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

Mr. Colfax, of Indiana, moved to strike out the eleventh section giving colonels, lieutenant-colonels, majors, adjutants, and quartermasters of volunteer regiments authority to frank soldiers' letters, and insert: “That all letters written by the soldiers in the service of the United States may be transmitted through the mails without the prepayment of postage, under such regulations as the Post-Office Department may prescribe; the postage thereon to be paid by the recipient.” Mr. Van Wyck, of New-York, moved as a substitute: “That the colonel of every regiment now or hereafter to be in the service of the United States, shall appoint the chaplain of his regiment, and in case there be no chaplain, then any person he may deem competent, to act as postmaster for the regiment, whose duty it shall be, without receiving, or being entitled to any compensation therefor, to frank with his name all letters and papers not weighing over one ounce for all officers, musicians, or privates in said service. All letters and papers so franked shall be carried free of postage: That any letter or paper directed to any officer, musician, or private in said service, addressed to the regiment to which such person belongs, shall be carried free of postage in all mails or boxes put up to receive letters and papers to be carried to the post-offices or mails of the United States: That all letters and papers directed to any officer, musician, marine, or sailor, in the service of the United States, directed to the station or ship where he may be serving, shall be carried free of postage in all the mails and boxes put up for the purpose of receiving letters and papers to be carried to the post-offices and mails of the United States: That the appointment referred to in the first section of this act shall, by said post-master, be filed in the office of the Postmaster-General.”

Mr. Van Wyck's amendment was rejected, and then Mr. Colfax's amendment was adopted.

Mr. Burnett offered as a proviso to be added to the end of the bill: “That the military force hereby provided for in this act, shall not be employed in subjugating and holding as a conquered province any sovereign State now or lately one of the United States.”

The amendment was rejected. Mr. Burnett demanded the yeas and nays on the passage of the bill; but they were not ordered, and the bill passed without a division.

On the sixteenth, Mr. Blair, from the Committee on Military Affairs to whom the House had referred the Senate bill to authorize the employment of volunteers, reported with an amendment as a substitute — the amendment being substantially the House bill. The amendment was agreed to, and the bill passed.

In the Senate, on the seventeenth, on motion of Mr. Wilson, the Senate disagreed to the amendment of the House. The House insisted on its amendment — asked for a committee of conference, and Mr. Blair, of Missouri, Mr. Olin, of New York, and Mr. Wright, of Pennsylvania, were appointed managers. The Senate insisted on its disagreement, and appointed Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, Mr. Ten Eyck, of New Jersey, and Mr. Rice, of Minnesota, managers. On the eighteenth, Mr. Wilson, from the Committee of Conference, reported that the House of Representatives recede from its amendment to the bill, except the eleventh and twelfth sections, and agree to the bill of the Senate with the following amendments: “Strike out the preamble, and in lieu thereof insert as follows: ‘Whereas certain of the arsenals, custom-houses, navy-yards, and other property of the United States have been seized, and other violations of law have been committed and are threatened by organized bodies of men in several of the States, and a conspiracy has been entered into to over-throw the government of the United States: Therefore;’ and in line nine, of section one, after the word ‘ property,’ strike out as follows, ‘The volunteers mustered into service under this act shall serve for three years, unless sooner discharged by the President; but nothing in this section shall affect enlistments for a shorter period of volunteers already mustered into service;’ and in lieu thereof insert: ‘Provided, That the services of the volunteers shall be for such time as the President may direct, not exceeding three years nor less than six months, and they shall be disbanded at the end of the war; and all provisions of law applicable to three years volunteers shall apply to two years volunteers, and to all volunteers who have been or may be accepted into the service of the United States, for a period not less than six months, in the same manner as if such volunteers were specially named.’ ”

“That the Senate recede from its disagreement to the eleventh and twelfth sections of the amendments of the House of Representatives, and agree thereto.”

The report was concurred in.

The House concurred in the report of the Conference Committee made by Mr. Blair, and the bill introduced by Mr. Wilson on the sixth July passed on the eighteenth, and was approved by the President on the twenty-second of July, 1861.

No. Ii.--The Bill to increase the Military Establishment of the United States.

In the Senate, on the sixth of July, 1861, Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, agreeably to notice given on the first day of the session, introduced a bill to increase the regular army. The bill provided, that there be added to the regular army nine regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, and one regiment of artillery; each regiment of infantry to consist of not less than two, nor more than three battalions; each battalion to consist of eight companies, each company to consist of one captain, one first and one second lieutenant, one first sergeant, four sergeants, eight corporals, two musicians, and as