- Joined
- Mar 18, 2015
- Location
- Kent, Ohio
I'm afraid that Ambrose Burnside story about Taps seems a little unlikely (Trivia contest just closed). "Taps" may have been a jocular name for the last drink of the evening at Benny's. But the name originally referred to the three-tap drum signal for lights out that itself long preceded the bugle call "Extinguish Lights". The latter was probably written by a Major Seymour. Dan Butterfield thought it too formal and produced "Taps" (as we know it) with the help of Bugler O W Norton.
There's an excellent discussion of the origins of "Taps" here: http://www.legion.org/magazine/212632/‘all-well-safely-rest’ . The writer examines Dan Butterfield's status as creator and concludes that Dan adapted a much earlier and traditional army bugle call to create "Taps" as we know it.
Burnside may well have been one (and there were many) who heard the call and adopted it. Villanueva writes: "The call, sounded that night in July, 1862, soon spread to other units of the Union Army and was even used by the Confederates. Taps was made an official bugle call after the war"
Good old Burn! Gets credit when he doesn't deserve it and when the Crater went wrong, he gets all the blame!
There's an excellent discussion of the origins of "Taps" here: http://www.legion.org/magazine/212632/‘all-well-safely-rest’ . The writer examines Dan Butterfield's status as creator and concludes that Dan adapted a much earlier and traditional army bugle call to create "Taps" as we know it.
The roots of Butterfield's new Taps call are found in an early version of the Tattoo call, used by armies to signal troops to prepare for bedtime roll call. This early Tattoo is found in four manuals, from the Winfield Scott manual of 1835 to the William Gilham manual of 1861. The Scott, or 1835, Tattoo was in use until the 1855, or Hardee, Tattoo came into use just before the Civil War. The Hardee Tattoo was sounded throughout the war, replacing the older Scott Tattoo.
Burnside may well have been one (and there were many) who heard the call and adopted it. Villanueva writes: "The call, sounded that night in July, 1862, soon spread to other units of the Union Army and was even used by the Confederates. Taps was made an official bugle call after the war"
Good old Burn! Gets credit when he doesn't deserve it and when the Crater went wrong, he gets all the blame!
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