Lee's adjutant

by Walter Herron Taylor

Of all those who served with Robert E. Lee in the headquarters of the Army of Northern Virginia, no one was as close to him as Walter Taylor. Twenty-two years old when hostilities broke out, Taylor served at Lee's side virtually without interruption during the entire Civil War. The only officer who could lay claim to such a distinction, Taylor served first as aide-de-camp and subsequently as assistant adjutant general of the Army of Northern Virginia. He traveled with Lee, ate at his mess, shielded him from a flood of administrative concerns, and on occasion delivered his battlefield orders to division and corps commanders. His personal correspondence, written without reserve as he enjoyed an unparalleled opportunity to observe Lee's inner circle, constitutes a unique addition to the Civil War record. . The 110 letters compiled in Lee's Adjutant shed light on day-to-day life at Lee's headquarters and on the general himself. Written to Taylor's fiancee and family, these letters recount