Bugle Calls

[Ringgold]

Re: Bugle Calls

Bill,

I don't know how many times this has to be said until you actually believe it, but they did truly use different calls for the different branches of the land service. If you are having trouble accepting this proven fact, then this extra tidbit may actually blow your mind - sometimes the different branches even used bugles of different keys. (C and Bflat being the most popular)

What occured in the services in the decades following the Rebellion most often has very little relevance on what they followed during the 1860's.

Research can be fun and actually teach you things that fly in the face of "popular logic and history."

Yours in the red-stripe,

[Nevada Bugler]

Re: Bugle Calls

You need to get a complete copy of all the Civil War bugle calls from all branches, and not worry about the other ones you've looked at for now.

O.K., and where would I get these copies? I have one manual that is for the artillery. I guess what you're saying is that Rabbai's is authentic for the infantry. Where would I find a Cavalry manual? And what do you do when you have a camp that has a mix of Inf., Cav and Arty? Which camp calls would you use?

_______________________________
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

[Nevada Bugler]

Re: Bugle Calls

I don't know how many times this has to be said until you actually believe it, but they did truly use different calls for the different branches of the land service. If you are having trouble accepting this proven fact, then this extra tidbit may actually blow your mind - sometimes the different branches even used bugles of different keys. (C and Bflat being the most popular)

I know that they used different calls in the field. I asked you if they also used different calls in camp, and you haven't given me an answer. HiplainsYank is saying that BOTH the camp and field calls for the different branches of service were different---do you agree?

And yes, I know that different branches used bugles in different keys. Some of the Cav. even used what look like English Hunting horns which were keyed in 'G'. Of course, a number of the 'C' bugles could be changed to Bb with a 'pigtail' put between the leadpipe and mouthpiece. I don't have a problem with knowing what instruments were used. The problem is the music and the lack of indepth information on any of the CW forums about the various calls.

Maybe the folks on this thread can begin to change that............
-------------------------------------
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Bugle Calls

Comrade,
look for "The Civil War Bugler" Volumes I&II by Jerry
Pollard. Fall Creek has it I think.
There are all calls in there as nores and on tape. Only rally by section and rally by platoon are different from Rabbai's perhaps Casey had changed these two.
Unfortunately there are no explanation to the calls in this one but Rabbai gives valuable info there.

Bugles for infantry pitched in C and Trumpets for Cav and I also believe Arty pitched in G were issued with three different sized pigtail crooks!
Mostly you see the small Bb one . But the larger ones can be seen on originals and pictures too.

Hope this helps!

[Nevada Bugler]

Re: Bugle Calls

Thanks J.H., that helps a lot! I was wondering about some of those larger pig tails I had seen in pictures. I thought my eyes were deceiving me but I guess not.


------------------------------
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

[bholt61stny]

Re: Bugle Calls

"I know that they used different calls in the field. I asked you if they also used different calls in camp"


Yes there are different camp calls between infantry and cavalry.

In Hardee's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics here are some of the calls under General Calls: Attention, The general, The assembly, To the color, The recall, Quick Time, Double quick time, The charge, The reveille, Retreat, Tattoo, To extinguish lights, assembly of the buglers, Assembly of the guard, Orders for orderly sergeants, For officers to take their places in line after firing, The disperse, Officer's call, Breakfast call, Dinner call, Sick call, Fatigue call, Church call, Drill call, School call.

In Cooke's The 1862 U.S. Cavalry Tactics here are some of the calls: The General, Boots and Saddles, To Horse, Assembly, To Arms, To the Standard, March, The Charge, Rally, Reveille, Stable Call, Watering Call, Breakfast, Assembly of Guard, Orders, Assembly of Buglers, Retreat, Fatigue Call, Dinner Call, Distributions, Drill Call, Officers Call, The Recall, Sick Call, Tattoo, To Extinguish Lights.

The only call that is the same on the above lists is To Extinguish Lights. Yes they had the same title but they were completely different. I left out Calls for Skirmishers, but they are also different from each other ecept for change direction to the left and change direction to the right. Everything else that are in those two manuals I named are different. Most modern day bugle calls come from the Artillery and Cavalry.

[Nevada Bugler]

Re: Bugle Calls

Thank you Brian, for that succinct summary. Now the picture is becoming clearer! But, does anybody know why the artillery and cavalry calls were chosen over the infantry? There must be a good story somewhere as to why....

________________________
Bill Scott
Hardaways Alabama Battery
Comstock Civil War Reenactors

[flattop32355]

Re: Bugle Calls

Which camp calls would you use?

When you're doing infantry, you use the infantry calls. When doing cavalry, do cavalry calls. When doing artillery, do artillery calls.

A reason many of the calls are different is because one set doesn't fit all branches; infantry has no reason to have a call for watering/feeding horses, for example. Also, maneuvers for each branch are different, and some camp calls double as calls in the field (To the Color and Recall, to name just two).

Know and use the calls for the branch you are doing. If you only do infantry, then you only need to know the infantry calls.

[hiplainsyank]

Re: Bugle Calls

Nevada-

How long have you been a reenactor? If you do not know what results the calls are supposed to bring about it would be hard to understand them.

Here is what I suggest:

*Read Billings' Hardtack and Coffee, particularly the chapter on bugle calls; he talks about both the infantry and the artillery. IT is also a good place to start.

*Get hold of the music, as previously mentioned, and look at how there are three sets of calls, each listed in its separate branch section, and study them. See how they are the same and differ from each other.

*Through doing other research such as reading drill manuals, and finding those places on the internet which show these commands being carried out, learn what the troops are supposed to do when each call is blown.

*Better yet, serve as a rifleman/artillerist and learn to execute the commands yourself.

*Go to cwreenactors.com and join the site, and then use the search function to read everything you can about bugle calls there. The last time I checked there was a lot of excellent bugle material there.

There is just too much to explain here. It will take a lot of time to learn everything, but it will be worth it.

Good luck.

[hiplainsyank]

Re: Bugle Calls

oh, and what camp calls you use will depend on your commanding officer, and what he wants to do.

[hoppes9]

Camp Calls

Chow calls are popular, as are Reveille, Tattoo and Taps (To Extinguish Lights for early war reenactments). Officer's and First Sergeant’s calls are mandatory. Cavalry should learn the watering and feeding calls. Boots and Saddles is useful as a get-up-and-go call. Artillery "Nosebags On" sounds a little like the flourish played for Generals when they appear in camp, so it can be useful at times.

[SC Jay]

Re: Bugle Calls

Yes, the ACW camp calls and field calls are different for Arty Cav and Inf, however the Cav and Arty have many that are the same. They were combined in Upton's 1867 and 1874 manuals. Truman Seymore did most of the writing and was an Artillery Officer hence the arty calls that are used today (and 1874). Some of the rally calls are different between Caseys and Hardees but all the usefull ones are the same. Jerry Pollard's tape is a good one for all the calls but does not include Cav skirmish calls and 3 of the arty calls are incorrect and he doesn't Taps as it is written. The Inf calls are mostly copied from Scotts 1836 which was copied from the French. R J Samp (rjsamp@ameritech.net) has training tapes and books for all 3 branches. Get on the bugler Yahoo site and come to the Don Hubbard field music school at Ft Delaware.
Jay Walker, bugler
Bachman's Battery
German Artillery