April 13, 1863. At last the long-looked for promotion has been made and Zook is no longer the colonel of the Fifty-seventh New York, but a flull-fledged brigadier general. His commission arrived in camp this morning, together with special orders, Headquarters, Army of the Potomac, No. 103, assigning him to the command of his old brigade. The first official act of the new general was the promulgation of the following order:
Headquarters, Third Brigade, First Division, Second Corps,
April 13, 1863.
Special Order No. 1:
The following named officers are announced as the staff of the general commanding the brigade:
Lieutenant J. M. Favill, Aide-de-Camp and A. A. A. General.
Lieutenant C. H. H. Broom, Aide-de-Camp.
Captain L. L. Rose, A. C. S., Brigade Commissiary.
Captain Leffingwell, A. Q. M., Brigade Quartermaster.
Captain James D. Brady, Sixty-third New York, Assistant Inspector-General.
They will be obeyed and respected accordingly.
By order of
Brigadier-general S. K. Zook.
J. M. Favill, Lieutenant, A. D. C. and A. A. G.
The usual report made to the Secretary of War upon acceptance of a military commission, states that he was born at Chester, Pa., March 27, 1822, so he is about forty-one years of age, in the very prime of manhood. He served a long apprenticeship at soldiering in the militia. In 1842 he was major of the One Hundredth Pennsylvania regiment, and, subsequently, on his removal to New York City, became an officer of the Sixth New York militia, and on May 19, 1857, was commissioned major in that command, holding that rank at the opening of hostilities in 1861. On the return of the Sixth regiment from the three months’ service with which he served he was commissioned by Governor Morgan of New York colonel of volunteers, and assigned to the command of the Fifty-seventh infantry. He has a remarkable faculty in the topographical line and can find his way in almost any part of the country, where most others would be hopelessly lost. He gained this knowledge as superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Company in the South and Southwest, where under his supervision most of their lines were put up. It is a valuable experience and has many times stood him in good stead.
The general is popular, a magnificent drill officer, an excellent soldier, and richly deserves his promotion. He received the hearty congratulations of the officers of the division and is very modest in his bearing. General Hancock immediately contributed a pair of stars, which we lost no time in sewing on his coat, taking, I think, more pride in them than the general did himself.
Upon my appointment as aide-de-camp, I resigned my commission as adjutant, and Broom resigned his commission of quartermaster in the Fifty-seventh, and we were succeeded, respectively, by Lieutenants Case and Snyder.
The general has promised to recommend me to the President for assistant adjutant-general, but wants to wait to see if he can get transferred to the West, which he is in love with. Admires Grant and Sherman, and thinks there is much more chance for an independent command out there than in this army. As an aide-de-camp he can take me wherever he goes, but not as an assistant adjutant-general, who belongs to the troops, and not to the general. In the meantime, I am to assume the duties of assistant adjutant-general, in addition to those of aide-de-camp. I hope we may soon get transferred to pastures new.
