February 11th, 2011:

Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of North Carolina

The Adjutant General is the leader of the North Carolina National Guard, and today commands the nearly 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the N.C. National Guard. The Annual Reports of the Adjutant General of the State of North Carolina from 1827 to 1970-1972 have been digitized and can be read in the North Carolina State Government Publications Collection. 

In 1806, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law establishing the Adjutant General’s Department. This Department oversaw the state militia. Militia members were “citizen soldiers”. They lived civilian lives, working at their trades, but ready to drop everything when needed to defend life, property, and community in North Carolina. After the Department’s founding, the militia grew better organized and trained, becoming known as the State Guard.

In 1916, by Act of Congress the State Guard became part of the national defense infra structure and its name was changed to the National Guard. Today, the North Carolina National Guard is a key part of our country’s defense.

The Annual Report describes the activities of the militia including muster rolls, ordanance stores, and financial statistics. The Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of North Carolina can be viewed, searched, downloaded, and/or printed at http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,28059.