DOCUMENTS AND
AND NARRATIVES.

Doc. 1.

MILITARY MEASURES OF CONGRESS.

No. 1. EMPLOYMENT OF VOLUNTEERS.

sary sergeant, one hospital steward, two principal musicians, and twenty-four musicians for a band; and should be composed of ten companies, each company to consist of one captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one first ser

In pursuance of the Proclamation of the President, of the fifteenth of April, 1861, the Thirty-geant, four sergeants, eight corporals, two musiseventh Congress assembled on the fourth of July. On the sixth, Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, Chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs, agreeably to notice given on the first day of the session, introduced into the Senate the following bills and joint resolution:

cians, one wagoner, and from sixty-four to eightytwo privates; that these forces should be organized into divisions of three or more brigades each; and each division should have a major-general, each brigade should be composed of four or more regiments, and should have one brigadier-general; A bill to authorize the employment of vol- that the President should be authorized to apunteers to aid in enforcing the laws and protect-point, by and with the advice and consent of the ing public property;

A bill to increase the present military establishment of the United States;

A bill providing for the better organization of the military establishment;

A bill for the organization of a volunteer militia force, to be called the National Guard of the United States; and

A joint resolution to ratify and confirm certain acts of the President for the suppression of insurrection and rebellion.

Senate, for the command of the forces provided for, a number of major-generals, not exceeding six, and a number of brigadier-generals, not exceeding eighteen; that the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates should, in all respects, be placed on the footing, as to pay and allowances, of similar corps of the regular army, and their allowances for clothing be three dollars and fifty cents per month;

might be conferred on persons disabled in the regular service; and the legal heirs of such as died or might be killed in service, in addition to all arrears of pay and allowances, should receive the sum of one hundred dollars;

That volunteers who might be wounded or otherwise disabled in the service, should be enThese bills and this joint resolution were re-titled to the benefits which might have been or ferred to the Committee on Military Affairs, consisting of Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, Mr. King of New-York, Mr. Baker, of Oregon, Mr. Lane, of Indiana, Mr. Lane, of Kansas, Mr. Rice, of Minnesota, and Mr. Latham, of California. Mr. Wilson also introduced a bill to promote the efficiency of the army, which was referred, on motion of Mr. Grimes, of Iowa, to a special committee of nine, consisting of Mr. Wilson, Mr. Hale, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Powell, Mr. Cowan, Mr. King, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Howe.

That there should be allowed to each regiment, one chaplain, who must be a regular ordained minister of a Christian denomination, and who should receive the pay and allowances of a captain of cavalry;

That the general commanding a separate department, or a detached army, be authorized to appoint a military board or commission of not less than three nor more than five officers, whose duty it should be to examine the capacity, qualifications, propriety of conduct, and efficiency of any commissioned officer of volunteers within his department or army;

On the eighth of July, Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported back the bill to authorize the employment of volunteers, with amendments. The original bill proposed that the President be authorized to accept the services of volunteers in such numbers as he might deem necessary, and that the sum of four hundred millions of dollars be appropriated to That whenever a regiment of volunteers should carry the act into effect; that each regiment of be mustered into the service, the colonel, lieuteninfantry should have one colonel, one lieutenant- ant-colonel, major, adjutant, and quartermaster colonel, one major, one adjutant, one paymaster, thereof, should each have the privilege of frankone quartermaster, one surgeon, and one assisting any letter from any person belonging, in any ant surgeon, one sergeant-major, one regimental capacity, to such regiment, not weighing over quartermaster sergeant, one regimental commis- two ounces.

On the tenth, the Senate proceeded to the con- necticut, thought "two hundred thousand men sideration of the bill and the proposed amend- too many to make peace, and too few to make ments. The first amendment, authorizing the war." The amendment was defeated - yeas, President to call out five hundred thousand men, five; nays, thirty-two. The bill passed the and appropriating five hundred millions of Senate. dollars, was agreed to; but, on motion of Mr. Sherman, of Ohio, the appropriation was stricken out. On motion of Mr. Rice, of Minnesota, the ninth section was so amended as to give chaplains the compensation of army chaplains instead of captains of cavalry. Mr. Rice then moved to strike out the eleventh section, allowing officers of volunteers to frank soldiers' letters. He avowed his willingness to vote an allowance of money to each regiment to defray postage expenses, but he believed the authority to frank soldiers' letters would lead to great abuses. Mr. Wilson opposed the amendment. He had franked thousands of soldiers' letters, and had done so freely. Mr. Collamer, of Vermont, did not think it would add to the expenses of the Post-Office Department, and he was opposed to the amendment. Mr. Rice withdrew his motion to amend.

Mr. Nesmith, of Oregon, said he knew men to-day sweating under the epaulets of brigadiers and major-generals who could not pass a board of any intelligent army officers in the world, if they were applicants for the position of first lieutenant, and he moved to amend the fourth section by adding:

That the President might select the major-generals and brigadier-generals provided for in the act, from the line or staff of the regular army; and the officers so selected, should be permitted to retain their rank therein.

On the eleventh, a message was sent to the House, on motion of Mr. Wilson, requesting the return of the bill. The House having returned it, the Senate, on the twelfth, reconsidered the vote on its passage. Mr. Wilson then moved to strike out the first section, and insert: “That the President be authorized to accept the services of volunteers, in such numbers, not exceeding five hundred thousand, as he may deem necessary for the purpose of repelling invasion, suppressing insurrection, enforcing the laws, and preserving and protecting the public property. The volunteers mustered into the service under this act, shall serve for the term of 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 the service. Before receiving into service any number of volunteers exceeding those now called for and accepted, the President shall, from time to time, issue his proclamation stating the number desired, either as cavalry, infantry, or artillery, and the States from which they are to be furnished, having reference in any such requisition to the number then in service from the several States, and equalizing, as far as practicable, the number furnished by the several States according to the Federal population." And this amendment was agreed to. Mr. Wilson then moved to amend the fourth section by adding that "the Governors of the States fur

the field, staff, and company officers requisite for the said volunteers; but in cases where the said authorities refuse or omit to furnish volunteers at the call or on the proclamation of the President, and volunteers from such States offer their services under such call or proclamation, the President shall have power to accept such services, and to commission the proper field, staff, and company officers ;" and it was agreed to. Mr. Wilson then moved to reconsider the vote by which chaplains were to receive the same compensation as chaplains in the army, instead of the compensation of captains of cavalry. In support of the motion, Mr. Wilson maintained that the faith of the nation was plighted to chaplains who came out with the regiments mustered into service. Mr. Collamer, Mr. King, Mr. Ten Eyck, and Mr. Browning supported the motion, and Mr. Sherman, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Howe opposed it; but the amendment was reconsidered-ayes, twenty-five; noes, eleyen, and then rejected. The bill was then passed-yeas, thirty-five; nays, four. Breckenridge and Powell, of Kentucky, and Johnson and Polk, of Missouri, voting against it.

Mr. Wilson said the proposition was in har-nishing volunteers under this act shall commission mony with the policy he had advocated. "There are," he said, "several officers in the army, of great distinction, who would make excellent major and brigadier-generals. I think, and have thought, that those men ought to be selected in | preference to civilians, however eminent they may be in talent or character. I shall, therefore, vote for this amendment; and I think that if it be sustained, it will enable the President of the United States to appoint some major and brigadier generals from officers in the regular army, reserving to them the places they now hold in the army at the end of the contest, and that the country will be benefited by such a selection." Mr. Nesmith's amendment was agreed to. Mr. Powell, of Kentucky, moved to strike out the provision giving the franking privilege, and insert an amendment abolishing the franking privilege altogether; but the motion was lost. Mr. Saulsbury, of Delaware, moved to strike out of the first section "five hundred thousand men," and insert "two hundred thousand men." "He was," he declared, "fearful the Union would not be preserved by the mode contemplated in this bill, and suggested in the message of the President." He would vote men enough to pro- In the House of Representatives, Mr. Blair, tect the Capitol, and defend the States from in- of Missouri, on the eleventh of July, reported vasion, and he believed the force he proposed from the Committee on Military Affairs, a bill to sufficient for that purpose. Mr. Foster, of Con-authorize the employment of volunteers, it be

tion's fate. "He would darken the ocean with our fleets, and cover the land with our armies." Mr. Cox, of Ohio, would vote for Mr. McCler nand's amendment; he would vote what was required "to enable the Executive to sustain the Government-not to subjugate the South." Mr. Burnett, of Kentucky, declared the object of the war to be the subjugation of the Southern States. Kentucky had refused to give men when called for, to protect the Capitol, and the Legislature had nearly unanimously indorsed the action of the Governor. Mr. McKnight's motion to amend Mr. McClernand's amendment was rejected; and Mr. McClernand's amendment was lost-only forty-seven voting for it. The clause appropriating five hundred millions, dollars was stricken out of the bill. Mr. Vallandigham, of Ohio, moved to add a proviso: "That before the President shall have the right to call out any more volunteers than are already in the service, he shall ap

ing, with some slight modifications, the bill introduced into the Senate on the sixth by Mr. Wilson. On the thirteenth, the House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole for its consideration, Mr. Dawes, of Massachusetts, in the chair. Mr. Allen, of Ohio, moved to strike out "three years" and insert "one year," as the term of service of the volunteers. He thought that, if, at the end of one year, the triumph of the Government over the rebellion was a doubtful question, some change of policy might be required of the Government." The amendment was opposed by Mr. Blair, and rejected. Mr. Blair moved to strike out five hundred million dollars, as specific appropriations for the support of the army had already passed the House. Mr. Cox, of Ohio, desired to know why it was proposed to increase the appropriation from four hundred million dollars, recommended by the President, to five hundred million dollars. Mr. Blair replied that it was the desire of the Com-point seven commissioners, whose mission shall mittee "to strengthen the Government in putting down this unrighteous rebellion." Mr. Burnett, of Kentucky, desired to know if the sums appropriated were necessary to maintain the army proposed to be raised for a year. Mr. Blair believed it would not. Mr. McClernand, of Illinois moved to amend the bill by reducing the sum one hundred million dollars. Mr. McKnight, of Pennsylvania, desired to modify the amendment so as to reduce the number of men from "five hundred thousand" to "four hundred thousand." Mr. Pendleton, of Ohio, opposed the amendment proposed by Mr. McKnight to the amendment proposed by Mr. McClernand. Mr. Diven, of New-York, declared his readiness to vote a million of men if half a million were not sufficient. Mr. McClernand was willing to give the amount of men and money required by the Executive responsible for the use of men and money. Mr. Moorhead, of Pennsylvania, was opposed to the proposition; he was for five hundred thousand men, five hundred millions dollars. Mr. Harding, of Kentucky, declared that Kentucky would give men and money to defend the Constitution, but he would "not vote one dollar for subjugation." Mr. Hickman of Pennsylvania, said there could be "no loyalty without submission, and these men were to be taught by a strong hand that they are to pay the same regard to the Constitution and the laws as commoner people are forced to render to them. These men believe that they have a right to declare themselves out of the pale of legitimate government whenever it shall suit their interests to do so, or whenever it shall be in accordance with the lead of their passions to do so. We, the people of the North, of the loyal States, and all who act with the North, intend to educate these men in a different doctrine; and if we shall eventually be forced to bring them into subjection-abject subjection to the Constitution of the United States-it will be their fault and not ours." Mr. Campbell, of Pennsylvania, would give the Executive all the power-even a superabundant power-in this great crisis of the na

be to accompany the army on its march, to receive and consider such propositions, if any, as may at any time be submitted from the Execu tive of the so-called confederate States, or of any one of them, looking to a suspension of hostilities and the return of said States, or any one of them, to the Union, and to obedience to the Federal Constitution and authority." He declared that he offered the proposition in good faith; he would "suspend hostilities for present negotiation to try the temper of the South." Mr. Wright, of Pennsylvania, emphatically declared that the proposition held "out to rebellious men a reward for their treason." Mr. Hutchins, of Ohio, moved to amend the proposition so that those commissioners should "see that the war is vigorously prosecuted to the effectual putting down of this rebellion." Mr. Vallandigham declared he had moved his amendment "to be read hereafter, and to be read and pondered by the people." Mr. Hutchins's amendment was lost; forty-four members only voting for it, and Mr. Vallandigham's amendment was then rejected, only twenty-one members voting for it.

On motion of Mr. Curtis, of Iowa, the bill was so amended as to give the President authority to raise troops and appoint officers for them whenever the State authorities should neglect or refuse to do so. Mr. Diven, of New-York, moved to amend the fourth section so as to require the major-generals to be selected from persons educated at West-Point, or from persons who have served in the regular army not less than five years. Mr. Shillabarger, of Ohio, moved to add, "or who shall have, by actual service in war, shown efficiency and capacity for such command." The amendment to the amendment was agreed to, and then the amendment of Mr. Diven was rejected.

Mr. McClernand moved that the commander of a brigade shall have power to appoint a Roman Catholic chaplain for his brigade when no regiment in the brigade shall have such chaplain, but the amendment was rejected. Mr. Vallan digham proposed to strike out "Christian de