During the formal Mounting of the Guard, trooping the colors occurs if the colours need to be brought to the parade group. Then the musicians would beat The Troop to march and retrieve the flags.
This seems to be the origin of the tradition of Trooping the Colors performed by American musicians in the 19th century.
Retrieving the Colors: British, 18th C.
For the British during the 18th century, to collect the colors, half the drummers form with the Grenadier Company and march them to where the colors are lodged.
Windham and Bland state that the drummers beat the troop (107; 6). Presumably the fifers play “Troop for the Colors,” which is a 3/8 included in several fife tutors.
Upon Receiving the colors, the music beats “the point of war” (Windham 108; Military Course 119). This is the first line of The Three Camps.
Then, to return to the battalion, Windham states to beat a troop (108). Possibly, the fifers play “Doublings when Colors are Receiv’d,” which is a 2/4. Simes, instead, suggests that the company marches back with the music playing the Grenadiers March; therefore, at a quickstep and not a troop (Military Course 119; Military Guide 207-8).
In short, Trooping for the Colors entailed:
- A Troop – march to the Flags in a tight formation
- Points of War – salute the colors
- A Troop or a Quickstep – return to the Grand Parade
Trooping the Colors: American, 19th C.
The process of the British Grenadiers retrieving their flags resembles the later American tradition of Trooping the Line during Guard Mounting.
The music marches at the Slow March from the right to the left of the line beating a Troop (always in 3/4 or 3/8), then wheels around, and marches back to a Quickstep.
Do you have more evidence or observations about how the British tradition evolved into the Trooping of the Line? Contact me or comment below.
To find out more, continue to my next section “Short Troops”.
Or, continue to “Summarizing the Troop” where I finalize my findings and offer thoughts on future research.