"Civil War Parade", also called "Soldier's Drill" or "United States March", is the Rev. Gary Davis' brilliant imitation of a military marching band arranged for finger-style guitar. Reverend Davis performed this piece with endless variations — mimicking reveille, cadence counting and several flourishes traditionally used by marching bands. This piece is quite difficult but can be played by an advanced intermediate student. Andy Polon, guitarist and teacher in New York City, helped provide this condensed transcription, which includes a few variations of his own.
Because of the complexities of this piece, I have used several devices in the TAB to help you find the correct hand positions. The left hand fingers are numbered— 1 for index, 2 for middle, 3 for the ring finger, and 4 for the little finger. The left hand numbers are encircled next to the fret numbers.
Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, April 1972
Jack R. Baker