HISTORY OF MILITARY CADENCE

History of Military Cadence

History of Military Cadence

Introduction

Military cadence was essential to the Revolutionary armies, contributing greatly to discipline and order both in camp and on the battlefield. Specialized drum and fife signals called musicians or officers to assemble and detachments to gather wood or informed the men when it was time to receive rations (Camus, 2006). Music provided a cadence to regulate the marching rate, and transmitted or supplemented officers' commands in battle.

History of Military Cadence

In the historical context, George Washington early on recognized the value of well-trained musicians, as indicated in his 4 June 1777 general orders: "The music of the army being in general very bad; it is expected, that the drum and fife Majors exert themselves to improve it…. Nothing is more agreeable, and ornamental, than good music; every officer, for the credit of his corps, should take care to provide it." He then outlined the musically regulated daily routine (Camus, 2006). "The revellie to be beaten at day-break—the troop at 8 o'clock in the morning, and retreat at sunset" (Camus, 2006). Two days later he ordered, "The morning gun at day-break to be a signal for the revellie; and the evening gun at sun-set a signal for the retreat." To these calls can be added the end of day "taptoo," when "all lights must be put out at 9 o'Clock in the evening, and every man to his tent" (Camus, 2006).

Horns

Another instrument, the bugle horn (also called the French, hunting, or German post-horn) was commonly used by light and mounted troops. Horns were especially associated with the British light infantry. Massachusetts Lieutenant Joseph Hodgekins wrote of the Battle of Harlem Heights (16 September 1776), "The Enemy Halted Back of an hill and Blood [blowed] a french Horn which whas for a Reinforcement." Xavier della Gatta's painting, The Battle of Germantown (1782), shows a horn-blowing musician at the head of two files of British light infantry, and the song "A Soldier" (1778) begins with the lines:

Hark! hark! the bugle's lofty sound

Which makes the woods and rocks around

Repeat the martial strain,

Proclaims the light-arm'd British troops.

It is uncertain when American light troops first used horns, but during the Monmouth campaign in June 1778, New York Lieutenant Bernardus Swartwout noted,

* [25 June] The Horn blowed (a substitute for a drum in the [light] Infantry corps) we marched about four miles …

* [26 June] At the sound of the ...