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

On the twelfth, Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported a bill to amend the “Act calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions,” approved February twenty-eighth, 1795, and the acts amendatory thereof, and for other purposes; which was read twice, and ordered to be printed. The bill contained fifteen sections, and provided that whenever the President should call forth the militia, he might specify in his call the period for which such service would be required, not exceeding nine months; and if, by reason of defects in existing laws or in the execution of them in the several States, or any of them, it should be found necessary to provide for enrolling the militia, and otherwise putting the act into execution, the President was authorized to make all necessary rules and regulations; and the enrolment should include all able-bodied male citizens between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, and be apportioned among the States according to representative population. That the militia, when so called into service, should be organized in the mode prescribed by law for volunteers. That the President be authorized to accept the services of any number of volunteers, not exceeding one hundred thousand, as infantry, for a period of nine months, and every soldier who should enlist under the provisions of the section should receive his first month's pay, and also twenty-five dollars as bounty. That for the purpose of filling up the regiments of infantry then in the service, the President be authorized to accept the services of volunteers for twelve months, and such volunteers should be in all respects upon a footing with similar troops in the United States service, except as to service bounty, which should be fifty dollars, one half to be paid upon their joining their regiments, and the other half at the expiration of their enlistment. That the President should appoint a judge-advocate general, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of a colonel of cavalry, to whose office should be returned, for revision, the records and proceedings of all courts-martial and military commissions, and where a record should be kept of all proceedings had thereupon — and no sentence of death, or imprisonment in the penitentiary, should be carried into execution until the same should be approved by the President. That there might be appointed by the President for each army in the field a judge-advocate, with the rank, pay, and emoluments, each, of a major of cavalry. That thereafter all offenders in the army adjudged to be punished by a court-martial should be brought before a field-officer of his regiment, who should hear and determine the offence, and order the punishment to be inflicted. That all officers who had been mustered into the service of the United States as battalion adjutants and quartermasters of cavalry under the orders of the War Department, exceeding the number authorized by law, should be paid as such for the time they were actually employed in the service of the United States, and that all such officers then in service exceeding the number, should be immediately mustered out of the service. That the President be authorized to establish and organize army corps. That each army corps should have the following officers attached, who should constitute the staff of the commander-one assistant adjutant-general, one quartermaster, one commissary of subsistence, and one assistant inspector-general, who should bear respectively, the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and who should be assigned from the army or volunteer force by the President; and also three aides-de-camp, one to bear the rank of major, and two to bear the rank of captain; and the senior officer of artillery in each army should, in addition to his other duties, act as chief of artillery and ordnance at the headquarters of the corps. That the cavalry forces should be thus organized — each regiment of cavalry should have one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, three majors, one surgeon, one assistant surgeon, one regimental commissary, one sergeant-major, one quartermaster-sergeant, one commissary-sergeant, two hospital stewards, one saddler-sergeant, one chief trumpeter, and one chief farrier or blacksmith; and each regiment should consist of twelve companies, and each company should have one captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, and one supernumerary second lieutenant, one first sergeant, one quartermaster sergeant, one commissary sergeant, five sergeants, eight corporals, two teamsters, two farriers or blacksmiths, one saddler, one wagoner, and seventy-eight privates; the regimental adjutants, the regimental quarter-masters, and regimental commissaries to be taken from their respective regiments. That the President be authorized to receive into the service of the United States, for the purpose of constructing intrenchments, or performing camp service, or any other labor, or any military or naval service for which they may be found competent, persons of African descent; and such persons should be enrolled and organized under such regulations as the President might prescribe. That when any man or boy of African descent should render any such service as was provided for in the act, he, his mother and his wife and children should for ever thereafter be free, any law, usage, or custom whatsoever to the contrary notwithstanding. That ten million of dollars be appropriated to carry the provisons of the act into effect. That all persons who had been or should be enrolled in the service under the act, should receive the pay and rations allowed by law to soldiers according to their respective grades: Provided, that persons of African descent should receive ten dollars per month and one ration.

On the fourteenth, on motion of Mr. Sherman, the bill was amended, so that three dollars of the ten dollars of compensation of colored persons should be in clothing. On motion of Mr. King, the bill was amended, by striking out ten million dollars, and inserting that the expenses incurred in carrying the act into effect,