Inglis Collection of printed music > Printed text > Story of the bagpipe

Battle of Cremona
Irish pipers were present at the siege of Derry in
1689. The infantry had two drums, a piper, and
colours ; the cavalry had a trumpet and a
standard ; and the draeoons were allotted -°
° . Derry
two trumpets, two hautbois, and a standard.
Assuming that the Jacobite forces were at full strength,
each regiment must have had fourteen pipers, fifty-six
drums, five trumpets, and fourteen hautbois. This
memorable siege lasted 105 days, during which about
g, 000 persons perished in the city, and at length
James's forces were obliged to withdraw.
Under King William Irish pipers experienced much
persecution. All minstrels were banned, but especially
harpers and pipers. After the sie^e of
Limerick many of the war pipers went to er ^ C p U Ion
the continent with the "Wild Geese," and ( ,,..
1 , , rr 1 , under King
they were subsequently afforded oppor- William
tunities of urging on the Irish troops to
battle. Those who remained at home had to run the
gauntlet of the Penal Laws, and many are the stories
and legends told of bagpipers at this troubled period.
One of the finest Irish bagpipe melodies at the close
of the seventeenth century was heard at Cremona on
February 1st, 1702. At this' great battle,
when the Irish brigade gained a famous '
. 11 r Cremona
victory, the pipe tune played was ever after-
wards known as " The Day we beat the Germans at
Cremona." It is now seldom heard, but its popularity
continued from 1702 to the close of the nineteenth
century.
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