During President Garfield’s short administration the US Marine Band was called but once to play at the White House, and this with such an odd result that the incident is worth relating. The band had been on duty all day, from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., participating in the dedication of the Farragut statue. The tired players were dismissed, those not living in barracks (including Sousa) going to their homes. He had hardly changed into “civies” and sat down to supper when a message came requesting him to report at Barracks. There he was ordered to have the band at the White House that evening at 8:00-less than an hour later! He told the Commanding Officer of the impossibility of finding enough players at that late hour, but was told, “Those were my instructions and those are your orders.”
The remainder of the story is better told in Sousa’ s own words:
“We sent our messengers and they found just one man, the bass-drummer. So at eight o’clock, I, in my gorgeous red uniform, sat at one end of the platform, and the bass-drummer at the other. There was a dazzling array of music stands and empty chairs, but no men. The President, evidently, saw the humorous side of it, for when I explained it to him, he said it couldn’t be helped. All evening long we sat there, the drummer and I. When the reception was over, I dismissed the drummer with proper military ceremony and we filed out. We had reported for duty, were present and accounted for, though the President and his guests heard never a note.”
– THE LIFE AND INFLUENCE OF JOHN PHILIP SOUSA by Charles Church 1942
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