Alabama. Adjutant General's Office. Administrative files, 1820-1987.
Title:
Administrative files, 1820-1987.
The Adjutant General is appointed by the governor to supervise all the activities of the militia and all military property held by the state. This series consists of the administrative files of the head of the agency. The files contain correspondence, memoranda, orders, circulars, bulletins, personnel files, muster rolls, discharges, reports, physical examinations of recruits, Summary Court transcripts, photographs, maps, and applications to form companies. The bulk of these records was created by the Adjutant General's Office (1819-1936), but a small portion was created by the Department of Military and Naval Affairs (1936-1951) and the State Military Department (1951- ). The records contain information on the following topics: recruitment, encampments, military training, courts martial, military property, rifle ranges, election of officers, transportation of troops, care and selection of animals, design of uniform and insignia, and many other military activities. The files on the First Alabama Cavalry and the 1st Alabama Field Artillery (later the 117th U.S. Field Artillery) are included with these records. Of special note is the material related to service at the Mexican border in 1916-1917. There is also considerable information on the mobilization effort in preparation for the entry of U.S. troops in World War I. The files contain limited information on the Spanish-American War. Most of the records pertaining to this war are located in the gubernatorial papers of Governor Joseph F. Johnson (1896-1900). There is very little information on World War II. The Alabama State Troops (renamed the Alabama National Guard in 1897) were mobilized on several occasions in response to natural disasters, such as floods and tornadoes; strikes; riots; and to help guard prisoners from vigilante mobs. The Guard was prominent at the 1908 coal miners strike in Birmingham, the 1929 flood at Elba and Geneva, and the trials of the Scottsboro Boys. The series contains photographs of some of these activities. The records also contain information on the Gilmer's Rifles of Mobile, the Magic City Guards of Birmingham, and the Capitol City Guards of Montgomery. These three African-American companies were organized in the late 19th century but were disbanded by 1905 as a result of segregation laws. The series contains correspondence and other types of material to and from the following men who served as Adjutant General: John F. White, 1878-1881; Henry C. Thompkins, 1881-1883; James N. Gilmer, 1883-1886; John D. Roquemore, 1886-1887; Alexander B. Garland, 1887-1888; Charles P. Jones, 1888-1894; Harvey E. Jones, 1894-1896; Robert F. Ligon, Jr., 1896-1899; William W. Brandon, 1899-1907; Bibb Graves, 1907-1911; Joseph B. Sculley, 1911-1915; Graph J. Hubbard, 1915-1919(?); Hartley A. Moon, 1919-1927, 1931-1935; Forrest Eugene Butler, 1927-1931; John Critcher Coleman, 1935-1939; and Walter J. Hanna, 1951-1955. Also included is the personal correspondence of Chief clerk, David W. McIver (1903-ca. 1911) and considerable information regarding William P. Screws. Screws led the 167th U.S. Infantry of the 42nd Rainbow Division during World War I. He served as an Instructor-Inspector of the Alabama National Guard for several years after the war. In addition to these individuals the series contains registers documenting the commissions of officers and governor's staff from 1820 to 1927. Researchers need to be aware of several gaps in the records. The series contains a few bound volumes from 1820 to 1866. The bulk of the Adjutant General records from this time period can be found in the Governor's Militia files. There are no records for the Reconstruction era. In the mid-1870s state militia companies began forming again. The records continue without a break from this point until 1937. There is a limited amount of material from 1938 to 1945, then another skip to 1953. After 1953 the only records in the series are general orders that run from 1955 to 1987.
ArchivalResource:
260 cubic ft. (239 records center cartons, 46 volumes, and 1 oversize box).
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122548548 View
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