TAPS.....DID YOU KNOW.....??????

L

ladyhawk

Active member
Moved this Here: I think I put it in WRONG Board :oops:

I HOPE I am putting this in right Board...

I got this today in Email, I thought I would share it
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAPS.....DID YOU KNOW.....??????


If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which "TAPS" was
played, you will identify with this, and think of it in an even more touching light.

Here is something EVERY AMERICAN should know. Until I read this, I
didn't know, but I checked it out and it's true. When you learn of it's origination, you may understand why it touches the heart of each who hears it. It is by no accident that it has come into "being".


We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps."
It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our
eyes. But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you
will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union
Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in
Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow
strip of land. During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a
soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a
Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and
bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his
stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier
and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally
reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate
soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went
numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was
his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war
broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the
Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of
his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy
status. His request was only partially granted. The Captain had asked
if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for
his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier
was a Confederate.

But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him
only one musician. The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play
a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the
dead youth's uniform. This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" ... used at military
funerals was born. The words are ...

Day is done ... Gone the sun ... From the lakes ... From the hills
... From the sky ...
All is well ... Safe ly rest ... God is nigh ...
Fading light ... Dims the sight ... And a star ... Gems the sky ...
Gleaming bright ... From afar ... Drawing nigh ... Falls the night
Thanks and praise ... For our days ... Neath the sun ... Neath the
stars ... Neath the sky ... As we go ... This we know ... God is nigh

I, too, have felt the chills while listening to "Taps" but I have
never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was
more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind the song and I
didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along. I now
have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.


REMEMBER, IN PRAYER, THOSE LOST AND HARMED WHILE SERVING THEIR COUNTRY, and also those presently serving in the Armed Forces...Pray also for their family and loved ones for comfort and courage and faith.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LadyHawk

**Future Marine Corp Mom**
 
This is a very nice story... Unfortunately it is quite apocryphal.
The melody of Taps was composed by General Dan Butterfield - then commander of the 3rd brigade, 1st Division, V Corps.
He apparently did not care for the existing call for lights out, so he worked with his bugler, modified somewhat the existing "Scott Tattoo", and came up with what is now known as TAPS.



Here is a link to the Military District of Washington Website with info.
http://www.mdw.army.mil/FS-H06.HTM

And another:
http://www.tapsbugler.com/24NotesExcerpt/Page1.html


There are no official words to TAPS but there are at least several variations that I have seen on the net.
 
Claymore doesn't need me to tell him he's right. FWIW, LadyHawk, I grew up thinking your story was true. It wasn't until many years later that I learned the truth. The Civil War was, of course, apocryphal. So most likely that slant was given the origin to engender Union sympathy which had long since become a monumentaly devastating war. As time went on that just came to be the accepted story for many people until somebody actually looked it up.
 
Claymore said:
This is a very nice story... Unfortunately it is quite apocryphal.
The melody of Taps was composed by General Dan Butterfield - then commander of the 3rd brigade, 1st Division, V Corps.
He apparently did not care for the existing call for lights out, so he worked with his bugler, modifyed somewhat the existing "Scott Tattoo", and came up with what is now known as TAPS.



Here is a link to the Military District of Washington Website with info.
http://www.mdw.army.mil/FS-H06.HTM

And another:
http://www.tapsbugler.com/24NotesExcerpt/Page1.html


There are no official words to TAPS but there are at least several variations that I have seen on the net.
Click to expand...

Thanks For letting me know the True Facts of TAPS :)

LadyHawk

**Future Marine Corps Mom**
 
TAPS & THE LAST POSTS used to be British bugle calls and in the early part of the 19th Century the British Army decided to standardise it calls and dropped TAPS from its list. Now do you know were they got these names from?......Well when the British troops were overseas and far from home they would set up a bar with in the stockade or fort to pass the time as soldiers will. Of an evening when the guard was mounted the last guard would always be mounted by bar, which was the LAST POST, or they would play TAPS this was a signal for the taps on the beer barrels to be closed for another day. The British influence left American forces sticking with Taps, and Britain going along with the last post, mind you there is not to choose between them
 
THE LAST POSTS is a remarkably moving piece of music for a bugle call. It too evokes much emotion in hearing it played.

I have attended British military funerals and I was quite struck by the tune. Were I not American by birth and service I would be certain to have that played when they bury me.

Taps, the military honors, and the three volleys of seven riflemen mean a great deal to me. I know they will mean a great deal to my family as they did all the more so to me when the Marines buried my dad. I have attended and participated in many more military funerals than I care to recall. Of them all I can honestly say that my dad got the best one I ever saw - and rightfully so.

:salute2:
 
I don't know where I heard it (probably in a bar) but I heard it sung like this;

Far away, bugles play,
Sounding taps at the end of the day.
Gone the sun, night has come, day is done.

Also Reveille was;
1. You've gotta get up, you've gotta get up, you've gotta get up it's morning.

2. You've gotta get up, you've gotta get up, get up with the bugle call.

3. The Colonel told the Captain, the Captain told the Sergeant, the Sergeant told the bugler, the bugler told them all.

4. Repeat lines 1. thru 2.

I may be mistaken but it seems that I might have seen a performance on TV of Bob Hope's tours and they were sung by a lady, probably just put words to music for the boys.
 
Missileer........ The words to the British Army Reveille are as follows and were sung often by the soldiers.

You've got get up you've get up in the morning,
Hands off c*cks on with your socks,
You've got get up in the morning.

This phrase just gets repeated like most bugle calls
 
LeEnfield said:
Missileer........ The words to the British Army Reveille are as follows and were sung often by the soldiers.

You've got get up you've get up in the morning,
Hands off c*cks on with your socks,
You've got get up in the morning.

This phrase just gets repeated like most bugle calls
Click to expand...

Well, they didn't sing it but the drill instructors in boot camp would scream "allright, drop your c****s and grab your socks. Off your ass and on your feet, outta the shade and into the heat."
 
8) I like the reveille post, now what is reveille played for, getting up? and taps to go to sleep? then what is the last post? im confised :roll:
 
Missileer said:
LeEnfield said:
Missileer........ The words to the British Army Reveille are as follows and were sung often by the soldiers.

You've got get up you've get up in the morning,
Hands off c*cks on with your socks,
You've got get up in the morning.

This phrase just gets repeated like most bugle calls
Click to expand...

Well, they didn't sing it but the drill instructors in boot camp would scream "allright, drop your c****s and grab your socks. Off your ass and on your feet, outta the shade and into the heat."
Click to expand...

The last post contained , more or less, jody cadences to march by. There are hundreds of them but sometimes, they were sung to tunes.
 
Each Scottish regiment has its own Funeral pipe tune, nothing is more haunting than the "last Post" then a tune like "Flowers of the Forrest" or "Lochaber no more"
 
Last edited:
http://www.comsources.com/taps/legend_taps.htm

The origin of Taps admits to much romance. One of the fanciful stories that has captured the imagination of many is one that identifies Taps with a Civil War Captain Robert Ellicombe of the Union Army. However, according to Master Sergeant Jari Villaneuva of the Arlington National Cemetery Taps Project, there is no record of a Captain Robert Ellicombe in the Union Army. The story has other problems, too. In its usual form the enemy armies are at rest during the night, which is the only way the moans of a single soldier can be heard. Yet, the story adds that the brave Captain crawls through withering enemy fire to rescue the wounded soldier. The implausability of a Civil War soldier going through the cannon and rifle fire to rescue an injured comrade--during the battle--is matched only by the fact that the story tells us that it was the Captain of the troop who did it!

Sorry if I broke someone's bubble...

Dean.
 
If you had read page one of this thread, Dean, you'd have realized you're a little bit late with that news.
 
Charge 7 said:
If you had read page one of this thread, Dean, you'd have realized you're a little bit late with that news.
Click to expand...

Well, now... sometimes I'm fast...

Sometimes I'm ssssslloooowww...

But usually I get it right... sooner or later, anyway. But you are right, I did not read the whole thread. Sitting at my computer at 01:30 does that to me.

Cheers.

Dean.
 
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