| No. 98. An Act to facilitate transportation for the
Government. |
| |
| The Congress of the Confederate
States of America do enact, That the Secretary of War, under the
direction of the President, be and he is hereby authorized to
require from any of the railroad companies in the Confederate
States, that they devote, when in his judgment it may be necessary
for the support or operations of armies in the field, all the means
and resources of such companies, over and above what may be
requisite for the running one train for passengers in each
twenty-four hours, to the transportation of freight, supplies,
material and men for the Government, and that they run freight
trains on such practicable schedules as may be prescribed by the
Quartermaster General to regulate the running of railroads, either
on their own roads alone, or as through trains on other roads; and
in the event, after due requisition made by the Secretary of War,
under the direction of the President, on such railroad companies, of
any company refusing or unreasonably failing to comply with such
requisition, then the Secretary of War, under the direction of the
President, be authorized to seize and impress such road, with all
its depots, cars, locomotives, running stock, machinery and
implements, and turn the same over to the Quartermaster General, who
may compel the continued presence, employment and work of such of
its officers, agents, employees and operatives as are within the
ages liable to conscription under existing laws, and shall continue
the working and operations in transportation of said road, paying to
such railroad company for the possession and use of its franchises,
roads, depots, rolling stock, machinery and implements, such just
compensation as may be assessed and presented by the board of
assessors constituted in the State in which said road or part of
road is situated, under the act entitled "An act to regulate
impressments" by officers of the army, approved March 26, 1863;
which assessors are hereby empowered and charged with the duty of
such assessment and regulation, in addition to the duties imposed on
them by said act: Provided, That the Quartermaster General
may employ such officers, agents and employees as he may deem
essential to the efficient operation of any road so impresses:
Provided further, That no railroad exclusively owned and worked
by any State shall be seized or impressed under the provisions of
this act. |
| Sec. 2. That the Quartermaster General,
under the direction of the President, is empowered to remove the
rolling stock off and from one railroad to another, whenever in his
judgment it is necessary for the public use; but such just
compensation shall be made for the use of the same as may be
assessed in the manner prescribed in the first section of this act:
Provided, That the rolling stock of no railroad exclusively
owned and worked by any State shall be seized or impressed under the
provisions of this act. |
| Sec. 3. Whenever it shall be necessary
to the public service either to remove the rails or other moveable
structure, or the machinery of any railroad, in order to prevent
their capture by the public enemy, or to repair, extend or alter the
roadway, structures or machinery of a railroad, or to construct any
sidetrack, water-stations, warehouses or other structures connected
with any railroad, such work shall be upon the requisition of the
Quartermaster General, under the direction of the President,
promptly executed under the control and superintendence of the
officers of such railroads, the cost thereof to be defrayed by the
Confederate States on bills duly rendered, and certified by the
president and superintendent of the road, to be charged to and
refunded by the company on whose railroad such structures are built,
or such repairs, extensions or alterations of roadways, structures
or machinery are made, to the extent only, and at the time when they
shall be of value to such company, irrespective of their value to
the Government, such value to be determined by the board of
assessors prescribed in the first section of this act. |
| Sec. 4. That this act shall be in force
from and after its passage. |
| Approved, May 1, 1863. |
| [Text from original bill, as amended, in The National
Archives.] |
|