Officers of Gen. R. E. Lee's staff.
General Lee's first service was in the western part of the State of Virginia, where he was attended by two aides-de-camp, Colonel John A. Washington and Captain Walter H. Taylor. Colonel John Augustine Washington was killed at Valley Mountain, September, 1861. During his three month's service in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, he had with him in addition to his aide, Captain Walter H. Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel Wm. G. Gill, Ordnance Officer; Captain Thornton A. Washington, A. A. & I. General; Major A. L. Long, Chief of Artillery; Captain Joseph C. Ives, Chief of Engineers; Captain Joseph Manigault, Vol. A. D. C.; Captain John N. Maffitt, Naval A. D. C. In March, 1862, when under a special act of Congress, General R. E. Lee was assigned to duty at Richmond, a personal staff for the ‘Commanding General’ was authorized by said act, and the appointments made by him under it were as follows: Colonel A. L. Long, Military Secretary Brigadier General of Artillery, September 21, 1863–April 9, 1865. Major Walter H. Taylor, A. D. C., Lieutenant Colonel A. A. A. & I. General, November 4, 1864–April 9, 1865. Major T. M. R. Talcott, A. D. C., Lieutenant Colonel July 25, [26] 1863, Colonel First Regiment Engineer Troops, April 4, 1864–April 9, 1865. Major Charles S. Venable, A. D. C., Lieutenant Colonel A. A. & I. General, November 4, 1864–April 9, 1865. Major Charles Marshall, A. D. C., Lieutenant Colonel A. A. & I. General, November 4, 1864–April 9, 1865. After the battle of Seven Pines, June I, 1862, in which General Jos. E. Johnston was severely wounded, General Robert E. Lee was assigned to the command of the Army of Northern Virginia, and took with him his personal staff as above named, to-wit: Long, Taylor, Talcott, Venable and Marshall. He also retained Captain A. P. Mason, A. A. & I. General, of General Johnston's staff, who in March, 1863, was at his own request transferred elsewhere, and Major Walter H. Taylor assumed his duties. Colonel Thomas Jordan, A. A. & I. General, who had served as Adjutant General of the Army of Northern Virginia under General Joseph E. Johnston, voluntarily retired with him, and was replaced by Colonel R. H. Chilton, A. A. & I. General, who was promoted Brigadier General in December, 1863, and Colonel Walter H. Taylor then became Adjutant General of the Army of Northern Virginia, which position he held until the surrender, April 9, 1865. The Chiefs of Departments who served under General Lee were as follows: Lieutenant Colonel E. Porter Alexander, Chief of Ordnance, June 1, 1862, to November, 1862, Brigadier General Artillery to April 9, 1865. Lieutenant Colonel Briscoe G. Baldwin, Chief of Ordnance, November, 1862, to April 9, 1865. Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole, Chief Commissary, June I, 1862, to April 9, 1865. Lieutenant Colonel James L. Corley, Chief Quartermaster, June I, 1862, to April 9, 1865. Surgeon Lafayette Guild, Medical Director, June 25, 1862, to April 9, 1865. Brigadier General W. N. Pendleton, Chief of Artillery, March 6, 1863, to April 9, 1865. [27] Colonel George W. Lay, A. A. & I. General, March 6, 1863, to April 9, 1865. Major Henry E. Peyton, A. A. & I. General, November, 1862, to November 4, 1864, Lieutenant Colonel A. A. & I. General to April 9, 1865. Lieutenant Colonel E. Murray, A. A. & I. General, September, 1863, to November 4, 1864. Major Giles B. Cooke, A. A. & I. General, November 4, 1864, to April 9, 1865. Captain Henry E. Young, Judge Advocate General, September, 1863, to November 4, 1864, and Major A. A. & I. General to April 9, 1865. Lieutenant Colonel Wm. P. Smith, Chief of Engineers, September, 1863, to——, 1864. Colonel W. H. Stevens, Chief of Engineers,——, 1864, and Brigadier General in April, 1865. Captain Samuel R. Johnston, Engineer Officer, November, 1862, and Lieutenant Colonel in April, 1865. Others in the Medical Department: Surgeon Joseph E. Claggett, in charge of Hospital. Surgeon E. J. Breckinridge, Medical Inspector. Surgeon T. H. Wingfield. Surgeon James C. Herndon. Surgeon Samuel M. Bemiss. Surgeon E. D. Newton. Others who served on General Lee's Staff: Allen, John M., Captain and Assistant Forage Q. M., A. N. V. Bell, R. S., Assistant Q. M. of Forage. Bernard, J. T., Captain in charge of Ordnance Train. Brook, John W., Lieutenant Virginia Navy, A. A. D. C., May, 1861. Cary, W. M., Captain Assistant Issuing Q. M. Crenshaw, Joseph R., Lieutenant Colonel A. A. G., June, 1861. Galize, John, Captain Forage Q. M. Garnett, R. S., Colonel A. A. G., 1861. Garber, A. M., Assistant to Forage Q. M. Harman, John A., Major Forage Q. M. Harvie, Edmund J., Colonel I. General, 1861. [28] Heth, Henry, Lieutenant Colonel Acting Q. M. Janney, E. H., Major Issuing Q. M., A. N. Va. Latham, Woodville, Captain A. D. C., September, 1862. Land, A. L., Major Assistant to Chief Quartermaster Marrow, N. C., Captain Paymaster. Page, Thos. J., Lieutenant Virginia Navy, A. A. D. C., 1861. Richardson, W. H., A. A. G., May, 1861. Smith, P. W., Captain Military Secretary, May, 1861. Somers, S. M., Captain Q. M. Ordnance Train. Shell, G. W., Q. M. Army Supply Train. Thompson, George G., Captain. Thomas, W. F., Captain Depot Q. M.
