BERKELEY PLANTATION, Va. (June 29, 2012) -- In early July of 1862, elements of Gen. George McClellan's Army of the Potomac recovered in defeat at Harrison's Landing after failing to take the Confederate capital of Richmond. The pain of its loss during the Seven Days Battles -- 1,734 killed, 8,062 wounded and 6,053 captured or missing -- was compounded by mud, mosquitoes, heat, humidity and disease that were constants of summer camp life.
The circumstances were dire to say the least, and it was a moment in history that would give birth to one of the most recognized and revered bugle calls in the nation today. "Taps," initially meant as a tranquil signal to extinguish all camp lights, eventually evolved into the sound of solemn tribute that honors the sacrifice and service of the nation's fallen.
The 150-year legacy of "Taps" was celebrated over the past weekend at Charles City County's Berkeley Plantation, the very site where Union Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield and bugler Cpl. Oliver W. Norton revised an earlier version of "Tattoo" into something that has become an enduring musical expression without rival.
"It's a uniquely American piece of music," said Jari Villanueva, a retired Air Force Band bugler and "Taps" historian. "It is a bugle call that is heard at military bases every single day in virtually every corner of the world as the signal for lights out. It's also the sound of the final farewell at military funerals for those who served in uniform."
Titled "Birth of an American Tradition -- the 150th Anniversary Commemoration of Taps," the Berkeley event honored and commemorated the storied tune using history and music lessons, re-enactors from the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers and music from Federal City Brass Band.
Saturday's program was the highlight of the weekend. Villanueva hosted a schedule of events that featured a Taps Monument Re-dedication Ceremony, a Bugles Across America concert and a commemorative 10 p.m. sounding of "Taps."
Members of the Butterfield and Norton families were present for the commemoration as well as representatives of the Virginia Department of the American Legion, which dedicated the Taps monument in 1969, and trumpeter Lou Madonia, who sounded "Taps" as a 20-year-old Marine during the 100th anniversary event at Berkeley. The latter said even as a young man, he fully comprehended what it meant to play "Taps" on its hallowed grounds.
"When I played it here, I actually cried," he recalled after Saturday's ceremony. He added that the 150-year anniversary event was just as memorable. "It was just a beautiful ceremony. I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
The "Taps" event attracted roughly 200 people to Berkeley, its grounds thick with overgrown vegetation that swayed and waved to occasional breezes coming off the James River. Its peaceful and tranquil setting today would have been a dramatic contrast to the summer of 1862 when hundreds of battle-weary Union soldiers took up refuge on its shores.
Butterfield was one of them. As commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Corps, he was suffering from wounds he received in late June at Gaines' Mill. Butterfield was already quite familiar with bugle calls and used some that were exclusive to his units. His ear for the right call for the right situation may have inspired him to remake "Tattoo" into something more to his liking.
"The call of Taps did not seem to be as smooth, melodious and musical as it should be," Butterfield wrote to a music critic after the war, "and I called in someone who could write music, and practiced a change in the call of Taps until I had it suit my ear…"
That "someone" was Norton, and his collaboration with Butterfield produced a 24-note lullaby that eventually became an American cultural standard and has managed to turn the pages of history without fail or change. Union re-enactor, student of history and McClellan impersonator Mike Seeley has an explanation.
"It's only 24 notes, but it is so haunting," he said on the Berkeley grounds. "You can hear it anywhere, and you know immediately what it is. It is so clear, simple and distinct; that's where its beauty lies."
"Taps" became an official bugle call in 1874 and is sounded between 10-11 p.m. on most U.S. military installations. It is also played at memorials and wreath-laying ceremonies and became an official component to U.S. military funerals in 1891. Villanueva said it is played more than 30 times a day at Arlington National Cemetery. Its timelessness may be attributed to its lingering, penetrating quality, he said.
"The music they wrote that night is the same as it is today," he said after the dedication ceremony. "The thing about this call is that it is played slowly and emotionally. It's is the only bugle call in the U.S. military that is played slowly all the way through."
The slow, measured pace of "Taps" combined with its lengthy notes made it stand out -- so much so that the first night Norton performed it, others queried him about the origins of the music.
"The music was beautiful on that still summer night, and was heard far beyond the limits of our brigade," Norton wrote in a letter to a music critic. "The next day, I was visited by several buglers from neighboring brigades, asking for copies of the music, which I gladly furnished."
The notes of "Taps" spread during the war like a contagious disease without the ill effects. It was played throughout the Army of the Potomac and soon made its way to the Confederates. The first instance of its use as a funeral tribute is believed to have occurred when a Union commanding officer had it played at the burial of a soldier rather than permit shots to be fired over his grave that might alert the enemy.
Villanueva said "Taps" really made its way into the national consciousness during the nationally televised memorial services for President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
"People saw what caissons looked like, what the troops did at Arlington and got to hear 'Taps' as part of the ceremony," he said. "I think it was from that moment on, almost 50 years ago, that 'Taps' really became ingrained into our culture."
U.S. Rep. Tom Reed wants to make sure it stays that way. The New York congressman has introduced legislation to make "Taps" the National Song of Remembrance.
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