Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 34.djvu/284

 276 Southern Historical Society Papers.

began. His father was Agustine Warner Robins, of Gloucester county, Va. He was a lineal decendant of John Robins, who came to Virginia in 1622. This John Robins was a member of the House of Burgesses in 1646. In 1642 there had been patented to him 3.000 acres of land in Gloucester county. The peninsula between the Ware and Severn Rivers is still known as "Robins' Neck." Agustine Warner Robins at one time represented Gloucester in the Legislature. The mother of the subject of this sketch was from King and Queen county, and died at his birth. He was reared at the old Robins homestead, "Level Green," in Gloucester, by his grandfather, William Robins.

When the first tocsin of war sounded in 1861, William Todd Robins enlisted as a private soldier in the Lee Rangers a cavalry company recruited'by W. H. F. Lee, who was its first captain. The company was attached to the Ninth Regiment of the Vir- ginia Cavalry, of which Captain Lee became the Colonel. In January, 1862, William Todd Robins was made sergeant-major of the regiment. In April, 1862, he became its adjutant, with the rank of first lieutenant. In October, 1862, he was made assistant adjutant-general and chief of staff of Brigadier-General W. H. F. Lee, with the rank of captain. In August, 1863, ne was niade the commander of the Forty-eighth Battalion of Virginia Cavalry, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and in January. 1864, he was made the colonel of the Twenty fourth Regiment of Virginia Cavalry. Colonel Robins had eight horses shot under him in battle, and was wounded three times. He was riding by the side of Captain Latane when he (Latane) was killed.

In his report of the celebrated ride around McClellan's army, Colonel Lee says: "I should like to call your attention to the con- duct of my adjutant, Lieutenant W. T. Robins, who conducted in a very handsome manner the advance of my regiment when it was in front, and the rear when it was in the rear. He was also in both of the charges." General Stuart, in his report, says: "The regi- ment in front was the Ninth Virginia Cavalry (^Colonel W. H. F. Lee), whose advance guard, entrusted to the command of the adjutant (Lieutenant Robins) did admirable service. Lieutenant Robins handled it in the most skilful manner, managing to clear the way for the march with little delay, and infusing by a sudden dash at a picket such wholesome terror that it never paused to take