“The Dauntless Battalion” (1922)

 

Future President Warren G. Harding and bandmaster John Philip Sousa—two Americans who were serving their country in totally different capacities were awarded honorary doctorates by the Pennsylvania Military College in Chester on February 7, 1920. Sousa saluted the cadets in his own inimitable way, by composing a march in their honor. The band score was dedicated “To Col. Hyatt, the Faculty and Cadets of the Pennsylvania Military College” and was entitled “The Pennsylvania Military College March.” An orchestra score, presumably made later, was entitled “The Pennsylvania Military March.” But by the time the march was published, Sousa had provided the more colorful title.

Paul E. Bierley, The Works of John Philip Sousa (Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1984), 49. Used by permission.