STAFF (AS. staff, staff, Goth. stafs, rudiment, letter, OHG. slap, Ger. Stab, staff; connected with OChurch Slay. stabil, staff, Lith. scubas, stobrask, pillar, Skt. stliiipay, to make stand, from Oka, to stand, and ultimately with Eng. stand). In military and naval usage, the aides or assist ants of a commanding officer. The staff of an army comprises the assistants of the general-in chief and of his generals, and their duties are to relieve the chief of the details to which he cannot personally attend.
In the United States this body is divided into the military staff and the administrative staff. The former is charged with the more purely military duties, and comprises the chiefs of staff (the assistants and executive officers of the generals in the office and in the field), the adjutants-general (who at tend to the correspondence, orders, etc.), the inspecto•s-general (who are charged with the in spection of the troops). the chief of artillery (the assistant and adviser in all matters relat ing to the artillery, and responsible for the artil lery materiel and personnel), the chief of cav alry, the chief of engineers, the chief signal officer (responsible for the military telegraph, signal stations, and balloons), the provost-mar shal-general (who has charge of the police, pris oners, deserters, secret service, and post-office), and the aides-de-camp (attached more directly to the person of a general, assisting him by carry ing orders, studying and reporting on portions of the field, and attending to a part of the cor respondence). The administrative staff is
charged with the service of administration and supply, and comprises the judge advocate (who supervises the proceedings of military courts and boards), the commissary of musters (who supervises the muster and pay rolls, and makes musters into and out of the service), the chief ordnance officers (who are charged with the sup ply of ordnance material), the chief quarter masters (providing transportation, forage, cloth ing, and camp and garrison equipage), the chief commissaries (providing commissary stores), the chief paymasters, and the medical directors and their respective assistants.