Military Flag Draping
The Practice Of Draping The Casket With The National Flag
This custom began during the Napoleonic Wars (1706-1815)
The dead carried from the field of battle on a caisson were covered with flags
When the U.S. flag covers the casket, it is placed so the union blue field is at the head and over the left shoulder
It is not placed in the grave and is not allowed to touch the ground
Flags For Military Funerals
Flags are provided for burial services of service members and veterans
The flag for one who dies on active duty is provided by one's branch of service
Flags for other veterans are provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs
The flag is presented to the next of kin at the end of the funeral, usually by the military chaplain
If there is no next of kin present, the flag may be presented to the veteran's close friend or associate if requested
The flags that draped the caskets of the Unknown Soldiers are on display in the Memorial Display Room of the Memorial Amphitheater
The Practice Of Firing Cannon Salutes
The custom of firing cannon salutes originated in the British Navy
When a cannon was fired, it partially disarmed the ship
Therefore, firing a cannon in salute symbolizes respect and trust
The Practice Of Firing Three Rifle Volleys Over The Grave
This practice originated in the old custom of halting the fighting to remove the dead from the battlefield
Once each army had cleared its dead, it would fire three volleys to indicate that the dead had been cared for and that they were ready to go back to the fight
The fact that the firing party consists of seven riflemen, firing three volleys does not constitute a 21-gun salute
21-Gun Salute
All personal salutes may be traced to the prevailing use in earlier days to ensure that the saluter placed himself in an unarmed position
Salute by gunfire is a most-ancient ceremony
The British for years compelled weaker nations to make the first salute, but in time international practice compelled "Gun for Gun" in the principle of an equality of nations
In the earliest days, seven guns was a recognized British National Salute
Those early regulations stated that, although a ship could fire only seven guns, the forts could fire for honors three shots to one shot afloat
In that day powder of sodium nitrate was easier to keep on shore than at sea
In time, when the quality of gun powder improved by the use of potassium nitrate, the sea salute was made equal to the shore salute -- 21 guns as the highest national honor
Although for a period of time, monarchies received more guns than republics, eventually republics claimed equality
There was much confusion caused by the varying customs of maritime states, but finally the British government proposed to the United States a regulation that provided for "Salute to be Returned Gun for Gun"
The British at that time officially considered the international salute to be 21 guns and the United States adopted the 21-gun and "Gun for Gun Return" Aug. 17, 1875
Previous to that time, our national salute was one gun for each state
The practice was also a result of usage -- John Paul Jones saluted France with 13 guns (one for each state) at Quiberon Bay when the Stars and Stripes received its first salute
This practice was not authorized until 1810
By the admission of states to the Union, the salute reached 21 guns by 1818
In 1841, the national salute was reduced to 21 guns
In fact, the 1875 adoption of the British suggestion because a formal announcement that the United States recognized 21 guns as an international salute
"Taps"
"Taps" is an American call, composed by the Union Army's Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield while in camp at Harrison's Landing, Va., in 1862
Butterfield wrote the call to replace the earlier "Tattoo" (lights out), which he thought too formal
The call soon became known as "Taps," because it was often tapped out on a drum in the absence of a bugler
Before the year was out, sounding Taps became the practice in Northern and Southern camps
The call was officially adopted by the U.S. Army in 1874
Col. James A. Moss, in his Officer's Manual first published in 1911, gives this account of the initial use of Taps at a military funeral
"During the Peninsular Campaign in 1862, a soldier of Tidball's Battery A of the 2nd Artillery was buried at a time when the battery occupied an advanced position concealed in the woods
It was unsafe to fire the customary three volleys over the grave, on account of the proximity of the enemy, and it occurred to Capt. Tidball that the sounding of Taps would be the most appropriate ceremony that could be substituted
The custom, thus originated, was taken up throughout the Army of the Potomac and finally confirmed by orders"
