[16] on the thirty-first of July, 1861, by the President. No. Vii.--The Bill authorizing the President to appoint additional Aids-de-camp. In the Senate, on the thirty-first of July, Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported a bill suppelementary to an act entitled, “An act to increase the present military establishment approved July twenty-ninth, 1861.” The bill provided that the President might, during the insurrection, upon the recommendation of the Lieutenant-General commanding the army of the United States, or of any major-general of the regular army commanding forces of the United States in the field, appoint such number of aids-de-camp, in addition to those authorized by law, as the exigencies of the service might, in the opinion of the President, require; such aids-de-camp to bear, respectively, the rank and authority of captains, majors, lieutenant-colonels, or colonels of the regular army, as the President might direct, and receive the same pay and allowances as were provided by existing laws for officers of cavalry of corresponding rank. The President was to cause the aids-de-camp appointed under the act to be discharged whenever they should cease to be employed in active service; and he might reduce the number so employed whenever he might deem it expedient so to do. Any officers of the regular army appointed aids-de-camp under the act, and attached or assigned to duty for service as such, were, on their discharge, to resume their positions in the regular army, and be entitled to the same rank and promotion as if they had continued to serve in their own regiments or corps. Mr. Wilson stated that the number of staff-officers was inadequate to the needs of the service. Mr. Doolittle desired some limitation upon the number. Mr. Wilson thought the discretion of the President an ample guarantee that no more will be appointed than the service required. The bill was passed without a division. In the House, on the first of August, the bill was taken from the Speaker's table, passed without opposition, and approved by the President, August fifth, 1861. No. Viii.--The Act to promote the Efficiency of the Engineer and Topographical Engineer Corps, and for other purposes. In the House of Representatives, on the fifth of August, 1861, Mr. Blair, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported a bill to promote the efficiency of engineer corps. The bill provided that there should be added to each of the corps of engineers and topographical engineers, by regular promotion of its officers, two lieutenant-colonels and four majors, provided all vacancies created by such promotion should be filled by graduates of the Military Academy, recommended for such promotion by the academic board of that institution; and provided further, that said corps should be thereafter known as the first and second corps of engineers. It also directed that there should be added to the corps of topographical engineers one company of soldiers, to be commanded by appropriate officers of such corps, to have the same pay and to be subject to the same rules and articles of war, and to be governed in every particular in the same manner, as the existing corps of topographical engineers. The bill was passed without amendment. In the Senate, on the fifth, the bill was taken up for consideration, and Mr. Wilson moved to amend by striking out all after the enacting clause, and inserting:
That there shall be added to each of the corps of engineers and topographical engineers, by regular promotion of their present officers, two lieutenant-colonels and four majors. That there shall be added to the corps of topographical engineers, one company of soldiers, to be commanded by appropriate officers of said corps, to have the same pay and rations, clothing, and other allowances, and to be entitled to the same benefits, in every respect, as the company created by the act “for the organization of a company of sappers, and miners, and pontoniers,” approved May sixteenth, 1846. That vacancies hereafter occurring among the commissioned officers of the volunteer regiments shall be filled by the Governors of the States respectively, in the same manner as original appointments; and so much of the tenth section of the act of the twenty-second of July, 1861, as is inconsistent therewith, be, and the same is hereby, repealed. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized to appoint two additional inspectors-general for the United States army; the said inspectors-general to have the same rank and receive the same pay and allowances as now provided by law for inspectors-general.The amendment was agreed to. Mr. Wilson then moved to amend by adding an additional section: “That so much of the first section of the act approved August fifth, 1854, as authorizes the appointment of civilians to superintend the national armories be and the same is hereby repealed; and that the superintendents of these armories shall be appointed hereafter from officers of the ordnance department.” Mr. Wilson said his sympathies and feelings were in favor of a civil superintendent, but his judgment was in favor of the amendment, which would place the armory in the care of an officer experienced in the fabrication of arms. The amendment was agreed to. Mr. Wilson moved to insert as an additional section: “That the pay of the non-commissioned officers, musicians, and privates of the army of the United States be increased at the rate of four dollars per month, and to continue for three years from the passage of this act, and until otherwise fixed by law.” Mr. Wilson “thought the public interest required that we should increase the pay of the volunteers from eleven to fifteen dollars a month, which seemed to be a reasonable compensation.” Mr. Sherman said it was an ungracious task to object to an increase of the pay of the volunteers
