Such, at the very least, appears to be the case with this story. According to "24 Notes That Tap Deep Emotions" by Master Sergeant Jari A. Villanueva of the United States Air Force — probably the most authoritative military historian to turn to with questions about the history of "Taps" — this bugle call was sounded at a burial for the first time in July of 1862, during the Peninsular Campaign of the Civil War of the United States. A soldier of Tidball's Battery — A of the 2nd Artillery — was buried while the battery was very near to their opponent, and thus the traditional firing of three volleys of gunshot was out of the question. Instead "Taps" was sounded as a substitute honorary. The bugle call — then known as "Extinguish Lights," or "Lights Out," was used widely during the Civil War, and thus to hear the familiar refrain would not have aroused the suspicion of a nearby enemy. It seems likely that this is the seed event that germinated the story under examination.

However, a much better-documented version of the genesis of "Taps" than the email story in steady circulation — provided by the historian cited above — states that one General Daniel Butterfield, Third Brigade, First Division, Fifty Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac, created the call by revising an earlier call known as "Tattoo" for the dual purposes of causing it to be more melodious and pleasing to the ear; and, in his own words (from a letter written later, on August 31, 1898) "to precede any calls, indicating that such were calls, or orders, for my brigade alone. This was of very great use and effect on the march and in battle. It enabled me to cause my whole command, at times, in march, covering over a mile on the road, all to halt instantly, and lie down, and all arise and start at the same moment; to forward in line of battle, simultaneously, in action and charge etc. It saves fatigue."

Presently, this is the "truer" version, though questions as to a few minor details could still be applied and entertained. Master Sergeant Villanueva has been very active and involved with providing an exhibit at the Arlington National Cemetery about bugles and their calls and their role in military history. This exhibit will remain on display until September 2002.

Still, this email story will surely continue to stand proudly and for many years to come, and with some justification. History and folklore sometimes stand side-by-side as brothers in arms, when one peers into the past. Sometimes they are separable as distinct individuals, yet often their actions are so intricately intermingled that it would seem each has made a vow to never leave the side of the other, and remains there with profound loyalty as a mirror, a shadow, a bright and lively orb that confounds all future investigations.