The fife and drum corps was the megaphone of commanding officers of colonial troops.
The fife and drum corps stayed close to officers so their orders could be communicated to troops, explained Paul Vosteen of the Williamsburg Field Musick Fife and Drums during the sixth annual Founders Day in Urbanna on Saturday, August 10.
The shrill notes of the fife could be heard above musket fire in battle. The drums could be heard a long distance.
Drums set the pace and rhythm of marching troops, he explained. At 96 beats per minute, officers could calculate a platoon’s arrival time at a destination.The fife would fill in.
The fife and drum corps was used to train troops, call to meals, cease fire, assembly, call workers to camp retreat, and “tattoo,” which is Dutch for “turn off the taps” and signaled closing time for pubs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgwytK4sVZc
