Paying the piper: Yorktown, October 19th, 1781

One of the greatest hazards facing the time traveller venturing into a war zone is that which the soldiers themselves accept as a part of their duty; the possibility of death or serious injury in the fighting. Thankfully, since we are here to witness the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, General of the British Army and representative of His Britannic Majesty, King George III we will not have to share that risk. There is a ceasefire in force since yesterday and the troops seem to be in good spirits.

It's worth mentioning at this point that General Charles Cornwallis is the descendant of the same gentleman in whose patronage John Wilbye began his musical career.

I thought we might get a better view of proceedings by adopting the dress and manners of a couple of redcoat Lieutenants (at this time, the term still retains vestiges of its original meaning - someone who stands in place for another, i.e. a senior officer) returning from leave of absence. Given the circumstances it is unlikely that we will be assigned any duties that might interfere with our observations.

The question we are trying to answer is this; was the popular ballad "The World Turned Upside Down" played in fact, at the British surrender? For centuries it has been widely believed that it was, and it certainly would have been appropriate. But careful searches of archival material have not found any solid evidence that would prove the case. Even if it is played, it would help if we know which version was played; there are several, each with different tunes and lyrics.

Across the field it is possible to hear a few snatches of fife and drum as well as speech, although I can't make out words. I think the music is coming from the French regiment present if I am any judge of the accents. The time is almost two o'clock and the sergeants are mustering the men to march out. I see no sign of General Cornwallis however. It seems General O'Hara has been entrusted with the ignominious duty of offering the British surrender.

From a tent to the rear I hear the incongruous chiming of a carriage clock striking two o'clock, and the British troops march out toward the center of the field. While the mood is not exactly despondent, and most of the troops seem happy to see an end to the fighting, they march with arms shouldered and colors furled.

As the British march to surrender, only the drummer beats a march, keeping the troops in step. It seems the question is answered. And then from the crowd of civilian spectators gathered to witness the victory, an anonymous musician strikes up the tune of "The World Turned Upside Down" in time to the drummer's march beat!

X: 32
T:The World Turned Upside Down
C:Traditional
M:C
N:Posted by Dan Mozell 12/97. Tradition says that this tune was played at the British
N:surrender to the American Continental Army at Yorktown on October 19th, 1781.
F:http://otterlimits.org/fiddling/tunes/longlist.txt 2005-10-29 17:20:15 UT
K:G
D2 D2 G2 G2 | ABcd B2 AB | c2 E2 F2 G2 | A3 G G2 D2 |
D2 D2 G2 G2 | ABcd B2 AB | c2 E2 F2 G2 | A6 A2 |:
A2 FG A3 B | AGFG A3 B | AGFG A2 B2 | E3 D D2 D2 |
d2 dc B2 AG | ABcd B2 AB | c2 E2 F2 G2 |[1 A6 A2 :|[2 A3 G G2 A2 |]

I would like to acknowledge Dennis Montgomery's article for helpful background information.

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit]. For more sheet music in abc notation, visit Yahoo! 360.