Military Music And Its Story - online book

The Rise & Development Of Military Music

	THE INFLUENCE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. 89 starving, were hard pressed by the French, and victory seemed questionable. The Duke of Wellington at once sent forward the bands to play the national anthem, and instantly the men seemed to fight with fresh vigour. The battle was won. An officer who was present, subsequently wrote: " I saw one com­pany waver, but a non-commissioned officer shouted that as long as that music lasted every man should fight, and he would put a bullet into the first person who exhibited signs of cowardice." At Talavera, two bands were entrenched in a ravine out of the way of the flying bullets, and with stirring music goaded on their com­rades. At Salamanca the Thirty-second were fortunate to recapture the big drum which their band lost during the retreat to Corunna. An interesting account of the band of the Forty-eighth Regiment during this campaign may be found in Cob- bold's " Mary Ann Wellington." From this work we find that the Forty-eighth raised their band in 1798. The band Fig. 12. of this regiment in the war, consisted ophicleide. 0f thirteen men, and the bandmaster and drum major. The exploits of the latter fill quite half of Cobbold's book. 13