Taps is a solemn bugle call and one of the most recognizable and poignant pieces of American military music. The bugle call was initially intended to signal "lights out" at the end of the day, replacing an earlier, more formal French bugle call.

General Daniel Butterfield was not pleased with the call for Lights Out, feeling that the call was too formal to signal the day's end. With the help of the brigade bugler, Oliver Wilcox Norton, Butterfield wrote Taps to honor his men while in camp at Harrison's Landing, Virginia, following the Seven Days' battle. These battles took place during the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. The call, sounded that night in July, 1862, soon spread to other units of the Union Army and was even used by the Confederates. Taps was made an official bugle call after the war.  Over time, it transcended its initial purpose and became an integral part of American military funerals, memorials, and wreath-laying ceremonies, symbolizing honor, respect, and remembrance.

The haunting 24-note melody of "Taps", played on a bugle or trumpet, carries a profound emotional weight, evoking a sense of finality and reflection.  Its simple yet profound melody serves as a poignant reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of those who have served their country.