The Flam commenced the vast majority of beatings and the Signal Taps, Three Cheers, and Flam commenced the major beatings. However, there were two beatings performed solely by the Guard Drummers, which also needed to be coordinated throughout the camp.
For this reason, these two calls – Drummer’s Call and Reveille – appear to have been performed differently than the rest.
The Reveille
The Drum and Flute Duty for the Infantry Branch of the Army (1887) indicates that Reveille commences only with the Signal Strokes – no flam or rolls.
Camp Taps to Commence Reveille
This is corroborated by Potter, who explains that Reveille commences with The Camp Taps. He explains the Camp Taps are
“the First Signal on the Drum, it must be repeated from Right to Left of the Line by a Drummer of each Regiment, and return back from Left to Right previous to the Reveille.”
Potter (26)
The taps Potter explains are different than those in the Drum and Flute Duty manual. They are also different from the Signal Strokes performed before the Three Rolls. The Camp Taps are the same as ‘The Taps’ seen in multiple American manuals: 6 eighth notes, performed soft-hard soft-hard soft-hard.
Almost certainly these same taps were being performed by British drummers during the American Revolution. General Howe’s general orders note
“The Orderly Drummers of every Corps to Continue at their respective Quarter Guards from Gun-firing in the Evening, ‘till after Reveille beating, and the Non Commissd Officers Commanding these Guards to be answerable the Drums are Attentive to the Taps and beat the Reveille regularly.”
Howe 1775 (40)
Howe’s order implies that the NCOs of the guard ensure that the drummers of their guard are awake and ready to play before the Camp Taps. These taps, as indicated by Potter and the general practice explained above, begin on the right and are answered down the line.
Performing the Camp Taps
Most likely the Camp Taps are performed in time with one another. This is why the drummers must be attentive and ready to perform before the Camp Taps begin. When done in time in this manner, the Camp Taps can act as a ‘click off’ for the Reveille.
As a side note, a gun fired every morning at the break of day. Simes explains that “Warning-Piece is also the gun which fires every morning at break of day, upon which the drums of every guard beat the reveille” (Military Medley, 1767,entry: “Warning-Piece”).
Presumably, the gun signals the commencement of the Camp Taps, allowing the drums to ‘click off’ the Reveille. The Camp Taps could be beat beforehand, but commencing the Reveille simultaneously off the gunshot would be impossible. This comment from Simes also confirms that only the guard drummers, and not all the musicians, perform the Reveille in the British army.
Differences between Americans and British
We should note that this appears different from the American army. The Americans appear to beat Drummer’s Call prior to Reveille and beat the call with full corps (Washington 1777, v. 8, 182).
This appears to become standard in American militia corps. Hulbert and Robbins, two 1812-era fife tutors, suggest that the Drummer’s Call is the first part of the Reveille. Lovering states that, to perform Reveille,
“Give three cheers; beat the drummers call, then whatever tunes the musicians please giving three cheers between each tune.”
Lovering (19)
This suggests the Reveille commences with the Three Cheers in the same manner as The Troop, etc. However, the cheers coordinate the Drummer’s Call, which appears to be part of the sequence and not a warning. The idea that the Drummer’s Call isn’t used to summon the drummers is a confusing explanation.
Manuals that are more targeted towards regular army corps (Ashworth, Klinehanse) do not perform Drummer’s Call prior to the Reveille. American Civil War-era manuals state that drummers beat the Drummer’s Call before Reveille. Additionally, they imply that Reveille was played by full corps (see Hart, Bruce & Emmet, Strube).
Captain Dewee, a continental fifer during the American Revolution, suggests that the entire corps had already been formed before the morning gun. This implies that the Americans have always performed the Reveille with a full corps unlike the British.
The Drummer’s Call
The Drummer’s Call is most definitely played only by drummers of the guard in order to assemble the other musicians for duty. Based on period resources, there could be two different methods of performing this beating.
In some of Washington’s general orders, he instructs the guard drummers to perform the Drummer’s Call in the same manner as the Signal Strokes – beginning on the right and moving down the line (Washington Feb 8, 1778, v. 13; Sept 12, 1778, v. 16). Both of these orders suggest that the Drummer’s Call is the first beating.
Performed in this way like the taps, it would be easy enough for the NCOs of the guards to ensure their drummers are alert and ready to play. In this case, presumably the guard drummers play through once; the next set of drummers responding and thus down the line.
The last option suggests the Drummer’s Call is beaten like Reveille was explained above. Klinehanse (1853; American) states “All first calls [Drummer’s Call] commence with the Taps and a Flam” (4).
The Camp Taps or Signal Strokes?
In other instances, to discussing the Three Cheers, Klinehanse notes the lead drummers beats a “slow, say 1, 2, 3” which sounds like the Signal Taps in Potter. His clearly distinct use of the term The Taps implies he means the duty beating calls the Taps, which can also signal Front to March Slower.
The Camp Taps seen in Potter are mirrored in Ashworth as “Taps,” Klinehanse as “Taps is a signal for the front to advance slow,” Nevins as “Taps – A signal for the front to advance slow,” and finally von Steuben indicates that the command “For the front to march slower – the taps” (93).
Based on this information, Klinehanse presumably means that the Camp Taps are played down the line of the guard drummers, just like they are prior to the Reveille. Once this process is complete, a Flam and then the Drummer’s Call is beaten by all the guard drummers together.
Performing the Camp Taps
This interpretation of Klinehanse is not inconsistent with an interpretation of Washington’s General Orders. Washington may have meant that the Camp Taps are beaten down the line, the Drummer’s Call then being taken up by all the drummers. Such an understanding would also be the most realistic performance.
If just the Main Guard performed the Drummer’s Call, they may not be loud enough for the entire army to hear them, hence the invention of this echoing system. To play Drummer’s Call once through down the line and back would be fairly tedious. It would also not be as effective as all the drummers performing simultaneously several times through. For this reason, Klinehanse probably affords us the best understanding.
Do you have any resources or observations on the Camp Taps or Signal Strokes? Contact me or comment below.
Continue on to the conclusion “Summary: Commencing a Beating”.