THE ORIGIN OF “TAPS”

The following story is an example of an apocryphal story.  Apocryphal means the anecdote is most likely not true.  Or, as I would say, too good to be true.  Many apocryphal stories begin with a true story that is “enhanced” for entertainment purposes.  Unfortunately, the story is usually passed on without any qualifications.  Here is an example of a famous anecdote that many people believe is true, but it isn’t.     

                  In 1862, a Captain Robert Ellicombe was in charge of gathering dead bodies on a battlefield in Virginia.  In the process, the Union officer examined each of the bodies before interring them.  He was shocked to find that one of the dead was his son.  Before the war, his son had gone to the South to study music.  He had no idea that the boy had joined the Confederate army.  Upon examining his son’s body, he discovered a piece of paper with some musical notes written on it.  He requested and was granted a funeral for his son.  He asked a bugler to play his son’s music at the burial.  The tune was sad and haunting and had quite an effect on the audience.  Later, Ellicombe’s commanding officer Gen. Daniel Butterfield got the paper and summoned his bugler Oliver Morton to his tent.  He asked Morton to tweak the music.  The resulting music composition became known as “Taps” and became the standard “lights out” signal in the Union Army and many armies since.

                Here is the more boring actual story.  “Taps” is used for two main purposes.  One, it signals “lights out” in the U.S. military.  It is also used at funerals.  Originally, “extinguish lights” was called “tattoo”.  It was three slow drum taps.  Soldiers called it “taps” because of the drum taps.  The “Scott tattoo” was used from 1835 – 1862.  In the second year of the Civil War, Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield decided to tweak it.  This happened at Harrison’s Landing in Virginia.  He converted it into a bugle call and had his bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton play it.  It was sometimes called “Butterfield’s Lullaby”.  It quickly caught on, even with the Confederate army.  It was first used for funerals later that year.  Capt. Horace Tidball gets credit for that.  It replaced the three volleys.  Horace Lorenzo Trim is credited with the words to the melody.  Taps became official in 1874.

Day is done, gone the sun,
 From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
 All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

While the light fades from sight,
 And the stars gleaming rays softly send,
 To thy hands we our souls, Lord, commend.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taps

https://www.history.com/news/how-did-taps-originate

–  Ayres 27-29