Recent exchange on Reddit:


“Drummers were used as a way to communicate to the soldiers on the battlefield. Voices were easily lost amongst all the noise of battle so they used drums and bugles to communicate what the commanders wanted. Consequently, because of their importance, drummers were usually the first killed.”

“Bagpipes served a similar purpose, as their sound carried and couldn’t be confused with the enemy’s drums. However, pipers were also the first killed, usually weeks or months before the actual battle.”