Orderly duties

From Kautz´s "Customs of Service for NCOs and Soldiers":

114. Orderlies are soldiers selected on account of their intelligence, experience, and soldierly bearing, to attend on generals, commanding officers, officers of the day, and staff officers, to carry orders, mess &c. They may be taken from the guard or put on permanently while the duty lasts: in the latter case they are reported on daily duty and are excused from all other duty that would interfere with their duty as orderlies.
 
Some orderlies at Gettysburg:

CSA
-Private William Sinclair Booton, Company A, 8th Georgia; secretary to Brig. Gen. George T. Anderson, applied for permission to enter the ranks. Denied at first, but granted upon urging. Booten was killed instantly during the battle.
-Private Edw. McCrady Clarkson, Company A, 15th South Carolina; orderly to Colonel of the regiment.
-Private Francis C. B. Haynes, Company K, 16th Mississippi; orderly to Colonel of the regiment.
-Private Stephen D. Fletcher, Company I, 16th Mississippi; orderly/courier to brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey.
-Private George Ruleff, Jr., Company A, 7th Louisiana; orderly to Colonel of the regiment.
-Private Ernest L. Estilette, Company F, 8th Louisiana; orderly to the regimental Chaplain.
-Private Robert McLin, Company F, 8th Louisiana; orderly with the ambulance train, Lt. Gen. Ewell’s Corps.
-Private Alexander Durham, 2nd Louisiana; mounted orderly/courier to the brigade commander.
-Private David C. Coggins, 8th Alabama; mounted orderly for Colonel of the regiment, captured, sent to Fort Delaware, died of illness on 17 October 1863.

USA
-Private William H. Marsh, Company G, 1st Massachusetts Cavalry; in November 1862 he was appointed secretary to Gen. F. J. Porter and afterwards he served as secretary and private orderly to Gen. Hooker when the latter took command of the army. When Hooker was relieved, Marsh was ordered to duty as an aide at Meade’s headquarters. In this capacity he was sent to many of the most exposed parts of the field at Gettysburg.
-Private Edward Cunningham; orderly to Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday, killed 3 July.
-Private Charles Hamilton; orderly to Brig. Gen. Wadsworth, wounded and captured.
-Sergeant Ebenezer Johnson; orderly to Brig. Gen. Robinson, wounded.
-Private Charles R. Delano; orderly to Brig. Gen. Paul, wounded slightly 1 July.
-Private Winthrop Rowe, Company C, 16th Maine; orderly at regimental headquarters.
-Private Stephen M. Barrows, Company K, 5th Maine; orderly at division headquarters.
-Private Talbot G. Stuart, Company K, 5th Maine; orderly at division headquarters.
-Private John W. Jones, Company F, 3rd Maine; orderly at division headquarters.
-Private E. H. Bean, Company F, 4th Maine; orderly at division headquarters.
-Private James W. Page, Company H, 4th Maine; orderly to Colonel of the regiment.
-Private Joseph E. Babb, Company D, 7th Maine; regiment orderly.
-Private James Nugent, Company D, 7th Maine; regiment orderly.
-Private Edward Gillis, Company A, 10th Maine Battalion; orderly to Brig. Gen. Alpheus Williams.
-Private Phineas C. Witham, Company A, 10th Maine Battalion; orderly/assistant to Surgeon Horatio N. Howard.
-Private Charles Kehoe, Company D, 10th Maine Battalion; orderly to Maj. Gen. Slocum.
 
His name was William Hendry, all the info I have is a picture of him saying he left Ont . to join Lincolns men and he was a batman to General George Custers he was only about 15 years of age, he came back with a few powder flasks and a sword bayonet. Thanks Ielliott 19 for taking interest in my search. any help would be GREAT.
 
His name was William Hendry, all the info I have is a picture of him saying he left Ont . to join Lincolns men and he was a batman to General George Custers he was only about 15 years of age, he came back with a few powder flasks and a sword bayonet. Thanks Ielliott 19 for taking interest in my search. any help would be GREAT.

Don´t know if you´ve already seen this but there is some discussion and part of his obituary here on rootsweb.
 
From Kautz´s "Customs of Service for NCOs and Soldiers":

114. Orderlies are soldiers selected on account of their intelligence, experience, and soldierly bearing, to attend on generals, commanding officers, officers of the day, and staff officers, to carry orders, mess &c. They may be taken from the guard or put on permanently while the duty lasts: in the latter case they are reported on daily duty and are excused from all other duty that would interfere with their duty as orderlies.
Would this account for periods where a soldier is described as being on 'detached' duties according to his records?
 
Yes, definitely if he is doing so outside of his unit (like e.g. those on brigade or division staffs). Not sure if they´d count as detached when they were on their own regimental headquarters though.
My Captain was on detached service quite often when he was a Private, and it struck me when you mentioned they needed to be intelligent and have a certain 'bearing'. He was 18, and studying Law prior to signing up. His records never mention him being an orderly, though. I wonder where you could find out where they were 'detached' to...
 
My Captain was on detached service quite often when he was a Private, and it struck me when you mentioned they needed to be intelligent and have a certain 'bearing'. He was 18, and studying Law prior to signing up. His records never mention him being an orderly, though. I wonder where you could find out where they were 'detached' to...
Might be noted in the Special Orders.....but, unless there is one of those notations in his carded records, it would sure take a lot of reading to locate the specific one. The carded record would be typed say Special Orders No. ___ contains information related to this man and maybe something about assignment?
 
My Captain was on detached service quite often when he was a Private, and it struck me when you mentioned they needed to be intelligent and have a certain 'bearing'. He was 18, and studying Law prior to signing up. His records never mention him being an orderly, though. I wonder where you could find out where they were 'detached' to...

As @lelliott19 said you´d really need some material. Most details should be within the company books or the regimental books ... if you´re able to get access to those (provided they or respective copies still exist).
 
Might be noted in the Special Orders.....but, unless there is one of those notations in his carded records, it would sure take a lot of reading to locate the specific one. The carded record would be typed say Special Orders No. ___ contains information related to this man and maybe something about assignment?
I haven't seen anything about 'Special Orders' on his muster cards...just notations about him being on detached service. It could be a 'dead end' (in terms of finding any more information), but it could also explain a lot. I found it hard to understand how he could be on 'detached service' so soon after joining up, at first. Now, I have another possibility to contemplate and follow up. Thanks!
 
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