown and Newtown, near Winchester in Frederick County, Virginia. He married Catherine ("Kate") Montrose Aby on July 1, 1845, in Frederick County. Turner's house in Newtown was destroyed in a fire on December 2, 1856.
In Staunton, Virginia, in 1855, David W. Drake sought to found a band. He enlisted the help of Turner, his former music teacher in Newtown, persuading him to move to Staunton. Together with two other citizens of Staunton, they formed the Mountain Saxhorn Band. They gave their first formal concert on July 17, 1857, at Union Hall on Beverley Street in Staunton. By 1859 the band had come to be known as Turner's Silver Cornet Band. At Armory Hall on April 4, 1861, Turner's Silver Cornet Band, together with the Staunton Musical Association and the Glee Club, presented the last concert to be given before the Civil War.
The band was mustered into the 5th Virginia Infantry Regiment under Stonewall Jackson and Colonel William S. Baylor. Soon after the Battle of First Manassas, the band earned the name Stonewall Brigade Band, and has been known as such ever since. As well as playing their instruments, band members fought and acted as couriers and letter bearers or medical assistants. Turner's first son Charles was a courier. In addition to entertaining the troops in the field, the band frequently appeared in concerts in Fredericksburg, Richmond, Staunton, and elsewhere to support recruiting rallies, clothing drives, and war relief fundraising.
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