Today in History:

689 Series I Volume V- Serial 5 - West Virginia

Page 689 Chapter XIV. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-UNION.

2. No civilian needs a pass to cross the Potomac from Virginia into Washington..

3. Division and brigade commanders and provost-marshal (except the provost-marshal of Washington) have no authority to grant passes to civilians to cross the Potomac at all, unless the civilians be employed in connection with the army, in which case that fact will be stated on the passe. .

4. Division and regimental commanders, the military governor and commander at Alexandria, and the commanders of bodies of troops not brigades south of the Potomac may give passes to officers and soldiers and to civilians connected with the army to cross and recross the bridges and ferries..

Commanders of troops not brigaded will state on the pass the fact of their exercising such command. If the individual passed over be on official business, the pass should so state. A soldier's furlough or an officer's order of leave of absence, issued from the proper source, are sufficient evidences of authority to cross the Potomac going on leave..

5. No wine, beer, or ardent spirits, unless they be for hospital or subsistence stores, or the private stores of an officer, for his own use, (when they should be so marked,) shall pass the guards at any bridge of ferry on the Potomac or the guards of any camp of barracks, without a pass from the provost-marshal of Washington to cover the stores, or from these headquarters..

6. Loyal citizens, residents within our lines south of the Potomac, after having visited Washington, must have, to return to their homes, passes signed be the provost-marshal of Washington. Certificates as to their loyalty, from brigade or division commanders within the limits of whose command they reside, would have the effect to enable the provost-marshal to decide promptly upon the propriety of furnishing them with passes..

7. Commanders of the troops about Washington north of the Potomac can give no passes to any description of person to cross the river.

II. All fast riding or driving by officers and soldiers in the streets of Washington is prohibited..

The provost-marshal is directed to enforce this order..

Officers dispatching mounted messengers conveying papers will state upon the envelope of the dispatches the gait the messenger is to take-whether a walk, a trot, or a gallop..

The same directions may be indicated by the seals on an enveelopee-one seal from the walk, two for the trot, and three for the gallop. Officers will be held responsible for the instructions they give to mounted orderlies as to the gait of the messenger..

III. Quartermasters will instruct their wagon-masters and teamsters train passing through the streets of Washington shall leave an interval equal to the width of the street between every 10 wagons. Unnecessary locking of wheels is prohibited. .

IV. Neither division nor brigade commanders can give leaves of absence to officers or furloughs to soldiers to leave this army at all. Neither officer nor soldier can pass beyond the limits of this army without permission from these headquarters. Leaves of absence for forty-eight hours and furloughs for the same period, not to go beyond the limits of this army, may be given by the division and brigade commanders..

The commanding generals at Baltimore, Frederick, and Poolesville

44 R R-VOL V.


Page 689 Chapter XIV. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-UNION.