The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/258013
WINTER 2013-14 23 ORDER OF THE FOUNDERS OF NORTH AMERICA 1492-1692 HONOR YOUR ANCESTOR HO FOUNDED NORTH AMERICA Become a Charter Member of the Order of the Founders of North America, 1492-1692. The Order is open to men and women who can prove lineal descent from an ancestor in North America before 1692 or from royalty who contributed to the exploration and settlement of the New World. See our website at www.o-f-n-a.org for membership details the American Revolution, that to play them in a Continental camp would be somewhat treasonable. It would certainly cause confusion." 5 Treason at that time was dealt with seriously and severely. Confusion in a camp could create disastrous conditions. It might also create confusion today with the general public being basically uninformed about the Revolutionary War. Compatriot Robert Hall of the Plano (Texas) Chapter SAR agrees and comments: "I am pretty sure no American bagpipes were used in the Revolution on the American side. I believe that quite a lot of the Scots immigrants to the United States just after 1745 were political prisoners, refugees, etc. … and the Proscription Act covered them: owning or making tartan, wearing kilts, playing bagpipes, and several other culturally related activities were punishable—quite severely punishable. I know the British 42nd (Royal Highland Regiment) was in America and used bagpipes but I have not found anywhere that the Americans used bagpipes, since this was a Scots trademark, and very British to Americans … that to place a kilted bagpiper in a color guard or parade for the public would be very confusing, especially since most people have no idea the uniform types of the American Revolution … Even our own sar.org [website] under color guard has a section on Drums and Fife and no other instrument [Emphasis added] … the use of the bagpipe would be strictly a British army institution." 6 The SAR guidelines mentioned previously suggest as a last resort, without fifer or drummer, to position the color guard close to a Highland bagpipe band because "their step is the same as a colonial unit." The tradition of the Scots immigrants to this country is noble, as is the use of the bagpipes by Highland and other British re-enacting units. To include them as part of a Sons of the American Revolution, however, is not historically accurate and should not be encouraged or permitted. My suggestion is to locate a unit from the Company of Fifers and Drummers or a unit with The Brigade of the American Revolution and request a fifer and drummer to help out. The re-enactors with The Brigade of the American Revolution would already be outfitted in uniforms of the period. This seems to be the solution that was used for SAR color guards in the past. We should not overlook the possibility of using fifes and drums from Civil War re-enactors. Their pace is also similar and much of the music is the same. This brings up the historically accurate use of the music of the time period. For example, the well-known hymn, "Amazing Grace," is often closely associated with bagpipes. The practice of using this song in parades is an almost exclusively 20th-century idea, particularly for police and firefighter funeral processions. We need to examine where the words and tune originated. The words were written by John Newton (1725-1803), a British slave trader who converted to Christianity following a near-death experience in a fierce storm. In 1779, Newton and William Cowper combined their efforts and produced the Olney Hymns 7 hymnal. "Amazing Grace" was in the collection. However, it is not know what melody was used for the hymn. The melody we hear today was combined with Newton's words as an American melody in Carrell & Clayton's Virginia Harmony, 1831. That would be 50 years after the Yorktown surrender. Hollywood has not been of much help Fifes and drums never would have played "The Star Spangled Banner" during the Revolutionary War. As school children are still taught, "The Star Spangled Banner" was written during the War of 1812. WINTER_14_sar18-25.indd 23 2/5/14 11:43 AM