To all my many customers .

Taps

Do you want to know how it started?

     If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which taps  was
      played; this brings out a new  meaning of it.

       Here is  something Every American should know. Until I
     read this, I didn't know, but I checked it out and it's  true:

       We in the United  States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps". 
It's the  song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in
our eyes.

       But, do you  know the story behind the song?  If not, I think you
will be  interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

       Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the  Civil War, when Union
Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his  men near Harrison's Landing in
Virginia.  The Confederate  Army was o n the other
       side of the  narrow strip of land.

   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.
      The following  morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of
his  superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy
status.  His request was only partially granted.

       The Captain had asked if he could have a group  of Army band
members
play a funeral dirge for his son at the  funeral.

       The request was  turned down since the soldier was a Confederate.

   But, out of respect for the father, they did  say they could give
him
      only one  musician.

       The Captain  chose a bugler.  He asked the bugler to play a series
   of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the  pocket of
the
    dead youth's  uniform.
       This wish was  granted.
       The haunting  melody, we now know as "Taps" ... used at
     military funerals was born.