For twenty years after the Church's re-establishment in 1838 the Armory had a representative as a Warden and until 1894 also one or more among the list of the vestry, but not until 1909 when the then commanding officer was elected to the vestry was the Armory so recognized again.
Slightly more than one hundred years after Colonel Roswell Lee, of the Armory, completed his service as the first warden one of his successors as Commandant (Colonel Stanhope E. Blunt) was elected Warden. Only these two officers of the Armory have served on the Vestry though nearly all the Commandants since 1841 to the present date have been churchmen and with many of the assistant officers and their families have attended Christ Church and have worked for its development.
Of these must be mentioned Gen. James W. Ripley, Commandant from 1841 to 1854, who was particularly interested in the effort inaugurated in 1851 to enlarge and improve the Church and the Church property and gave generously to that object. The rose windows in the north and south transepts are memorials to him.
Colonel J. G. Benton, who was Commandant from 1866 to 1881, with his family participated in many of the Church's activities and showed in numerous ways his earnest churchmanship. Dr. Slattery in his Seventy Year Anniversary Sermon says of him: "Benton, another of the true soldiers presiding at the United States Armory, to whom from the beginning to this day, the parish owes a lasting debt." There is in the Parish House a memorial window to Colonel Benton.
Generals Buffington, Mordecai, Phipps, and Colonel Thales L. Ames later Commandants, whose service covered a period of about thirty years, all followed in their predecessors' footsteps, were faithful attendants of Christ Church and with their families joined in the work of the Parish.
The successor of General Phipps at the Armory was Colonel Stanhope E. Blunt. At that time Dr. Slattery had recently come as our rector and was manifesting great interest in the improvement of the Church property, including a complete
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