Reel eleven includes inspection reports submitted to Lieut. Col. Henry E. Peyton, chief inspector, Army of Northern Virginia. The three report series on this reel are P-31, P-32 and P-33, the "P" standing for Peyton, all written during October of 1864. P-31 and P-33 are inspection reports for the ANV.
Individual reports you mentioned are among the last four of series P-33. 34-P-33 is for Hampton's Cavalry Corps, 37-P-33 is for Butler's Cavalry Division, and 38-P-33 is for Young's Cavalry Brigade.
Since Cobb's Georgia Legion belonged to Young's Brigade, Butler's Division of Hampton's Cavalry Corps, Lieut. Pittard's name appears in all three reports. Each inspection has a section listing all officers absent from their command. Lieut. Pittard is listed as absent, a prisoner of war since Feb. 21, 1864. You should expect to find his name on other inspection reports made during the late war period.
The first page of each report is its cover, folded lengthwise into three sections. At the top of the first fold is the report number. I happen to be reading 15-P-33. There's also a number in parenthesis, a total of officers reported as absent for any reason. Underneath is printed "INSPECTION REPORT". The inspector wrote the name of the command as, Godwin's Brigade, Early's Division, Commanded by Col. H. A. Brown. Stationed at New Market, Va. DATE -- October 31, 1864.
The bottom half of this first fold is labeled, "RECAPITULATION". Underneath that is "Aggregate Present and Absent" -- 3031. This is followed by lines for the number "EFFECTIVE FOR THE FIELD", one each for infantry, cavalry and artillery, which is 801. Below that is a line for "Number of guns", which is 581.
Above the title, "Inspecting Officer" at the bottom is the signature W. H. Beard. Beneath that is the date the report was received in the Adjutant and Inspector General's Office, Dec. 19, 1864.
The middle fold is labeled, "REMARKS". Here are found summary notes, usually answers to issues raised in the report. 15-P-33 includes notes from the brigade quartermaster, the brigade ordnance officer and the brigade commander on efforts to secure the necessary clothing, shoes and arms.
The third fold includes the date this report was received at army headquarters, Dec. 1, 1864, followed by Lieut. Col. Peyton's remarks. These are fairly routine and rarely vary from one report to another.
Each report has an oval stamp from the U.S. War Department, Records Division, labeled "REBEL ARCHIVES". The first fold above mentioned usually bears the square stamp of the U.S. Adjutant General's Office. It reads, "Returned to files" and "CARDED". That means individual cards have been produced for each officer named in the report. You've seen these in Lieut. Pittard's military service file.
General directions to the inspector for completing the report appear on page one. Specific inspections are usually found in the margins or on the bottom of each page.
Page two of the inspection booklet repeats data from the outside fold concerning the command being inspected, followed by the commander's name and unit. Each of his regiments and battalions are listed below, along with unit names and numbers, the date of entry into service and term of service.
Pages three, four and five contain columns numbered 5 to 51 for the number of officers and men present and absent. Major headings are Present for Duty, on Detail, Sick, Under Arrest; Present and Absent at Inspection; Absent on Detached Duty, Sick, With Leave, Without Leave; Present and Absent; Effective for the Field -- Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery; Horses; Guns; Remarks. Officers and enlisted men are always numbered in separate columns.
Page six is titled, "ABSENT COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ACCOUNTED FOR". Column headings are Name, Rank, Regiment, By What Authority, Date. Usually company officers are listed in order, A-K, but the company letter designation is not usually given. Oftentimes extra hand-ruled sheets were included to list officers absent. Of course each inspector had his own format for these sheets.
Page seven lists arms, accoutrements, ammunition and clothing, stating condition and deficiencies in each category. For instance, at the bottom of this page are seventeen items under clothing and camp equipment. In each grouping there are columns for reporting deficiencies or numbers on hand for each unit in the command. At the top of the page, arms reported for Godwin's Brigade are Springfield and Enfield, cal. 58; Altered Muskets, cal. 69.
Pages eight and nine include a series of questions concerning the condition of the command -- behavior, appearance, morale, health and military routine. Usually the inspector notes which component units meet the grade and which do not. Sometimes the required answer is Yes or No. In other cases, it is Good, Fair or Bad. In all cases, each component unit of the command is graded.
Pages ten and eleven are reserved for the inspector's remarks. These can be quite interesting or maddeningly brief. The best are written in essay form and fill both pages. The inspector's signature at the bottom of page eleven completes the inspection booklet.
As inspectors discovered there's no appropriate columns for recording officers and enlisted men absent as prisoners of war. They usually improvised to include these figures.
Let me know if you have other questions. I hope you enjoy your trip!