HISTORY OF TAPS

Origin of Taps by John Wayne

While commanding during the American Civil War, Col. Daniel Adams Butterfield thought the present   military "end of day" music was too formal. 

In July 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign of the Civil War, he hummed a version of a song to an aide. The aide later wrote it down in musical form. 

Col Butterfield then asked the brigade bugler, Oliver W. Norton,  to play the music for him instead of the regulation music.  The brigade loved the music and adopted it as their new bugle call.

Although yet unnamed, other brigades began playing Col Butterfield's  song as well. After the war, the music was deemed the official Army bugle call. 

In 1874, Col Butterfield's song was named "Taps".  "Taps" is now played by the military at burials, memorial services, during the lowering of the flag and to signal the end of a military day.