Origins of Taps
During the Civil War, in July 1862 when the Army of
the Potomac was in camp, Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield
summoned Pvt. Oliver Wilcox Norton, his brigade
bugler, to his tent. Butterfield, who disliked the
colorless "extinguish lights" call then in use,
whistled a new tune and asked the bugler to sound it
for him. After repeated trials and changing the time
of some notes which were scribbled on the back of an
envelope, the call was finally arranged to suit Gen.
Butterfield and used for the first time that night.
Pvt. Norton, who on several occasions, had sounded
numerous new calls composed by his commander, recalled
his experience of the origin of "Taps" years later:
"One day in July 1862 when the Army of the Potomac was
in camp at Harrison's Landing on the James River,
Virginia, resting and recruiting from its losses in
the seven days of battle before Richmond, Gen.
Butterfield summoned the writer to his tent, and
whistling some new tune, asked the bugler to sound it
for him. This was done, not quite to his satisfaction
at first, but after repeated trials, changing the time
of some of the notes, which were scribbled on the back
of an envelope, the call was finally arranged to suit
the general.
"He then ordered that it should be substituted in his
brigade for the regulation "Taps" (extinguish lights)
which was printed in the Tactics and used by the
whole army. This was done for the first time that
night. The next day buglers from nearby brigades came
over to the camp of Butterfield's brigade to ask the
meaning of this new call. They liked it, and copying
the music, returned to their camps, but it was not
until some time later, when generals of other commands
had heard its melodious notes, that orders were
issued, or permission given, to substitute it
throughout the Army of the Potomac for the
time-honored call which came down from West Point.
In the western armies the regulation call was in use
until the autumn of 1863. At that time the XI and XII
Corps were detached from the Army of the Potomac and
sent under command of Gen. Hooker to reinforce the
Union Army at Chattanooga, Tenn. Through its use in
these corps it became known in the western armies and
was adopted by them. From that time, it became and
remains to this day the official call for "Taps." It
is printed in the present Tactics and is used
throughout the U.S. Army, the National Guard, and all
organizations of veteran soldiers.
Gen. Butterfield, in composing this call and directing
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