The Order Books contain official orders and notices concerning the military regulations and operations, as well as the academic administration of the Institute. The definitions of Orders, Special Orders, and Memoranda overlap and vary over time.
General Orders: Announcements of interest to all or to a large group of cadets and the faculty, concerning military and academic schedules and regulations, special events, military and academic ranking.
Special Orders- Issues of concern to individual or to a small group of cadets. Cover a wide range of topics, but particualrly concern appointments, promotions, disciplinary actions, and permissions.
Memoranda- From Sept. 1926 through present, the memoranda are grouped separately, but are contained within the order book for the academic year. Memoranda cover administrative issues which do not require official military orders. Prior to 1922, this type of notice was infrequently included in the Order Books as a Circular. There is also a separate series of unbound memoranda.
Later volumes contain copies of the weekly Faculty and Staff Bulletin, which contains announcements about calendar events, reminders, and other information of broad interest.
Orders are issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff on behalf of the Superintendent.
This Record Group contains restricted material. Access to certain categories of archival records is restricted because they contain material protected under federal or state statutes governing privacy and confidentiality. Examples include, but are not limited to, student, personnel, and medical records.
Received annually from Office of the Superintendent. Latest volume in Archives is for academic year 2011-2012.
Contains orders issued during the annual summer encampment period, 1842-1846. During the pre-Civil War period and through much of the 19th century, cadets moved out of Barracks into Camp on the Parade Ground during the summer months between academic sessions. New cadets went directly into camp prior to the beginning of the school year.
These order books contain details about all aspects of 19th century cadet life. They are a key resource for understanding the operation of the institute during the period 1839-1899.
VMI Order book for the period January 1861 - August 1863. Includes information about the death of General Stonewall Jackson.
Orders relating to death of Stonewall Jackson are available online
Order book, Battalion of Cadets. This book was picked up by a Union soldier during Hunter's Raid (Private J. O. Humphreys of the 1st Independent Battery Ohio Artillery) and this soldier appended a wartime diary to the book.
This Order book also contains a copy of the matriculation register for 1839-1856; and orginal signatures for 1856-1861; and demerit book entries for 1866-67 academic year.