Reveille

[Clsinclair]

Hope that I posted this in the correct place. I used the search function and my question was not answered or at least I could not find it.

When was Reveille played in camp by the bugler? Hard Tack and Coffee states that it was played right after assembly and that roll call started upon the last note. Same is said by George Rabbai. My bugler says that is not correct and that it would be played right after musicians call. I want to do what is correct so do any of you have any documentation that would support one or the other?

Thanks in Advance

[erik]

Re: Reveille

Revised regulations for the Army, 1863, states that, Article XXVIII, 230, " In Garrison, reveille will be sounded immediatley after daybreak;".
233 states that " the drummers call shall be beat by the drums of the police guard, five minutes before the time of beating the stated call, when the drummers will assemble before the colors of their respective regiments".
For cavalry or artillery, insert buglers and sounding for drummers and beating.
Pretty clear.

Erik Simundson

[RJSamp]

Re: Reveille

Reveille was sounded on the bugle when ordered/scheduled. It might be at daybreak, it might be at an o'clock time (which would rarely be at daybreak, right?). In the II Corps, Federal, they tended to sound Assembly of the Buglers first, then Reveille "In Concert" which means all together. Billings cites this method as to why Assembly of the Buglers became known as First Call (of the day), although it was known as first call of a sequence (think of it as a warning of things to come).

Much of the Army souinded Reveille, which was the signal for the drummers and fifers to assemble into their regimental field music's bands. (Bruce and Emmet has them assembling "at the signal" which could mean a morning gun, the duty drummer beating out drummer's call, bugler sounding Reveille, bugler sounding Assembly of the Bugler, etc.)

At the end of fife and drum reveille, the infantry was supposed to begin answering to Roll Call. NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. Pun intended.

Artillery and Cavalry were different. They didn't have fifes nor drums, in general. So a bugler sounded Reveille. 15 minutes later they sounded Assembly. That was the signal to call the roll.

We (the buglers) looked at dozens of documents a few years ago......the conclusion: Assembly of the Buglers was not the First Call of the day in the main....it was Reveille.

In the cavalry, Boots and Saddles was used much of the time.....so much that you can hear the grumblings when you read their diaries: "Boots and Saddles sounded at 3AM and the entire Brigade was soon on its way to ___________"


Morning Gun, flag raising, Reveille anyone?

[CSchneider]

Re: Reveille

Like most other matters we concern ourselves with, hours of service and schedule of music depended on time, place, unit, etc. For example, as per General Johnston's orders, reveille was played in the AOT at Dalton at daylight. However, an unnamed "preparatory signal" was sounded five minutes prior which instructed the men to assemble on the company grounds. Ranks were formed during reveille and roll was called immediately upon its completion.

-Craig Schneider

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Reveille

"At 4 1/2 o'clock in the morning— at a time when the eastern sky is palely aglow with opalline tints — at a time when nervous men are but fairly in the beginning of their first nap — is sounded the "Drummer's Call" — a signal for the Drum Band to assemble on the right of the parade ground in front of the tents. Fifteen minutes after the band is on the ground and commences playing the "Reveille." This consists simply of any half dozen tunes played by the band as they play once up and down the whole length of the line of tents, and is the signal for sleepy and sleeping soldiers to come back from Dreamland, roll out their eyes, pick the straws from their hair, and generally awaken to active life. At this beat, the sentinels leave off challenging, and from this time stragglers may approach the camp without the risk of being ignominiously impounded in the vermin haunted guard tent. At6 o'clock there is another piece by the band, called the "Police Call," at which every straw, bit of paper, quid of tobacco, et cetera, must be carefully gathered from the streets and carried away.

At 6£ there is another beat, called the "Surgeon's Call," at which all men taken sick in the night are paraded under sergeants, and marched off to be examined by the Surgeon. At 7 o'clock another piece of music invites the men to their mutational repast and half an hour later, another fife and sheepskin concert diffuses the information that it is time for drill. At 11 is "Orderly Call," when the 1st Sergeants go to Adjutant Waldron's tent to receive the orders for the day. At 12 o'clock a dinner call is sounded , and at 4 p. m. a "Drill Call for company parade. At 6 p. m. comes "Assembly," at the sound of which the companies fall in line on the parade ground, and have a dress parade.

At 9 p. m. while the whole camp is bubbing over with song, is heard the "Tattoo" — the finest piece of music played during the day. It consists of several pieces of music played by the full band, and has a peculiarly magnificent effect in combination with the solemnities of night. This signal is played the whole length of the line of tents, and when it ceases the men all go to their quarters. Half an hour later is "Taps" — which consists simply

of a few beats of the drum at the head of each street and instantly thereafter every light in the privates' tents must be extinguished. The lights in the captains' tents are allowed till 11 o'clock, and those in the Colonel's and officers of the day's tents can burn all night."

The Iowa First: letters from the war - Page 36
by Franc Bangs Wilkie - United States - 1861 - 114 pages


"THE DRUMMERS' CALL, AND ROLL-CALL.

When I hear the drummer's call, the particularity of the sound tells me what it means. It is the drummer's call, and hath a particular demand on him. Though it be heard by all the ranks in barrack or in camp, yet it is attended to only by the drummer. And he well understands the call. But when the roll-call follows, and the whole band of drums and fifes summon to the parade, here every soldier feels a personal interest in the sound, and must attend to answer his name.

These distinctions will be found, by such as choose to analyze, to be no unapt representation of the difference between the special and the common calls of grace in the holy army. The undistinguishing events of life, while they continue to be general, and do not speak personally to ourselves, do not so much interest us. It is only when they hecome special, and come home immediately to our own case and circumstances, that they arrest our attention. The calls of God upon a thoughtless world, when he speaks either by his word or by his providence, in judgments or in mercies, how little are they regarded. This man's sickness or that roan's death are common things,
and, therefore, do not strike us as being so many additional intimations of our own mortality. But put the case that the sickness is our own, or the breach by death is made in our family, then the call becomes more personal and directed. The rod of God hath a voice, and speaks as well as corrects; and like the message, by the prophet, to the chiefs in Israel's army, when one demanded to which of all us is this sent, the answer is, " To thee, O captain."

There is a drummer's call, if I may so term it, loudly beating to all the various providences of God, which are going on amidst the daily changes that are ringing throughout the world. But like the drummer's call the ranks regard it not, because, according to their interpretation, it speaks not personally to them. But it would be well to remember that the drummer's call is only preparatory to the roll call, which immediately follows. And when that comes, an answer must be returned."

The Sailor's magazine, and naval journal - Page 134
by American Seamen's Friend Society - Merchant mariners - 1832

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: Reveille

Great post Will. This describes how it was done in different camps.

To break it all down....

The Drummers call aka The Musicians Call is played to gather the drum corps.

About 15 minutes later The Drum Corps will play a series of tunes which is the Reveille.

At the last note of the reveille the soldiers will be online ready to answer the roll call.

The next call to be played will be the police call aka the pioneers call.

This call is played to signal the men to clean up the camp and for any disorderly woman to vacant the camp. It is also used to recall the guard.

Shortly after the breakfast call aka Peas Upon a Trencher would be played to signal breakfast.

If there was a surgeon present, the surgeons call would be played either before or after the breakfast call.

These are some of the first sounds a soldier would have heard everyday.

Will, it is odd that your references did not mention the retreat.

For those that do not know the retreat was played at dusk to signal the end of the days work. This is the second "Concert" of the day played by the drum, with there being 3 through out the day. The first being the Reveille then the retreat and lastly the Tattoo.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Reveille

Paul,

Reveille and Tattoo were mentioned in the regimental histories, etc. more often because they were more memorable than Retreat since Retreat is just one tune whereas Reveille and Tattoo are longer concerts. All three signaled the roll calls of the day. I suppose Reveille is longer to give the men more time to awaken and Tattoo is like a series of lullabys.

Pioneer's call was also called Fatigue Call. Howe's drum and fife manual of 1862 says that it is the "signal to call out fatigue parties, and is beat after idle women who are to be drummed out of camp." The Regulations for the army of the Confederate States 1864 give the beats for the different signals and state, "for fatigue party -- Pioneer's March."

I'll also add that the preparatory "first call" was usually referred to as Drummers' Call, and much less commonly Musicians' Call, I suppose because they were not always considered to be musicians! Often times fifers and drummers were collectively referred to as simply "the drummers".

Some other takes on "the duty":

"At daybreak the drum major marshals his •drum and fife corps at the centre of the line, and the reveille, with scream of fife and roll of drum, arouses the sleeping hundreds, lying wrapped in their blankets under the canvas roofs. The reveille is a succession of five tunes, of varying time, common and quick, closing with three rolls, by the end of which each company is expected to be in line in the company street. The men tumble out for the most part just as they have slept, some with blankets wrapped about them, some in slippers and smoking caps, some in overcoats. They fall into line and the orderly sergeant calls the roll and reads the list of details for guard, police, fatigue duty, etc. After roll call, many dive back into their tents and take a morning nap before breakfast ; others start in squads for the brook which runs close by the camp, to wash. The fortunate owners of wash basins—there are two in our company—bring them out, use them, and pass them over to the numerous borrowers; others wash in water from their canteens, one pouring on the hands of another. ''Police duty'' comes at 6.i5, and is performed by a squad under direction of a corporal. This varies slightly from the popular notion of such duty, which is commonly supposed to consist in wearing a star and standing round on city street corners, with the occasional diversion of clubbing some non-resistant citizen. In camp "police duty" corresponds to what, when I was a boy, was called clearing up the door yard. The sweeping of the company streets, removal of unsightly objects, grading of the grounds, and work of similar character, comes under this head. At half past six comes the "surgeon's call." This is not a call made by the surgeon, who is not expected to appear in company quarters unless for some special emergency; but of the orderly sergeant, who calls for any who have been taken sick in the night, and feel bad enough to own it and be marched off to the surgeon's tent, where, after examination, they are ordered into hospital or on duty, as the case may require.

Breakfast takes place at 7, by which time, in well ordered tents, the blankets have been shaken, folded, and laid away with the knapsacks in a neat row at the back of the tent, and the soldiers start out, cup in hand, for the cook tent, where each takes his plate with his allowance of bread and beef or pork, and fills his cup with coffee. Some sit and eat their breakfast on the wood pile near the fire; but most take their meals to their tents. The straw covered floor is the table, a rubber blanket the table cloth, and sitting round on the ground like so many tailors, we eat with an appetite which gives to the meal a zest almost unknown before we came "a sogering." Our meals do not differ greatly, the principal difference being that for dinner we have cold water instead of tea or coffee. The rations are beef, salt and fresh, three-fifths of the former to two of the latter, both of fair quality; salt pork, which has uniformly been excellent; bread, soft and hard, the former equal to first rate home-made bread, the latter in size, taste and quality resembling basswood chips—very wholesome, however, and not unpalatable; rice, beans, both good, and potatoes occasionally; coffee fair, and tea rather poor. Butter, which when good is one of the greatest luxuries in camp, cheese, apples, which with most Vermonters are almost an essential, and other knickknacks, are not furnished by government, but may be bought of the sutlers at high prices. Our men are great hands for toast; and at every meal the cook-fires are surrounded with a circle of the boys holding their bread to the fire on forked sticks or wire toast racks of their own manufacture, and of wonderful size and description. So we live, and it shows to what the human frame may be inured by practice and hardship, that we can eat a meal of good baked or boiled pork and beans, potatoes, boiled rice and sugar, coffee and toast, and take it not merely to sustain life, but actually with a relish—curious, isn't it?

Dinner is at i2, dress parade at 4:30, and supper at 5:30. The heavy work of the men fills the intervals. This varies. At Capitol Hill it was company and battalion drills. Here it is digging in the trenches of Fort Lyon, and cutting lumber in the woods near by, for our winter quarters. Evenings are spent very much as they would be by most young men at home, in visiting their comrades, playing cards and checkers, writing letters, and reading. A common occupation of a leisure hour, with the smokers, is the carving of pipes from the roots of the laurel, found in profusion in the woods here. It is a slow business, in most cases beginning with a chunk about half as large as one's head, which is reduced by slow degrees and patient whittling to the small size of a pipe bowl. Another common, but not so delightful pastime, is the washing of one's dirty clothes. Many of our men have learned to be expert washers, and that without wash-board or pounding-barrel. Those who have pocket money, however, can have their washing done by the "contraband" washerwomen, who have been on hand at every camp we have occupied.

At half-past eight p. M. the tattoo is sounded by the drum and fife corps, playing several tunes as at reveille, when each company is again drawn up in its street and the roll called. At nine comes "taps," when every light must be out in the tents, and the men turn in for their night's rest. The ground within the tents is covered with straw or cedar branches, on which are spread the rubber blankets ; this is the bed, the knapsack is the pillow. There is no trouble about undressing ; our blouses, or flannel fatigue coats, pantaloons and stockings, sometimes with overcoat added, are the apparel of the night, as of the day. We slip off our boots, drop in our places side by side, draw over us our blankets and sleep, sound and sweet, soon comes to every eyelid. The man who can sleep at all, in camp, commonly sleeps soundty and well."

Army life in Virginia: Letters from the Twelfth Vermont regiment and ...
By George Grenville Benedict

"The march was continued until dusk, when the regiments camped, in line of battle, in the thick pine woods several miles from Cedar Point Orders were here issued for the regimental bands to beat three tattoos each, that evening, as well as a corresponding number of reveilles on the following morning, varying the tunes each time, in order to accomplish the deception intended. If this piece of strategy availed anything, it must have convinced the enemy that a large force of twelve regiments was approaching Mobile, whereas there were only four. An incident occurred here, however, which may have unwittingly carried information to the enemy of the real design of the expedition. The 44th Missouri had but recently formed a regimental drum corps, and the members composing it were unskilled in the art of blowing fifes and beating drums. On account of inexperience, their variety of tunes was necessarily small . Whenever they attempted the musical feat of executing the various changes of
reveille or tattoo, the invariable result was a monotonous, discordant production, little worthy of the name of music. If you listened to them once, you could afterward easily detect them among a thousand well-trained bands. For this reason the drum corps of the 44th was not the best possible instrument with which to deceive the enemy in the manner proposed. At the hour designated for beating tattoo all the regiments played it through once, the musicians of the 44th performing it in their characteristic style. The second and third times, the tunes were varied by the other regiments, and one would have supposed that there were really so many more regiments in the Federal encampment "When, however, the 44th struck up its second tattoo, and attempted by continued musical demonstrations to represent another regiment, the failure was complete, and the boys throughout the different camps, unable to restrain themselves, burst forth in shouts of irrepressible laughter, making the woods ring for a long distance around. Thus this event, which furnished the men with so much merriment, may possibly have disclosed to the rebels the real character of the present expedition."

A History of the Ninety-fifth Regiment, Illinois Infantry Volunteers: From ... - Page 168
by Wales W. Wood - United States - 1865 - 4788 pages



"Suddenly rises a distant bugle-note, uncomfortably suggestive to the lighter sleepers.
Next a fife and drum, presently another, a rattle and shriek of sheepskin and
reed runs like a lighted train through the army till the sound is lost in the
distance, and the whole bivouac is quickly jarred out of its slumbers by the
merciless reveille. Prostrate soldiers start to their elbows, sore and stiff, and
not much refreshed by the copious dews of the night; eye? are rubbed, consciousness
regained, maledictions invoked on the drum-corps, and everybody
is quickly in motion. It is true indeed that " music hath charms to soothe
the savage breast;" but did the gentle Shakespeare ever hear the tune, "
Get up, you lazy soldier," played at five o'clock of a chilly morning ?
Our lieutenant is an indefatigable sleeper, and long neglect has deafened
bis ears to the seductive strains of the reveille. Sometimes while it continues,
you can perceive a troubled expression cross his round, young face, as if
a premonition of something troublesome visited his slumbers ; but wake
himself he will not. It ia a pity to waken him now ; but we are informed by
the sergeant-major who has just passed on his rounds, that the command
moves in half an hour, and it is high time for this fellow to be astir. We
draw the blanket gently away from him ; his hands grasp it, and he mutters •
uneasily. "
Jack ! "
No answer. We stoop down and lend him a gentle punch in the ribs, which
opens his eyes and discovers his tongue. "
What the devil do you want? " "
Past reveille, Jack, and almost time to move. Get up, you good-for-
nanght." He heaves his bulk up to a sitting posture, and looks at ns with a
comical expression of regretful realization. "
The Lord save us, Cap ! I expect I've been dreaming. Thought I was
back in Chenango, under grandfather's apple-trees, cousining with Kate and
8ue."
He jumps to his feet, and we both circulate among the men to see personally
that they are preparing for the march. There need be no packing of
knapsacks, for they must be well adjusted to make good pillov.-g, and that was
attended to last night; but the blankets are to be dried from the dew before
the fire and rolled up compactly, the canteens filled, and breakfast cooked and
eaten. A very simple matter, this last ; small fires are kindled all over the
bivouac, great kettles of coffee are soon steaming over them, haversacks are
consulted for salt pork and hard-tack, and thus the simple repast is made.
There is nothing very tempting about such fare as this, but it is the habitual
diet of the soldier on the march, varied occasionally by such additions as
his shrewdness and the careless habits of barn-yard fowls enable him to
make. A grinning African now approaches us with the information, "breakfast
ready, sah." "
Jonah, I welcome thee ! " our volatile lieutenant exclaims. " In the
bright lexicon of youth, I account breakfast the sweetest word, and love the
next—what have we to eat?" "
Coffee and hard-tack, sah I " "
The d—dickens I Jonah, yon need instruction. Attend to me ! " The
African rolls up the whites of his eyes before Jack's uplifted finger, swinging
hie awkward body to and fro.

"
What is your chief duty ? " "
Cook de grub, sah ; fetch de water." "
By no means, Jonah I It' is to forage, to extort supplies from these opulent
farmers, to draw subsistence from the country. Negro of my vexation,
let not the sun go down without a chicken for our mess I "
The darkey disappears in search of our blankets, and we finish'our breakfast.
By this time the drums are sounding the assembly, and five minutes
are occupied with adjusting belts, strapping knapsacks, and rubbing gun-
barrels."

The Galaxy: A Magazine of Entertaining Reading - Page 407
edited by Mark Twain - 1866

"We have received several interesting letters from teachers in the
army. We have one before us from a Christian teacher, now a
Christian soldier, from which we will make a few extracts. In speaking
of the occupation of the time of the soldiers he gives the following
programme of daily duties : " We are called up by reveille and
sent to bed by tattoo. The beat of the drum calls us to all our duties,
as follows : —
At 6.30 A. M., Reveille and roll-call.
At 6.45 A. M., Breakfast call.
At 7 A. M., Police call, when the streets, &c., are swept.
At 7.15 A. M., Surgeon's call, — when the sick go to the doctor. (
This seems to be reversing our custom. We think it will prove
beneficial in some cases. ED.)
At 8 A. M., Battallion drill.
At 10 A. M., First call for guard mounting.
At 10.30 A. M., Guard mounting.
At 11 A. M., Drill on the fort guns.
At 12 M., First Sergeant's call.
At 12.30 P. M., Dinner call. (We presume this is promptly
regarded.)
At 2 P. M., Company and Artillery drill.
At 4 P. M., First call for dress parade.
At 4.30 P. M., Dress parade.
At 5 P. M., Sapper.
At 8.30 P. M., Tattoo and roll-call.
At 9.50 P. M., Taps, — when all the lights in camp are to be extinguished"

Connecticut Common School Journal - Page 71
by Connecticut Board of Commissioners of Common Schools - 1862

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: Reveille

Very good accounts.

Pretty cool the field music was used to trick the enemy into thinking there was a larger force. Does that meen we will be called to play reveille and then asked to march 1/2 a mile away and play it again... Then march some more and play again? lol

It seems from these accounts as well as other ones and even manuals that the duty slightly varied from regiment to regiment.

For the most part it is the same routine.

The times the duty were played and in some cases the order played could vary.

One thing I noticed that is hardly ever done at an event is an evening roll call. Perhaps this is because by that time of night many re-enactors are wore out, already asleep or partaking in other activities around the camp fire and do not want to be disturbed.

It seems to me it would be a god idea at a more authentic event to play a tattoo which would be fallowed by a roll call.

The way I see it is we are trying to do everything else right, we may as well do a correct tattoo.