VETERANS PRESS: Taps history

The military bugle call used in 1835 was changed from Scotts Tattoo, (Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott — General-in-chief of the United States Army to Butterfields Lullaby (Brig. Gen. Daniel A. Butterfield, 3rd Brigade Union Army Corps.) with the Bugler Oliver W. Norton playing the notes until the General was satisfied. 

The 24 note call has been played as Butterfields Lullaby for the past 157 years since July of 1862 at nearly every military funeral. 

The Confederate Army adopted the call as played inl 863. Scotts Tattoo was thought to be harsh and too quick. It was used to call the troops to evening muster and for lights out. It was not a funeral call at that time. 

Taps was first played at a military funeral in July 1863 near Richmond, Va., for an unknown Union cannoneer. "Ihe call did not become official until 1891. 

The first known soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetery was Pvt. William Christman of the Pennsylvania Infantry, taps was played for his burial on May 13, 1864. 

Taps was not played when the square stone marker with the number 5232 chiseled on top was placed above the grave box containing the legs of three different Union soldiers. Why they were buried in unknown to this day. One of the former leg owners died in 1917, records of another were lost, and the third man was buried one half mile away from his leg two weeks later when he died, the only man in Arlington National buried in two graves. Taps was played at his funeral. 

Today when a Veteran is buried taps may be played on an old bugle by a bugler, or it's notes may come from the old bugle through an electronic speaker. Dependents may request the real thing if they so choose. 

At the Tomb of the Unknowns taps is played by a member of the Old Guard Company at every changing of the guard on the hour or half hour depending on the season of the year. 

At Arlington taps are played on an average of 20 times a day as veterans are placed with their brothers and sisters in-arms, forever below a stone cross or in the columbarium walls that have space for 40,000 cremated remains. The symbols on the grave stones may represent any one of 12 or 13 different religious beliefs. 

Taps played over my grave when I was buried with other Vietnam river boat sailors in May 1971 after a canal ambush that sunk our boat. When I woke up, I was still in Vietnam and basically uninjured and ready to go out again with my Vietnamese crew. Those sad notes of taps of taps at that time (in my mind) have been a part of my minor PTSD memories for more than 48 years. 

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Larry Connelly, USN Master Chief, Ret. 1955-1975, was a RAID Advisor with the Vietnamese PBR (Patrol Boat River) Unit #51, 1970-71-72 cat Lai and Nha Be. 

Larry lives in Liberty Lake, Wash., and has written many articles and short stories. He is the author of “A River Boat Advisor’s Story” that chronicles his action and activities on a patrol river boat in Vietnam.