The Retreat, or La Retraite for the French, is the opposite of the Reveille. Whereas the Reveille is beaten at the break of dawn to signal the sentries to cease challenging, the Retreat is beaten at sunset to signal the sentries to begin challenging and for the piquet to form.
This is an obvious balance of camp life, where maintaining a vigilant guard is always necessary.
But a survey of some of the earliest military treatises and manuals suggest the Retreat actually originates with a Medieval, religious tradition.
Read on to discover the role of the Ave Maria in the 16th century military life and how it spawned the Retreat beating familiar in later military tradition.
Drum Beatings in 16th Century European Militaries
After the victory of the Swiss army over the Burgundians at in the 1470s, the function of fife and drum became a fixture of European armies. The Italian Wars (1494-1559) ensured that the Swiss phalanx formation, firelocks, and fife & drum became standardized throughout the major European armies.
Unfortunately, military manuals and treatises weren’t published until the late-16th century.
However, once these military publications appear, they detail the role of drummers, down to enumerating the various beatings and signals drummers were required to perform.
In some of these we see a reference to the drum beating ‘Ave Maria’.
In The Arte of Warre (1591), William Garrad refers to a beating called the “Salue or Ave Maria” (153).
In Five decades of epistles of warre (1622), Francis Markham describes a similar beating that suggests it’s the Ave Maria (59).
What was the Ave Maria in 16th Century European life?
In 1095, Pope Urban II commanded all faithful to pray for Christendom and victory in the Crusades. At the striking of the Ave Bell, lay people could stop working to recite the Angelus, or readings about the immaculate conception interrupted by three Hail Mary’s.
This tradition was later reinforced by Pope Gregory IX in 1238 and still commonly heard into the 17th century (Bells and Bell Lore, T. Harrison Myres, 1916, p. 35).
We should note that the Catholic faith was nearly ubiquitous across Europe at this time and into the 15th century. Therefore, we know this tradition was practiced by the Spanish, Italians, French, English, and Germanic people. By the 16th century, Protestant religions were taking hold in all of these countries, but many still adopted or recognized the practice of saying the Angelus.
The Ave Bells
Generally speaking, the bells rang at 6am, noon, and 6pm. In practice, the final Ave Bell might ring somewhere between 5pm and 9pm, depending on the time of year and local practice.
The final Ave Bell of the day lines up with Garrad’s reference to the “Ave Maria” as being performed “in the euining at ye closing of the night” (153).
Garrad’s description doesn’t fully explain the purpose of the “Ave Maria” beating. It could be a replacement for the Ave Bell, should the army be away from a town or church.
More likely, though, Garrad is referring to the time of day and is describing the predecessor to the Retreat beating.
The Early Retreat
Most likely, by the “closing of the night”, Garrad means that the drummers signal for the posting of the guard in response to nightfall.
He notes earlier that the officer on duty must
“warily and secretly, [even] at the closing of the night, vntill the bright spring of the Diana [the Reveille], and fayre day light, […] place Sentinels”
Garrad (26)
We see a similar description in Markham, who explains the evening duty of the drummers as followed:
At night when the watch is to be set, the Drumme Maior beginneth first to beat it [presumably the “Ave Maria”], and then after him all the rest in their order through the whole Armie or Garrison, and then after prayers are said, they [the Drummers] conduct their Squadron to their Corps du guard, & so attend to giue seconds to euery Alarme.
Markham (59)
We can be nearly certain that Markham is referring to the same beating as Garrad. This is based on two things:
- The Time, at the close of the day
- The note that the men pray before going on guard, presumably the evening Ave Maria.
Thus, the “Ave Maria” beating was a signal to set the guard for the evening, in response to the sunsetting.
The “modern” Retreat
The use of the “Ave Maria” beating is consistent to the timing and function of the 18th century beating “The Retreat” or “La Retraite”.
Timing: The Closing of the Night
The French beat La Retraite every day at sunset – 8pm from All Saint’s Day (November 1) until Easter and 9pm from Easter until All Saints’ Day (Code Militaire 1728, vol. 1, vol. 1, 364).
Similarly, the English beat The Retreat every evening at sunset. Simes explains:
“Warning-Piece is the gun which fires every evening at sun set, to give notice to the drums and trumpets of the army or garrison, to beat and sound the retreat” (Military Medley, 1767,entry: “Warning-Piece”).
Overall, this aligns with the final Ave Bell ringing somewhere between 5pm and 9pm.
Meaning: At Night When the Watch is to be Set
The French La Retraite signaled for the piquets to form and be inspected (Ordonnance…service de l’Infanterie en Campagne 1753, 17-18). An hour later, the garrison or town gates were closed (Ordonnance … Concernant les Gouverneurs … 1750, 44; D’Hericourt 1756, vol. 2, 153).
Similarly, in the English army, all the men assembled under arms for roll call. The rolls of each company are called, after which the officers read orders of the day. The Piquet Guard, or Reserve Guard, also form at this time to check their readiness (Military Guide 1772, 93-4). Similarly, the Main Guard are instructed to beginning challenging until Reveille (Military Guide, 1772, I:231).
This aligns with Markham’s description of forming up the piquet guard and conducting the sentries to their positions for the night.
Performance: The Drumme Maior Beginneth First to Beat It
Recall that Markham explains that the “Ave Maria” is performed in a specific manner:
The Drumme Maior beginneth first to beat it, and then after him all the rest in their order through the whole Armie or Garrison
Markham (59)
This appears to be the same method used by the English and French.
In the English, American, and French armies, the major camp duties, such as Retreat or La Retraite, began with Signal Strokes.
This was played first by the Drummer on the right, typically the most senior regiment. The drummer in the regiment to the left then repeats the signal and this continues from right to left and then from the left to the right.
(British:Military Guide 1772, 13;System of Camp Discipline 1757, 64; Potter 1817, 26; American: Washington v. 8; French:Guignard 1725, 667-68; D’Hericourt 1756, vol. 2, 35-6; Ordonnance…service de l’Infanterie en Campagne 1753, 28).
Following the signal strokes, English and American drummers also performed the Rolls or Cheers (Potter 1817, 18; Grimke “Orderly Book” v. 14, no. 2, p. 109; Washington v. 8, 13, 16; Klinehanse).
After this, the musicians of all three armies commenced The Retreat or La Retraite together while marching.
If in camp, the drummers assembled on their own parade and beat The Retreat or La Retraite while marching along the front of the regiment (British: Bland 1727, 155-6; 173; System of Camp Discipline 1757, 1; French:Ordonnance…service de l’Infanterie en Campagne 1753, 28; D’Hericourt 1756, vol. 2, 35-36).
If in town, the drummers would march through the main street of the town to a predetermined location (British: Kemble 1775, v. 1, 257-8; French:Ordonnance…Concernant les Gouverneurs … 1750, 44; 55-56).
According to French ordinances, when there are regiments of different nations in the same place, the foreign musicians play together but separate from the French (Ordonnance … Concernant les Gouverneurs … 1750, 55-56; D’Hericourt 1756, vol. 2, 35-36).
Ave Maria, also known as La Retraite
There is enough evidence based on the timing, meaning, and performance of the “Ave Maria” drum beating to say it was an early version of The Retreat.
However, there is also some evidence to suggest that the “Ave Maria” beating already had a connection to the name La Retraite.
Markham notes that Voluntaries (gentleman soldiers who are not bound by a contract) can be placed in the rear of the column as a position of honor “at night (upon retrait)” (59).
Based on the context, he does not mean “during a retreat” but rather after a certain hour, or after the “retrait” has been beaten. Through Markham, we see that the term “retrait”, and probably the beating “retrait”, has already taken on its double meaning: to fall back in battle and to end the day in camp.
Religion, Bells, and The Retreat
These earlier military manuals provide an interesting insight into the overlap of daily religious life – the praying of the Angelus at the chiming of the Ave Bell – and the incorporation of daily drum beatings to regulate military duty.
How or why the posting of evening piquet was signaled by the same beating as the battlefield retreat may never be known, but we can see based on these early writing that the connection was made early.
Also interestingly we can see that the general performance of the duty call was consistent in two major armies, and probably many others considering how the English learned a lot from the Dutch in the late 1500s, and the Dutch from the Spanish.
Would you like to learn more about the musical component of the English Retreat? Check out:
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