For a long time, Revolutionary War re-enactors have assumed that the Long Roll was used as a signal to ‘sound the Alarm’. This assumption is referenced in multiple drum manuals issued during the bicentennial era (such as the BAR 1988 music book and Crown Forces 1981 music manual) and later manuals continue with this tradition.
However, drum manuals, military regulations, orderly books, and General Orders of the era don’t support this long-held belief.
Instead, these resources indicate that the Long Roll had history of indicating a regimental assembly, usually in less formal circumstances like Roll Call and unit drill.
Read on to find out more about the Long Roll’s use as a daily duty beating and my theory how and why it became associated with the Alarm.
To Arms
The beating ‘To Arms’ appears to have two major, and intertwined, meanings.
To Arms to Reform the Battalion
The beating “To Arms” can indicate a calm reforming of the battalion after a break from drill, the march, etc. As Smith explains,
“to arms, is for soldiers who are dispersed, to repair to them”.
(Smith, 1779, entry: “Drum”).
Other manuals concur that ‘To Arms’ indicates to take arms or for the battalion to stand to their arms if they have grounded them (Military Guide 1772, I:230; Windham 1759, 192; Smith, 1779, entry: “Drum”).
To Arms to Signal the Alarm
Above, we see To Arms bringing the men to their arms and formed in a line of battle.
When To Arms is performed unexpectedly, it essentially signals the same thing, only now as a response to an Alarm.
Simes notes that:
“a sudden alarm is often occasioned by the neglect of sentries; and sometimes it has been done to try the readiness of the troops”.
(Military, Historical, and Explanatory Dictionary 1782, entry: “Alarm”).
We should understand an Alarm as:
“a sudden apprehension upon some report, which makes men run to their arms to stand upon their guard; it implies either the apprehension of being suddenly attacked, or the notice given of such an attack being actually made; generally signified by the firing of a cannon, the beat of a drum, &c.”.
(Smith, 1779, entry: “Drum”).
By “beat of a drum”, Smith almost certainly means To Arms.
The same procedure of the cannon firing, followed by the drums beating To Arms, is described by Dewees:
“the first gun in cases of alarm is a token, and when the second gun is fired all are in readiness to hear the third fired. The fife and drum majors have their musicians in readiness, and the moment the third gun is fired, the musicians instantly strike or beat up the air or tune ‘to arms,’ ‘to arms'” (208).
This is confirmed by Washington’s General Orders, which state that an alarm is signaled by the firing of three field pieces. To Arms should be immediately taken up by all drummers and continues until the whole line is formed (Oct 30, 1776, v. 6; Jan 20, 1777, v. 8).
From Williamson, we know that the drummers of each guard and the orderly drummers of each regiment beat To Arms on an alarm (193).
If ‘To Arms’ was clearly the proscribed beating to signal the Alarm, then was what the function of the Long Roll?
How Was the Long Roll Used Historically?
The Singlings, or Assembly, certainly refers to a regimental formation. It’s possible, though, that this beating was only used for formal occasions, such as Mounting the Guard, Dress Parade, Review, and Assembling for the March.
Instead, it appears that less formal assembles were signaled the Long Roll.
The Long Roll For Regimental Drill
Several military sources indicate the Long Roll turned the men out for formation and drill.
Grose states that some units have particular drum beats, adopted by their unit but not necessarily used throughout the army. He notes that some use:
“the Long Roll for turning out the regiment in camp or garrison”.
(Grose, 1786, v. 2, 254)
The 47th Regiment of Foot appears to have adopted this; in their orderly books from the Saratoga Campaign, it notes
“The Guards to mount at 7 o’clock as usual; the Regt. will Parade at 9 o’clock & fall in on beating the long roll”.
(July 21, 1777)
Dewees recounts that he had to perform the long roll to form the men for drill twice a day. He explains the long roll was:
“a signal to summon the men on parade, preparatory to their going through with their maneuvers or military evolutions which generally consumed an hour or two. At three o’clock in the afternoon I had to play the long roll again for the exercising of the men with arms in hand – in learning the manual exercise” (344).
This practice appears consistent with British practices. Grimke’s Orderly Book includes an order that the troops will exercise in the morning and afternoon and that:
“The Comm. officer on the Right will direct the Signal for turning out – which will be the Long Roll followed immediately by three Ruffles”.
(Grimke, v. 14, no. 4, pg. 221).
Overwhelmingly, we see a common use in both the British and American armies that the Long Roll could be used for informally turning the men out for drill.
With this common practice in use, the Long Roll could not have also indicated an alarm.
How to Perform the Long Roll for Turning Out the Men
Usually, references are simply to “The Long Roll” as an ambiguous idea.
Grimke is the only description that provides some useful information. From his description of “the Long Roll followed immediately by three Ruffles”, we can attempt an interpretation.
Want to know what a ‘Ruffle’ is? Check out my discussion on The Ruffle and learn how I came up with this interpretation of Grimke.
The Long Roll for Roll Call
In addition to performing the Long Roll for drill, there are some references to performing it to assemble the men for Roll Call.
According to von Steuben, Roll Call should occur four times a day (87):
- At Reveille
- At Troop, under arms
- At noon
- At Retreat, under arms
British practices also agree that the men should always fall in under arms for roll call at Troop and Retreat (Williamson, 141).
For the most part, the roll call was to literally call the rolls and ensure all were present and accounted for. For the roll calls under arms, the function was also to conduct a brief drill and ensure that the men’s equipment and arms were in good working order.
The Roll Call, specifically after Retreat, was meant to issue orders for the following day. The Orderly Book of the 47th of Foot explains this process:
“The Rule to be invariable observed for the future by every regiment, is, to form every company in a circle at the evening roll calling upon the parade of each Regt. […] The Officers of Companies are to remain within their respective circles ’till the Whole of the Orders of the Day have been read and explained to the men by one of them.”
(Aug. 22, 1777)
Dewees recounts that he had to perform the long roll to form the men for Reveille Roll Call. He comments:
“I had to play the reveille at the break of day, at sun-rise the long roll, the signal for the men to form ranks and answer to their names. This is called roll call.” (344).
Unfortunately, he doesn’t remark on playing the Long Roll again for other roll calls, but it would make sense that the Long Roll was played for each roll call.
Interestingly, Dewees was a fifer and so what he means by him having to play the Long Roll is unclear. Perhaps he performed some kind of flourish like in the Three Cheers.
What are The Three Cheers? Check out my discussion of the Three Cheers / Rolls / Chords.
Long Roll: Reassemble on the March
Finally, there are references to the Long Roll’s use to reform the men on a march:
“The Long Roll, after a halt, is the signal for the whole to form, and continue the march”.
(1836 US Army Regulations 36).
British publications indicate that To Arms was the prescribed manner of reforming the men in this manner, but the Long Roll may have been informally adopted by both Americans and British musicians.
It’s unclear when the Americans adopt this practice and it may have been long after the American Revolution.
How does the Long Roll come to mean the Alarm?
There does appear to be some connection between the Long Roll and To Arms, though it’s unclear how far back that relationship goes.
The American use of the Long Roll as an informally assembly clearly ends by 1841.
In the 1841 US Army Regulations, To Arms appears to have been replaced with a Long Roll. It states:
“The Long Roll is the signal for getting under arms, in case of alarm, or the sudden approach of the enemy” (62).
Additionally, the practice of beating a Long Roll to reassemble on the march is forbidden. It notes:
“The long roll will never be beaten but when the whole of the troops are to form suddenly to meet the enemy” (69).
But then in the 1863 US Army Regulations, To Arms is:
“the signal for getting under arms, in case of alarm; it is preceded by the long roll” (36).
The phrasing in this definition is confusing and could mean one of two things:
- To Arms is always preceded by a Long Roll and always indicates an alarm
- When there is an alarm, the beating is preceded by a long roll. When used to simply reform the battalion, there is no long roll.
The latter makes considerably more sense.
European Use of the Long Roll for the Alarm
Additionally, several European drum sources indicate that the Long Roll signaled the alarm.
In Winter’s Kurze-Unweisung das Trommel-Spielen (1777), a German drum manual, we find a beating titled “Feur Larmen”, or Fire Alarm.
This beating consists of a long roll, crescendoing and decrescendoing throughout.
Here, we see a clear link between an emergency – a Fire – and the Long Roll. This beating does not suggest that the Long Roll indicated a sudden attack by the enemy, however.
Similarly, in the Swiss ordonnance from 1788, we find the beating “Der Allarm”, or the Alarm. The instructions are to play a long roll until given the signal to stop. It’s unclear in this ordonnance whether this Alarm indicates the same Fire Alarm as Winter, or a general alarm.
Likewise, the Dutch beatings, shown in Rauscher’s Marchen en Signalen (1815), show the alarm as a series of long rolls crescendoing and decrescendoing. Titled “Allarm”, it’s unclear whether this is a general alarm or a fire alarm.
Regardless, there is clear evidence that these various Germanic armies used the Long Roll around the turn of the 19th century to indicate an alarm.
It’s possible that German influence on the mid-19th century American transitioned the use of the Long Roll from an assembly to an alarm.
It’s also likely that this confusion from mid-19th century American usage and from European usage influenced re-enactors.
Conclusion: How to Use the Long Roll in the Revolutionary War
This study seems to confirm that the Alarm should be signaled by the beating ‘To Arms’.
Possibly, a Long Roll prior to To Arms is most appropriate as a means of distinguishing between a reformation and an alarm.
My recommendation: If playing a Long Roll into To Arms, I would suggest following the German style of crescendoing and decrescendoing for added urgency and challenge.
The Long Roll, instead, can be used to assemble the regiment at any time for drill or other non-ceremonial assembles.
The Long Roll should also be performed prior to Roll Call to form the men.
Want to learn more about The Long Roll? Check out:
- Roll Rudiments and Their History
- Performing the Double Stroke Roll
- Understanding Roll Rhythms
- When Did Drummers Start Rolling?
- The Ruffle
Learn more about English and American Duty Calls:
Want to get better at your Double Stroke Rolls? Check out:
