Its compound name derives from its last military affiliation with the Second Regiment of the New Hampshire National Guard until 1898 and its direction for more than half a century by Claremont cornetist Arthur Nevers.

Upon its formation, the Third Regiment Band was sent promptly to participate in the siege of Charleston Harbor at Hilton Head, South Carolina, but did not remain long.

They are recognized by knowledgeable researchers to contain some of the finest band arrangements of popular mid-19th century music, and they therefore have been used repeatedly in recent period instrument recordings of the repertoire.

Ingalls yielded leadership of the band in 1879 to J. Wilkins Hall, who, in turn, passed the baton in 1881 to Dorchester native Henri Blaisdell.

For several years, the orchestra included Edwin Eugene Bagley, originally of Craftsbury, Vermont, later of Keene, New Hampshire, and composer of the famous "National Emblem March".

Distinguished performances by the band in this century began with a two-day ceremony in 1900 for the dedication of the battleship USS Alabama and the 1905 signing of the Russo-Japanese Peace Treaty, both in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Other events included Dartmouth College commencements, annual performances at St. Paul's School, the Lancaster fairs, concerts at Mount Sunapee State Park, and the 150th and 200th anniversaries of many towns and cities.

In addition, the band played by his own request for the funeral of former Mayor Storrs of Concord, as well as for a ceremony in the State House Hall of Flags upon the death of former U. S. senator Styles Bridges.

Osborne had recently retired from a 30-year career in music education where he spent the bulk of his time in the Merrimack Valley School District.