The fifer was a non-combatant foot soldier who played his instrument during battle. This practice was instituted during early modern warfare as a means for signaling orders to the soldiers. The fife was especially suited to its purpose as it had a shrill sound that set it apart from all the other noises of the battlefield. Fifers were generally young boys still considered too young to fight. The effect of such an experience on a young mind must have been unfathomable.
I Will Call the Birds
He was but a fifer on the field,
A lad of only fifteen.
One night his mind had all but reeled
At sight of the frightful scene.
His heart without blood, his lungs without breath,
The shrill of his battle call,
Bodies that filled this valley of death
Had brought his own to a crawl.
The fog of smoke had lifted at length.
He awoke with a pulse and a gasp.
His soul swept up an intangible strength,
His pulse of mind could not grasp.
On foot to the hills, on rocky ledge,
The valley now far away,
His thoughts now dredged of the caustic edge
The shrill of his pipe did convey,
He played his fife, it sang like a song,
Songbirds soared toward its sound,
Like souls of soldiers, lives rang agelong,
Round hills they endlessly wound.
The lad of fifteen of ageless age,
His fife with its small simple words,
No need to call the battle’s rage
For I will call the birds.