|
Circular |
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| Confederate States of America |
| Quartermaster General's Office |
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Richmond, Va., April 1st, 1864 |
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Instructions to Post Quartermasters and Agent in
Charge of Transportation |
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[General Orders, No. 105 (1862), Adjutant and Inspector
General's Office]: "II. No transportation tickets will be issued except
when the applicant presents conclusive evidence that he has proper
authority for his absence from his command, and is entitled to
transportation. A register will be kept in the Transportation Office,
upon which the name of the applicant for transportation, and the
authority upon which the same is given, will be recorded in every case.
Every precaution will be taken against imposition and fraud; and
whenever such fraud or imposition is detected, it will be immediately
reported to the proper authority." |
| [General Orders, No. 70
(1862), Adjutant and Inspector General's Office]: "I. Non-commission ed
Officers and Privates receiving an honorable discharge, shall be
entitled to transportation home, on the certificate of the commandants
of their companies; or in case they cannot communicate with him, on
their own affidavits that they went from their homes to the place of
enlistment for the purpose of enlistment." |
| [General Orders, No. 22
(1864), paragraph VI, Adjutant and Inspector General's Office]: "In each
case the commutation allowed in lieu of furlough will be paid by the
Quartermaster of the command to which the soldier belongs, and by no
other Quartermaster." (Exceptions may be made in cases of men detailed
and on duty at posts.) |
| Commutation for transportation
will be paid at actual cost or rate paid to rail roads per mile. |
| Coupons issued to soldiers are
not transferable, and cannot be sold to citizens or others. |
|
Transportation for individuals must be furnished by the
Quartermaster giving a separate coupon for each road to destination, and
not by a general order upon the initial rail road. |
| For freight, it must be given
in accordance with Circular from this Office, dated September 1, 1863. |
| Applicants for transportation
on furlough or leave of absence, must have a certificate on their
furlough to the effect that they have never received transportation
"home and back" on furlough of indulgence, or commutation in lieu
thereof. |
| When soldiers detailed and on
duty a posts cannot obtain the above certificate, their affidavit in
lieu of it will be sufficient. |
| In consequence of the improper
practice of soldiers selling transportation granted them on furloughs or
other papers, it is necessary to require all such as claim to have lost
their furloughs or coupons, to report to the commandant of the post, to
be sent to their commands, under guard, unless otherwise ordered by him. |
| Transportation is equivalent
to so much mileage and cannot be duplicated. In no case will it be ???,
unless upon conclusive evidence that it has not been improperly disposed
of. |
|
Officers of this Department will be careful not to give
transportation to furloughed men to points more distant than their
homes. |
| Soldiers whose homes are
within the enemy's lines can only receive transportation an equivalent
distance. |
| Orders, furloughs and
discharges upon which transportation is granted must be endorsed by the
Quartermaster "Transportation furnished in kind, ???, or home and back"
as the case may be and then returned to the applicant. |
| Transportation cannot be given
on verbal orders, and the papers presented must always be in proper
form. |
| Recruits must have a
certificate of fitness from a Surgeon in the army. |
| Coupons for guards or details
must embrace the whole party, unless otherwise specially ordered. |
| The laws of Congress allow
transportation "home and back" but once during the soldier's term of
enlistment. |
| Coupons must be made out by
the shortest practicable mail route, or the equivalent distance. |
| Messengers can only be sent in
case of absolute necessity. They must always travel on the train with
their stores, and the coupon must state whether by mail or freight
train. |
| Railroads and other
transporting companies will be held accountable for all losses and
damage to government stores while in transitu. |
|
Shipments from one Quartermaster to another, or to other
authorized officers or agents, stationed at intermediate points on a
rail road, will be made in accordance with Circular from this office
(September 1, 1863), and not on the old coupon. |
| Quartermasters delivering
stores to the consignee will account for such as are lost while in
transitu, by complying with paragraph 931 Army Regulations. |
| Packages must always be
coopered and put in good shipping order before shipment. |
|
Quartermasters |
| Who discover irregularities of
officers issuing transportation will report the same to Major D. H.
Wood, in charge of Transportation at Richmond, Virginia stating all the
facts in the case. |
| In the field have no authority
to issue transportation on rail roads, except from their commands to the
nearest transportation office. |
| Have no right to authorize
others to sign their names to orders for transportation. |
|
Must receipt to the consignor for public stores, when
turned over for shipment. |
| Must sign their names to all
endorsements on furloughs and papers, upon which they grant
transportation. |
| Will be careful not to give
transportation for "sutlers' stores." |
| When state agents or soldiers
prefer to assume the responsibility of losses, and wish to ship on the
old coupon, one for each road can be given to destination, and the face
of the coupon must state the name of the passengers or party in charge. |
| When rail roads lose public
property, the amount of loss will be assessed and charged at the then
market rates, and note as the cost of invoice given (See Circular of
this office, January 20th, 1864) |
| A monthly report of damage and
loss will be made to Maj. D. H. Woods. |
| Any delay of supplies and the
cause thereof will be reported by telegraph, and letter, to Lieutenant
Colonel F. W. Sims, in charge of the Rail Road Bureau, at Richmond. |
| All public stores must be
received and consigned to the Post Quartermaster or other officer in
charge of transportation. See Circular of this office September ?? 1863. |
| Each coupon for persons or
freight must bear on its face the name of the post from which it is
issued; and when practicable, each officer must have his own coupons
printed. |
| Stores must not be sent by
mail train, unless by special order. |
| Public supplies being
transported will be classified as follows: |
| 1st Class -- Powder and fixed
ammunition. |
| 2d Class -- All articles not
enumerated in any other class. |
| 3d Class -- Live stock. |
| --- Six head or less of
horses, mules or cattle shall constitute a half car load, to be charged
as such. |
| 4th Class -- Hay, fodder,
shucks and straw (compressed in bales), bran and mill offal, per car
load. |
| --- Less than a car load of
the above articles to be charged as second class. |
| 5th Class -- Camp and garrison
equipage of troops in motion, mounted guns, caissons, forges, battery
wagons, ambulances and other government vehicles, per car load. |
| --- Any single vehicle (except
four horse wagon) will be charged as half a car load. |
| 6th Class -- Wood, coal,
lumber, stone and bricks (to be loaded and unloaded by government). |
| To enable the auditing
officers to settle rail road accounts correctly, the weight of each
article as classified above must, as near as possible be stated upon the
coupon or order for transportation. |
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Entitled to Transportation |
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Officers and Soldiers |
| Under orders and on official
business. |
| Transferred by order of the
Secretary of War of General commanding. |
| Transferred by order of the
medical director or senior surgeon of a post, from one hospital to
another. |
| Left behind, sick, or by
accident, to their commands. |
| Of companies disbanded by the
Secretary of War. |
| Convalescent, and hen discharged from
hospitals and returning to duty. |
| With proper orders to recruit
for companies organized and in the service. |
|
Paroled or exchanged, from place of exchange to their
respective commands. |
| Granted a furlough of
indulgence under Acts of Congress, approved December 11th, 1861, April
16th, 1862, and February 7th, 1863: provided they receive transportation
or commutation only once during their term of enlistment: and provided
the officer was promoted from the ranks. |
|
Soldiers |
| Retired by Medical Board. |
|
Honorably discharged by company officers, and approved by
commanders of regiments. |
| Who furnish an able-bodied
recruit, not liable to conscription, "hone and back," when on furlough
of indulgence granted in consideration thereof. |
| Granted a furlough upon
surgeon's certificate, "home and back." |
|
Miscellaneous |
| Recruits and conscripts. |
| Rejected recruits. |
| Quartermasters' and
Commissaries' clerks under proper orders. |
| State agents and their
authorized messengers. |
| Laundresses, musicians and
colored cooks, when traveling with their companies or regiments, and
when discharged. |
| Negroes employed on public
defence, and sheriffs or other county officers in charge of the same. |
| Hospital stewards or others
ordered by the surgeon in charge to purchase supplies. |
| All stores and supplies for
the army and navy. |
| Private contributions of
clothes, blankets, shoes, and other articles of necessity for the army. |
| Stores and supplies for
hospitals. |
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Not Entitled to Transportation |
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Officers |
| Resigned, dismissed,
re-elected or retired by Medical Board. |
| On leave of absence, to
execute official bonds or other than official business. |
| On sick furlough or
transferred, at their own request, to other hospitals. |
| Reporting upon letters of
appointment, or commissions, if not in the service when appointed
(except assistant surgeons). |
| Permitted to exchange stations
at their own request. |
|
Officers or Men |
| On arrangement with simple
authority to recruit, arrest absentees and deserters, unless returning
as a guard. |
| Invited to appear before any
convening board for promotion or appointment. |
| Authorized to recruit for
companies of non-conscripts and organized or ??? ??? the service. |
| Visiting the seat of
government or ??? to propose appointments, promotion, or such
arraignments unless specially ordered in the latter case by the War
Department. |
| Sent after, or in charge of
officers' horses. |
| Who have again re-enlisted for
the war. |
| Soldiers dishonorably
discharged. |
|
Civilians |
| Bringing recruits and
contributions for the army, unless a state agent or messenger. |
| Who have rendered voluntary
service, are not entitled by reason thereof. |
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Miscellaneous |
| Sutlers and their supplies. |
| Matrons, nurses or other
employees in hospitals, except by order of the Surgeon General or
Medical Director. |
| Servants |
| Horses of chaplains. |
| Horses of artillery and
cavalry cannot be transported by rail, except by order from this office
or the General commanding a department. (See General Orders No. 57
Adjutant and Inspector General's Office 1862.) |
| By special order of Secretary
of War (October 8, 1862) the transportation of deceased officers and
soldiers and persons in charge of the same is published. |
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| Officers of this Department
disregarding this Circular in issuing Transportation will be charged
with the money value of all coupons so issued. |
| A. R. Lawton |
| Quartermaster General |