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Colonel Thomas Jackson was the officer in charge of the Virginia troops who gathered in the Valley in late spring/early summer of 1861. Not only did the soliders endure grueling drills, but they did not have adequate supplies—particlarly clothing and tents—which led to widespread sickness among the regiments (Robertson, Fourth Virginia Infantry, 3-4).

Here White refers to the impending First Battle of Manassas. On July 18, the troops were ordered to abandon Winchester and head east across the Blue Ridge Mountains. On Sunday, July 21, Jackson's troops engaged the Federals at Manassas (Robertson, Fourth Virginia Infantry, 5-7).

Colonel James F. Preston was in charge of the Fourth Virginia Infantry when it was organized. However, his poor health kept him in Richmond while his troops were drilling in the Valley. Wounded at First Manassas, he later died in January, 1862 at home (Robertson, Fourth Virginia Infantry, 2, 68).

General Joseph E. Johnston (1807-1891) received his diploma from the U. S. Miltary Academy in 1829 along with his friend Robert E. Lee. He received praise for his service in both the Mexican War and in the wars against the Seminole Indians. In April of 1861, he resigned from his position as a brigadier general in the U. S. Army, and in May of 1861 accepted a commission as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. He commanded the Army of the Shenandoah at Harper's Ferry and led Confederate forces at First Manassas, August 1861 (McMurry, 859-61).

William Patton, a merchant, had joined the Rockbrige Grays (Company H) as Second Lieutenant in April of 1861. Like William Brooks, he died on July 16 of 1861 at Winchester. His remains are now buried at Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church in Rockbridge County (Robertson, Fourth Virginia Infantry, 67).

See Andrew's letter to his mother of July 16, 1861, reporting that William is very ill.

Hugh Augustus White (1840-1862), whose brother James was Company I's first captain, enlisted in the 4th Virginia Infantry while a student at Washington College. On September 13, 1861, Hugh White was named sergeant, and on April 21, 1862, he was elected captain. Surprised that he was elected captain, Hugh White accepted the position with a great sense of responsibility. As he wrote to his brother Henry, "Promotion in itself brings neither peace nor happiness, and unless it increases one's usefulness it is a curse. An opportunity is now afforded for exercising a wider influence for good, and if enabled to improve this aright I shall then be happier than before" (quoted by Bean, 111). White was killed on August 30, 1862 at Second Manassas (Robertson, 4th Virginia Infantry, 80).