1861 June 10 Richmond, Va.

AdInspectr Generals Offic e

Sir

The services of Capt Thomas being
immediately required to proceed to Lewisburg
with Genl Wise you will please cause him
to be relieved by some officer of your com
mand, & to proceed at once to join the General

I am Sir Resply
Yr Obdt Sevt
C.H. Chilton
Lt Col & Adj

To
Colonel Ph St Geo Cocke
Comdg Camp Henry
Culpepper Ct Ho
Va

Robert Hall Chilton, 1815-1879, from Loudoun County, Va., was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and a career officer cited for bravery during the Mexican War. He initially served in the field on General Robert E. Lee's staff and later became Inspector General for the entire Army of Northern Virginia.

Henry A Wise, a former U.S. Congressman, Minister to Brazil, and Governor of Virginia, in which post he signed the death warrant of John Brown and ordered the seizure of the U. S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry and Norfolk’s Gosport Naval Yards. Political connections led to his appointment as a Brigadier General but he performed poorly in the 1861 Kanawha Valley Campaign. [See the diary of Micajah Woods for deprecating comments about Wise's performance in that campaign.] He continued to serve throughout the war and afterwards resumed his career as lawyer, eventually supporting U. S. Grant for president.