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

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[52] Major-General Ulysses S. Grant, and the officers and soldiers under his command, during the rebellion, and providing that the President of the United States should cause a medal to be struck, to be presented to Major-General Grant in the name of the people of the United States. The resolution was passed unanimously.

In the Senate, it was referred to the Military Committee, and on the sixteenth, Mr. Wilson reported it without amendment. The resolution directs “that the thanks of Congress be presented to Major-General Ulysses S. Grant, and through him to the officers and soldiers who have fought under his command during this rebellion, for their gallantry and good conduct in the battles in which they have been engaged; and requests the President of the United States to cause a gold medal to be struck, with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be presented to Major-General Grant. When the medal shall have been struck, the President is to cause a copy of the joint resolution to be engrossed on parchment, and to transmit it, together with the medal, to Major-General Grant, to be presented to him in the name of the people of the United States of America. A sufficient sum of money to carry this resolution into effect is appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.” Mr. Wilson asked that the joint resolution should be put upon its passage. Mr. Fessenden asked if the Military Committee had made “any examination to ascertain what sum may be necessary to carry the resolution into effect.” Mr. Wilson replied that “the Committee did not know what sum it would be necessary to appropriate, and it was thought best to leave the matter to the discretion of the authorities.” The joint resolution was then unanimously passed, and approved by the President on the seventeenth of December, 1863.

No. Liii.--The Joint Resolution to supply in part Deficiencies in Appropriations for the public Printing, and to supply Deficiencies in the Appropriations for Bounties to Volunteers.

In the House, on the twenty-first of December, 1863, Mr. Stevens, from the Committee of Ways and Means, reported a joint resolution to supply in part deficiencies in the appropriations for the public printing, and to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for bounties and premiums to volunteers, which was read twice, committed to the Committee of the Whole, and made the special order for two o'clock of that day. The joint resolution appropriated fifty thousand dollars for deficiencies in the appropriations for public printing, and twenty million dollars for the payment of bounties, advance pay, and premiums, for soldiers who volunteered or enlisted in the service of the United States. At two o'clock the House, on motion of Mr. Stevens, resolved itself into Committee of the Whole, Mr. Fenton, of New-York, in the chair. After debate, in which Mr. Stevens, Mr. Brooks, Mr. Cox, Mr. Schenck, Mr. Garfield, Mr. Lovejoy, Mr. Spalding, Mr. Kelley, and Mr. Strouse participated, the committee, on motion, rose to terminate the debate.

Mr. Harding, of Kentucky, moved to amend by adding, as a provision, that no part of the money aforesaid should be applied to the raising, arming, equipping, or paying of negro soldiers. Mr. Schenck demanded the yeas and nays, and they were ordered, and being taken resulted — yeas, forty-one; nays, one hundred and five; so the amendment was lost. The joint resolution was then passed without a division.

On the twenty-second, the Senate, on motion of Mr. Wilson, proceeded to the consideration of the resolution. Mr. Wilson moved to amend it by striking out the words, “and premiums for soldiers volunteering or enlisting in the service of the United States,” so that the clause would read: “That the sum of twenty million dollars, or so much thereof as may be required, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated for the payment of bounties and advance pay.” The amendment was agreed to. Mr. Fessenden then moved to amend the resolution by adding a proviso, that no bounties, except such as were provided by law, should be paid to any person enlisted after the fifth day of January, 1865. After debate, in which Mr. Fessenden, Mr. Harris, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Cowan, Mr. Grimes, Mr. Collamer, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Ten Eyck participated, the vote was taken on the amendment, and it was agreed to — yeas, thirty-five; nays, nine. Mr. Wilson moved to amend by adding as a new section, that the money paid by drafted persons should be paid into the treasury of the United States, and should be drawn out on requisitions, as in the case of other public moneys. The money so paid should be kept in the treasury as a special deposit, applicable only to the expenses of draft and for the procuration of substitutes, for which the same is hereby appropriated. The amendment was agreed to, and the joint resolution as amended was passed.

The House concurred in the amendments, and the joint resolution was approved by the President on the twenty-third of December, 1863.

No. Liv.--The Joint Resolution to drop from the Rolls of the Army unemployed General Officers.

In the House, on the eighth of March, 1864, Mr. Schenck, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported a joint resolution to drop from the rolls of the army unemployed general officers, which was read twice and made the special order for the fifteenth of March. On the sixteenth, the resolution was taken up, debated, and amendments proposed by Mr. Cox, of Ohio, and Mr. Kernan, of New-York. The House, on the seventeenth, on motion of Mr. Ashley, of Ohio, postponed the further consideration of the resolution to the sixth of April. On the eleventh of May, it was taken up, the pending question being on the amendments of Mr. Cox and Mr. Kernan. The amendment of Mr. Cox provided that whenever any officer should demand a court of inquiry,