Robert Hall Chilton was born on February 25, 1815, in Loudoun County, Virginia, to William Chilton and Sarah Powell. He attended the United States Military Academy, graduating 48^th out of 57 cadets in 1837. Army officials assigned him to frontier duty with the 1^st United States Dragoons. He married Laura Mason in New York City on September 25, 1845, and they had three children: Laura, Emily, and Robert. He was promoted to captain in 1846. He served in the Mexican American War, earning a brevet promotion to major for gallantry during the Battle of Buena Vista. He spent the next decade stationed in Washington, D.C.; New York City; Detroit, Michigan; and San Antonio, Texas, and he became a paymaster in 1854.

 

Chilton was in San Antonio when the Civil War erupted, and he resigned his commission on April 29, 1861. He returned to Virginia and enlisted in the Confederate army. He served on General Robert E. Lee’s staff, and he became inspector general for the Army of Northern Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. He was promoted to brigadier general on February 16, 1864. Chilton settled in Columbus, Georgia, after the war, and he served as president of the Columbus Manufacturing Company from 1869 to 1879. By 1870, he owned $14,000 of personal property. He died of apoplexy there on February 18, 1879.

 

Image: Robert Hall Chilton (courtesy Wikicommons)

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