Duties of Adjutant

[cprljohnivey]

Folks,

I have been asked to be Adjutant at an event comming up in a couple weeks. Since I am short on time and have never done this before, I have a few questions hopefully someone can answer after not finding much on a search:

1. Any recommended reading material that spells out the duties, paperwork, etc... of the Adjutant?

2. What duties that I will read about from reccomendations in number one above translate to the actual duties of the Adjutant at a reenactment? What can I expect?

3. Any advice from those with experience in this position? What works well? What to avoid?

Thanks in advance for any help. "I'm movin on up, to the commissioned side, to a delux shebang under the sky ey ey ey! :tounge_sm "

[Silas]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

I'll let others chime in on the paperwork side of the job, but you ought to bring a haversack for your paperwork plus a pen and a securely sealed ink well.

You get to run parade. Here are some items you ought to review and/or download :

http://www.zipcon.net/~silas/Drill/mcdbooklet.htm - this contains the full procedures for parade. Just download and print this pdf if you don't already have it. You'll be glad you've got it in your haversack, but it won't do you any good unless you review it before the event.

http://draytons.tripod.com/drill/parade.pdf - This is an article I wrote about opening and closing ranks in parade. It lays out parade step by step and includes many illustrations plus the original text.

http://www.zipcon.net/~silas/links.htm#N_4_ - This link will get you to a series of single page pdf's related to assembly. They are mostly illustrations to cement the ideas into your head. I'd forward the links to the companies of your battalion so that the sergeants know what is expected of them. The faster the companies assemble, the faster parade can commence.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

Make sure your sergeants get their paperwork in as quickly as possible, and filled out correctly. I'm not sure what type or level of event that you'll be acting as adjutant at, but if there is a need to consolidate companies, your paperwork guides the business. If you'll be doing this at an event with quality participants, this shouldn't be an issue.

Make sure your timepiece works, as well as the timepiece of your sergeant major, and keep 'em synchronized. Battalion time runs off of both watches.

Have a good working relationship with your principle musician, and make sure he's around when you need him.

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

You can pretty much forget about sleeping for the weekend.

[Wild Rover]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

Yep, welcome to servitude leadership... :)

Pards,

[Bushrod Carter]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

Sleep? What is that?

[Indianabugles]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

"Have a good working relationship with your principle musician, and make sure he's around when you need him. "

I am one of said said Principal Musician.
We are like alarm calls, It is our duty to arrive on station 5 mins before a timeslot and stare expectantly at you.
When your PM and SM get on really good life gets a lot easier.
Exactly as above, f we are informed ahead of we will be blessed alarm calls and silent reminders. If others see us Preping they will too.
Call of the buglers is good 5 min ahead warnings.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

There's something in here: http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...l-of-the-Clerk

[erik]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

Well you have bitten of a chunk.
The duties of the adjutant are clearly described in the Regulations for the Army and don't change no matter what edition that you use.
Further details of the paperwork and duties can be found in Kautz Customs of the service.
As advised keep several pens, ink in a pocket inkwell with lots of ink powders unless you own a Hathway's writing kit.
I always went to Sullivan and preffered to use his Consolidated Morning report book and printouts of the daily form not the mainstream abomination commonly seen.
I also insisted that Companies use ink up and pencil down.
I don't know your penmanship skills but you should realise, and hopefully your Col. will too, that orders and instructions in ink take longer to write than modern implements.
Therefore lots of blank forms, foolscap paper, pens, ink, blotter, a surface to write on and as already said a good watch set to the time used, apparent or local time.
Develop the good relations already spoken of.
If given a detailed order to deliver, use the Orderly Sergeants or Company clerks to transcribe them. Don't stay up to 3 in the morning. If you do so you will be of no service to your unit.
Your uniform and deportment should be above reproach and your path cleared of any obstructions as John Masters said in his biography as adjutant of a Gurkha Battalion in "Bugles and a Tiger".
Be a gentleman.

Erik Simundson
Former adjutant and staff officer.

[cprljohnivey]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

This is great stuff. Thanks Fellas. Luckly, the Batt. I am assigned to most likely will run only 2-3 companies... so should be an easy first time run for me. I don't believe we have a musician in our Batt. attending the event (other than me) so maybe I need to bring my fife too. Well... maybe not.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

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]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

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]

Re: Duties of Adjutant

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)