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

No. Xlvii.--The Joint Resolution giving the Thanks of Congress to Major-General William S. Rosecrans and the Officers and Men under his Command, for their Gallantry and Good Conduct in the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

In the Senate, on the eighth of January, 1863, Mr. Wilson introduced a joint resolution, giving the thanks of Congress to Major-General William S. Rosecrans, and the officers and men under his command, for their gallantry and good conduct at the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which was read twice and referred to the Military Committee.

On the twenty-first, Mr. Wilson reported it back without amendment. It presents the thanks of Congress to Major-General William S. Rosecrans, and, through him, to the officers and men under his command, for their distinguished gallantry and good conduct at the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where they achieved a signal victory for our arms; and the President of the United States was requested to cause the foregoing resolution to be communicated to Major-General Rosecrans, in such terms as he may deem best calculated to give effect to it.

On the twenty-seventh of February, Mr. Wilson called up the resolution, which had not been acted upon because the official report of the battle had not been received. The report had been received, and the resolution was taken up and passed.

The House of Representatives, on the second of March, took up and passed the joint resolution, and it was approved on the third of March, 1863.

No. Xlviii.--The Bill providing for the Organization of the Signal Corps.

In the Senate, on the ninth of February, Mr. Lane, of Indiana, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported a bill to provide for the organization of a Signal Corps to serve during the war, which was read twice, and ordered to be printed, with the report accompanying it. On the nineteenth, on motion of Mr. Lane, of Indiana, the bill was taken up, considered and passed.

In the House, on the second of March, the bill was taken up and read twice; and on motion of Mr. McPherson, it was amended by adding five new sections, providing, that paymasters be required, when informed by soldiers of the loss of allotment checks, to forward the information to the United States Sub-Treasurer in the city of New-York. That there may be appointed fifty surgeons and two hundred and fifty assistant-surgeons of volunteers. That section two of the act approved March third, 1849, entitled “An act to provide for the payment of horses and other property lost or destroyed in the military service of the United States,” should be construed to include steamboats and other vessels, and railroad engines and cars. That no steamboat, nor the master or owner of any steamboat, should be liable to any of the penalties prescribed by existing laws, nor be liable to any person or persons for any injury or damage that may result, for transporting gunpowder, or any materials which ignite by friction, or oils or other explosive burning fluids, when such transportation should be done in the service of the Government. That that part of the sixth section of the act to authorize the employment of volunteers, approved July twenty-second, 1861, which secures to the widows of such volunteers as die or may be killed in service, a bounty of one hundred dollars, should not be construed to apply to any widow of any soldier dying or killed in service who may have wilfully, maliciously, and without just provocation, deserted her husband before he entered such service. On motion of Mr. Dunn, of Indiana, the bill was so amended as to provide, that the laws heretofore passed relating to the pay of the volunteers and militia called into the service since the first day of April, 1861, should be so construed as to allow payment to such volunteers and militia to commence as follows: to the enlisted men from the date of their individual enrolment or enlistment, and to the non-commissioned officers from the date at which they were mustered into service, the date of their entering upon actual service in the field, or the date of the organization of their respective companies or regiments, in the manner prescribed by the general orders of the War Department, whichever of those dates should in point of time first occur.

Mr. Holman, of Indiana, moved to amend the bill by adding a new section, providing that the pay of privates in the service of the United States should, after the first day of March, 1863, be fifteen dollars per month; and it was agreed to — yeas, eighty-four; nays, forty-six. On motion of Mr. Wright, of Pennsylvania, it was further amended by adding three sections, providing that the President, the Secretary of War, and the Surgeon-General be authorized to purchase one or more site or sites for the purpose of erecting suitable hospital buildings for the accommodation of poor, disabled, discharged soldiers of the army or of the volunteer service, and to be paid for, as well as the cost of the improvements and buildings, out of the appropriation of two million dollars made by an act entitled “An act making appropriations for the support of the army,” approved fifth July, 1862. That the President, Secretary of War, and Surgeon-General were authorized to make rules and regulations as to the management, control, and superintendence of said hospitals. That the soldiers who may be entitled, under rules and regulations, to be placed in the hospitals, should be fed, clothed, and carefully provided for, at the cost of the Government of the United States, so long as they were disabled and incompetent to procure a living, or had not the means of self-support: Provided, that no soldier during the time he might reside in the said hospital or home should be entitled to receive any pension. The bill, as amended, was then passed. The amendments of the House were not acted upon by the Senate.