About TAPS

The most common e-mail Story circulating
about the origin of TAPS is FALSE.

Here is an excerpt:

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.

YES. This is indeed a touching story – I wish it were true.  I first read this version at the Calabash  VFW shortly after we moved to NC.

Some time ago, someone asked me to check whether this version was true or not.  I did a quick Google search and was led to the website of Arlington National Cemetery and their Taps Project.

This led me to a site by Jari  A. Villanueva – who has played TAPS at Arlington on many an occassion.

http://www.west-point.org/taps/Taps.html

But, to me, the most thorough coverage of the origin of TAPS comes from this site:

http://www.tapsbugler.com/

Which is also another site by Mr. Villanueva.  It is at this site where you’ll also find a link called “The TAPS Myth” which offers a more thorough discussion of the topic at hand.