Duties of Adjutant

[LibertyHallVols]

I've been working on getting an article published on the A-C by Tom Williams, called "A System of Orders" that will be a great resource for questions like this, His article includes images of original documents!! Right now, I'm fighting with the size of the document due to the embedded images.

Stay tuned!

[Erik]

2 or 3 companies may seem as an ease into it but then again the 4th Michigan went into the Wheat field with about 250 men. I am sure that the Adjutant still was on top of things.
No musician, use the melodious voices of your officers and First Sergeants.
Above all enjoy it.
The adjutant is like the trainer of a race horse, he does the hard work. The Colonel is the jockey who gets the flowers.
Duty is its own reward.
Whatever the result post an update so that others can learn from your experience.

Erik Simundson

[4vaadjutant]

I might be able to help you. The general duties and activities of the adjutant of a reenactment company are pretty well presented by the previous responders to your request for help. Over the years of studying how the armies conducted their administrative functions in the field, my focus has been more in the direction of bureaucratic activities of adjutants and clerks. My home unit is Co. I of the 4th Virginia Infantry, which is based in Indianapolis. I believe your unit is the one we collaborated with to portray the Liberty Hall Volunteers, the original Co. I, at First Manassas 140. My research has been conducted primarily at the National Archives, Battle Abbey in Richmond, Washington and Lee University, and the Indiana State Archives. I have studied and collected numerous original forms of both armies as well as reviewed several Confederate Army order books. I have produced a booklet titled “The Administration of Companies” for use by adjutants, clerks, officers and NCOs of reenactment companies and have an unpublished paper that describes the different types of orders provided in the regulations manuals and used to communicate information to military organizations. It includes a number of actual orders issued on a variety of subjects that can be used as a guide for us to draft orders for our administrative needs. For instance, if your unit should decide to have a whiskey ration at an event, I include an original order I found at the National Archives that can be used as a model for a whiskey ration. I have served as our company adjutant for many years as well as AAG for Medich’s Battalion for 15 years, so my forms and procedures are field tested. One thing I frequently do is have some orders based on originals to read at parades or formations to give the men of my company or battalion another aspect of soldier life that is missing from most units. The forms an adjutant will need at an event depend upon the scenarios planned. The basic Morning Report is a good start (I use a replica of an original I found at the National Archives). If you are serving as a battalion AAG a consolidated regimental report will be necessary. Are passes to be required? Are ration requisitions to be made by companies? What about ammunition expenditures? Do you have an order book? With a little effort you can make one from one of those marble covered composition books you can purchase at most stationery stores. I once found a whole series of orders from General Whiting’s headquarters in 1862 compiled in those books. I have made several over the years and one thing I found interesting is I was able to write on the paper with a steel-nibbed pen rather satisfactorily. Most paper made today does not work well with those old pens as it is usually too porous, which causes the ink to bleed. Speaking of paper, I was surprised to find at Battle Abbey one time a Confederate invoice printed on notebook paper that appeared to look just like the stuff we used as students and is still used today in schools. I apologize for getting a bit long-winded here – it was not my intent – all I can say is I have spent a lot of time studying an area of military life that few have spent much time on, and it has been a lot of fun for me to study the procedures and forms. So, if you believe I can be of assistance in your preparation, please let me know what you need and I will try to accommodate you. BTW, what event are you preparing for? Is it Port Republic by any chance? Some of us from Indy will be there on June 9 to study the battlefield and hear Bud Robertson speak. Respectfully, your most obedient servant, Tom Williams, 1st Lieut. and AAG, Co.I, 4th Virginia Infantry. (tbwilliams411@comcast.net)