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

On the eighth, the bill was amended on motion of Mr. Rice, of Massachusetts, so as to allow soldiers to enlist in the navy. On the ninth, the bill was further discussed and amended. Mr. Stevens, on the tenth, moved to amend the Senate bill by striking out the twenty-seventh section, and inserting that “all able-bodied male persons of African descent, between the ages of twenty and forty-five years, whether citizens or not, resident in the United States, shall be enrolled and form part of the national forces. And when a slave shall have been drafted and mustered into the service of the United States his master shall have a certificate thereof, which shall entitle him to receive three hundred dollars from the United States, and the drafted man shall be free, provided that the slaves of loyal men only shall be paid for.” On the eleventh, the House resumed the consideration of the bill, and Mr. Davis, of Maryland, moved to amend Mr. Stevens's amendment by adding: “The Secretary of War shall appoint a commission in each of the slaves States represented in Congress, charged to award a just compensation to each loyal owner of any slave who may volunteer into the service of the United States, payable out of the commutation money.” The amendment to the amendment was agreed to. Mr. Baldwin, of Massachusetts, moved to strike out the words “owner of any slave,” and insert “the person to whom the colored persons may owe service ;” and the amendment was agreed to. Mr. Webster, of Maryland, moved to insert after the word “certificate,” in Mr. Stevens's amendment, the words: “The bounty of one hundred dollars, now payable by law to each drafted man, shall be paid to the person to whom said drafted person owes service at the time of his muster into the service of the United States,” and it was agreed to. The amendment of Mr. Stevens was agreed to — yeas, sixty-seven; nays, forty-four.

On the twelfth, the House resumed the consideration of the bill. The previous question, on motion of Mr. Schenck, was ordered — yeas, seventy-eight; nays, fifty-six. Mr. Schenck briefly explained the amendment adopted in Committee of the Whole, and also the substitute of the Military Committee. The amendments adopted in Committee of the Whole were agreed to, with the exception of the twenty-second amendment, on which a separate vote was demanded. That amendment was to strike out the twenty-seventh section, and insert in lieu of it: “All able-bodied male persons of African descent, between the ages of twenty and forty-five years of age, whether citizens or not, resident in the United States, shall be enrolled according to the provisions of the act to which this is a supplement, and form part of the national forces; and when a slave of a loyal citizen shall be drafted and mustered into the service of the United States, his master shall have a certificate thereof. The bounty of one hundred dollars, now payable by law for each drafted man, shall be paid to the person to whom such drafted person owes service or labor at the time of his muster into the service of the United States, on freeing the person. The Secretary of War shall appoint a commission in each of the slaves States represented in Congress, charged to award a just compensation, not exceeding three hundred dollars, to each loyal person to whom the colored volunteer may owe service, who may volunteer into the service of the United States, payable out of the commutation money, upon the master freeing the slave.” The amendment was agreed to. The vote was then taken on the substitute, which was in substance the Senate bill with the House amendments, and it was concurred in. Mr. Holman demanded the yeas and nays on the passage of the bill, and being taken, resulted — yeas, ninety-four; nays, sixty; so the bill was passed by the House.

On the fifteenth, the Senate, on motion of Mr Wilson, disagreed to the House amendments, and the House, on the sixteenth, insisted on its amendments, asked a committee of conference, and the speaker appointed Mr. Schenck, Mr. Kernan, of New-York, and Mr. Deming, of Connecticut, managers on the part of the House. The Senate insisted on its disagreement to the House amendments, agreed to a committee of conference, and Mr. Wilson, Mr. Nesmith, and Mr. Grimes were appointed managers. On the eighteenth, Mr. Wilson, from the committee of conference, made a report, which was ordered, to be printed. The report, in substance, agreed to the Senate bill with some of the amendments of the House. The twenty-sixth section of the amendment of the House provided that masters, on freeing their slaves, should receive the commutation money. This provision permitted the master to claim the colored soldier as his slave after being mustered into the army. The committee of conference, on motion of Mr. Wilson, provided that every colored soldier, on being mustered into the service of the United States, should be free. On the nineteenth, the Senate agreed to the report of the conference committee — yeas, twenty-six; nays, sixteen. The House agreed to the report of the committee — yeas, seventy-one; nays, twenty-three. The bill was approved by the President on the twenty-fourth of February, 1864.

No. Lxi.--The Joint Resolution relative to the Transfer of Persons in the Military to the Naval Service:

In the Senate, on the eighteenth of February, 1864, Mr. Conness, of California, introduced a joint resolution relative to the transfer of persons in the military to the naval service; it was read twice, and, by unanimous consent, considered as in committee of the whole. The resolution proposed to direct the Provost-Marshal General to enlist such persons as might desire to enter the naval service of the United States, under such directions as might be given by the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy; and these enlistments were to be credited to the appropriate