Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

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[30] The bill was passed without a division. The Senate, on the fourteenth, on motion of Mr. Wilson, took it up, considered, and passed it, and it was approved by the President on the eighteenth of June, 1862.

No.XXX.--Bill to limit the Number of Major-Generals and Brigadier-Generals to be appointed.

In the Senate, on the second of May, 1862. Mr. Grimes introduced a bill to limit the appointment of major-generals and brigadier-generals in the army and volunteers, which was read twice, and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. On the fifth, Mr. Wilson reported it back with an amendment. It provided for the appointment of twenty major-generals, and two hundred brigadier-generals. The amendment proposed to make the number of major-generals “thirty” instead of “twenty.” The amendment was agreed to, Mr. Hale moved to strike out “two hundred,” and insert “one hundred and eighty.” The Senate, on the seventh, on motion of Mr. Wilson, resumed the consideration of the bill, the pending question being on Mr. Hale's amendment, and it was further debated by Mr. Wilson, Mr. Hale, Mr. Harris, Mr. Lane, of Kansas, Mr. Ten Eyck, Mr. Chandler, and Mr. Grimes. The Senate resumed its consideration on the eighth, and the vote was taken on Mr. Hale's amendment, and it was lost — yeas, sixteen; nays, nineteen. The bill was then passed as amended. The House referred it to the Military Committee, and Mr. Olin, on the tenth of June, reported it back with a recommendation that it should not pass, and it was laid on the table.

No. Xxxi.--The Bill to provide Additional Medical Officers of the Volunteer Service.

In the Senate, on the ninth of June, 1862, Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, introduced a bill to provide for additional medical officers, which was read twice, and referred to the Military Committee. On the tenth, the bill was reported back by Mr. Wilson without amendment. It authorized the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint forty surgeons, and one hundred and twenty assistant-surgeons of volunteers, who were to have the rank, pay, and emoluments of officers of corresponding grades in the regular army, but no person was to be appointed to any of those positions unless he should have been previously examined by a board of medical officers to be appointed by the Secretary of War, and vacancies in the grade of surgeon were to be filled by selection from the grade of assistant-surgeon, on the ground of merit only. The act was to continue in force only during the existence of the rebellion. The Senate, on the eleventh, proceeded to the consideration of the bill, and after debate, in which Mr. Wilson, Mr. Grimes, Mr. Clark, Mr. Foster, Mr. Browning, and other Senators participated, it was passed without opposition. In the House, on the thirteenth, the bill was taken from the Speaker's table, and Mr. Blair moved to amend it, by adding two additional sections, providing that the office of brigade surgeon should be abolished, and the officers of that corps be hereafter designated surgeons of volunteers, and in all other respects be put upon the same footing as to rank, pay, and emoluments with the surgeons provided for in the act. That there should be added to each volunteer regiment in the service, an assistant-surgeon, to be appointed according to the existing laws of the several States, providing for the appointment of regimental surgeons. The amendment was agreed to. On motion of Mr. Trimble, of Ohio, the bill was so amended as to provide that the surgeons appointed under this act, should be under forty years of age. The bill was then passed as amended, without a division. On the seventeenth, the Senate concurred in the House amendments, with an amendment striking out the proviso that the surgeon appointed under the act should be under forty years of age. The House concurred in the Senate amendment to the House amendment. On the second of July, the President returned the bill without his approval, for the reason that he had signed an act with the same title intended to supersede it, and on the question, shall the bill pass, the Senate unanimously voted in the negative. In the Senate, on the twenty-fifth of June, Mr. Wilson introduced a bill to provide for additional medical officers of the volunteer service. The object, Mr. Wilson said, was to correct an error in the other bill then in the hands of the President. It was considered by unanimous consent, and passed. On the twenty-sixth of June, the House took from the Speaker's table the bill on motion of Mr. Olin, and, after explanations, it passed unanimously, and was approved by the President, on the second of July, 1862.

No. Xxxii.--The Joint Resolution to encourage Enlistments in the Regular and Volunteer Forces.

In the Senate, on the fourth of June, Mr. Wilson introduced a joint resolution to encourage enlistments in the regular army and volunteer forces. It proposed that so much of the ninth section of “an act for the better organization of the military establishment” as abolished the premium paid for bringing accepted recruits to the rendezvous, should be repealed, and a premium of two dollars be paid to any citizen, non-commissioned officer, or soldier, for an accepted recruit for the regular army; and that every soldier who enlisted, either in the regular army or the volunteers, for three years, or during the war, might receive his first month's pay in advance, upon the mustering of his company into the service, or after he should have been mustered into and joined a regiment already in the service. It was considered and passed.

In the House, on the seventeenth, the joint resolution, on motion of Mr. Dunn, of Indiana, was taken up, read twice, and referred to the Military Committee. On the eighteenth, it was reported back by Mr. Olin, of New-York, and,