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

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“ [50] there shall be added to the ordnance department, one lieutenant-colonel, two majors, four captains, four first lieutenants, and eight second lieutenants; the additional officers herein authorized to be appointed by promotion, so far as the present officers of the ordnance corps will permit; and the residue to be appointed by transfers from other regiments or corps of the army. That there be added to the officers now in the quartermaster's department of the army, by regular promotion therein, one colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, and four majors, who shall have the same rank in said department as other officers of like grade therein. That the increase of rank of officers and in the number of officers provided for in this act shall continue only during the existence of the present rebellion and one year thereafter; excepting, however, the ordinary increase of grade by ordinary promotion, independent of the provisions of this act. 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,’ shall be construed to include steamboats and other vessels, and ‘railroad engines and cars,’ in the property to be allowed and paid for when destroyed or lost under the circumstances provided for in said act. That the forces authorized to be received into the service by the twelfth section of the act approved the seventeenth of July, 1862, entitled ‘ An act to amend the act calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrection, and repel invasion, approved February twenty-eighth, 1795, and the act amendatory thereof, and for other purposes,’ shall be officered by persons appointed and commissioned by the President, and governed by the rules and articles of war. That all payments of advance bounty made to enlisted men who have been discharged before serving out the term required by law for its payment in full, shall be allowed in the settlement of the accounts of the paymasters at the treasury; but hereafter, in all such cases, the amount so advanced shall be charged against the enlisted men, unless the discharge be upon surgeon's certificate for wounds received or sickness incurred since their last enlistment. That upon any requisition hereafter being made by the President for militia, any person who shall have volunteered or been drafted for the service for the term of nine months, or a shorter period, may enlist into a regiment from the same State to serve for the term of one year, and any person so enlisting shall be entitled to and receive a bounty of fifty dollars, to be paid in time and manner provided by the act of July twenty-second, 1861, for the payment of the bounty provided for by that act.” Mr. Grimes moved to strike out the fifth and sixth sections, relating to the quartermaster's department, and the continuance of the ranks of officers one year after the close of the rebellion; and the amendment was agreed to — yeas, twenty-two, nays, fourteen. On motion of Mr. Harris, the substitute was amended, by adding, that no officer of the ordnance department below the rank of field-officer should be promoted or commissioned to a higher grade, nor should any officer of the army be commissioned as an ordnance officer, until he should have passed a satisfactory examination before a board of not less than three ordance officers, senior to himself in rank. Mr. Harris moved to amend the substitute, so as to increase the captains and first lieutenants of the ordnance department, “eight” each instead of “four” each; and the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. Anthony moved to add an additional section, relieving the members of the Friends from draft; and he supported his amendment in an earnest speech. It was opposed by Mr. Richardson, Mr. Lane, of Kansas, and Mr. Cowan, and lost — yeas, fourteen; nays, twenty-two. On motion of Mr. Wilson, the substitute was amended, by adding four new sections, providing that the officers of the medical department should unite with the line officers of the army in supervising the cooking within the same, as an important sanitary measure, and that it should promulgate to its officers such regulations and instructions as might tend to insure the proper proportion of the ration of the soldier. That cooks should be detailed in turn from the privates in each company of troops in the service, at the rate of one cook for each company numbering less than thirty men, and two cooks for each company numbering over thirty men, who should serve ten days each. That the President should be authorized to cause to be enlisted for each cook two under-cooks of African descent, who should receive for their full consideration ten dollars per month, and one ration per day; three dollars of said monthly pay might be in clothing. That the army rations should hereafter include pepper, in the proportion of four ounces for every one hundred rations.

Mr. Sherman moved to amend, by providing that the increase of the rank and number of officers should continue only during the rebellion and one year after; and the amendment was adopted. Mr. Richardson, of Illinois, moved to strike out the eighth section of the substitute, providing that the colored troops should be officered by men appointed and commissioned by the President. The amendment was opposed by Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Lane, of Kansas, and rejected. The substitute as amended was agreed to. Mr. Trumbull moved to amend, by adding a section repealing the three hundred dollar commutation clause of the enrolment act not then approved. After debate it was rejected — yeas, ten; nays, twenty-five. Mr. Davis moved to amend, by adding a section declaring that no negro, free or slave, should be enrolled in the military, marine, or naval service of the United States; but it was rejected — yeas, twelve; nays, twenty-three. Mr. Powell then moved that no person of African descent should be commissioned or hold an office in the army — yeas, eighteen; nays, seventeen. Mr. Lane, of Kansas, moved to amend, by adding to Mr. Powell's amendment, the words “except company officers in companies ”