Sousa served in the United States Marine Corps, and was a member of the U.S. Navy during World War I. He was asked by Army Lieutenant George Friedlander, of the 306th Field Artillery, to compose a march for his regiment. Friedlander suggested it be built around a song already known as "The Caisson Song" (alternatively "The Field Artillery Song" or "The Caissons Go Rolling Along"). The song was thought to perhaps be of Civil War origin, and was unpublished, and its composer believed to be dead. Sousa agreed, changed the harmonic structure, set it in a different key, refined the melody, made the rhythm more snappy, and added further new material.