The Adjutant General is Chief of Staff to the Governor and commanding general of the organized
militia. He directs the planning and employment of the military forces of the State in carrying
out their State mission, establishes unified command of State forces whenever jointly engaged,
coordinates the military affairs with the Civil Defense of the State and organizes and coordinates
the activities of all civil agencies including local and State police in event of declaration of
limited emergency by the Governor. He is responsible for the organization, administration,
training, and supply of the organized militia and maintains an accurate account of all State and
U.S. property issued to the State. He supervises the expenditures of monies allocated for the
maintenance of the different military activities within the State and maintains a bureau of records
of the service of West Virginia troops in the Wars of the United States. The Adjutant General is
appointed by the Governor.
The Adjutant General of West Virginia is responsible for all military records and affairs of the
state. The official date of creation of the office was 1897; prior to that date the office was
combined with that of the Quartermaster General from 1863-71. From 1871-77 the State
Superintendent of Free Schools served as Adjutant General ex-officio. In 1877 the duties
transferred to the State Librarian ex-officio until the official creation of the Adjutant General
Office in 1897.
The five collections listed comprise the major portion of the Adjutant General records. A more
detailed description of each collection is given with each collection.
Restrictions: The Archives does not currently have the necessary equipment
to make proper photostatic copies of oversized items such as muster rolls and order, descriptive,
and clothing books. Staff may determine whether an item is too large and/or too fragile to
copy.
