Historical Rosters Database

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Robert Withers Brodnax

Roster ID 86
This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.
First Name:Robert
Middle Name:Withers
Last Name:Brodnax
Suffix:
Affiliation:Class of 1848
Biography & Genealogy:Robert Withers Brodnax, Class of 1848: Genealogy: Born- Dec. 15, 1827 in Greensville Co. Va. Father- Gen. William Henry Brodnax; Mother- Ann Elizabeth Withers. Pat. Grandfather- William Brodnax; Pat. Grandmother- Mary Walker. Mat. Grandfather- Thomas Withers; Mat. Grandmother- Elizabeth Walker. Married- Austina W. Slaughter. Children- Mary Brodnax. VMI Record: Entered VMI- Nov. 12, 1845; Dismissed Feb. 5, 1847 for excessive demerits. Civil War Record- Enlisted May 17, 1861 at Petersburg, Va. as Private in Co. D, 5th Va. Cavalry; Appointed Captain of Artillery and assigned as ordnance officer to then Col. T. N. Waul's Texas Legion, May 17, 1862; On detatched duty at San Antonio, Richmond, and Gonzales, Texas Jun-Oct. 1862; Absent, sick in Grenada, Miss. Dec. 31, 1862- Feb. 1863; Submitted resignation Feb 26, 1863 for health reasons; Enrolled as conscript at Camp Lee and detailed Feb. 1864; By April 1864, back with Waul as Aide-de-Camp, and won praise for his conduct at Mansfield, Pleasent Hill, and Jenkins's Ferry; Appointed 1st Lieut. and Aide-de-Camp Feb. 7, 1865. Careers: Railroader; tobacconist. Died- Jan. 7, 1900 in Franklin Junction, Va. Buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Lynchburg, Va.

About the Database

The database currently includes the names of all enrolled students (both graduates and non-graduates) from VMI's opening in 1839 through the World War II era. In addition, you will find biographical and genealogical information, including a summary of military service during the Civil War, for many individuals who attended in the 19th century. The database also includes some historical Faculty and Board of Visitors members, as well as U. S. Army students sent to VMI for training during World Wars I and II. The latter groups were not VMI cadets. For further information about an ancestor listed in the database, please contact the VMI Archives. We can check the complete record, let you know if other information available, and provide copies of original documents. This database is for historical research. We do not release information about living individuals.

VMI Archives
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, VA 24450
archives@vmi.edu
540-464-7516