Today in History:

1178 Series IV Volume III- Serial 129 - Correspondence, Orders, Reports and Returns of the Confederate Authorities from January 1, 1864, to the End

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script ages, will be turned over to enrolling officers for assignment to infantry companies in the general service. The fact of their holding commissions does not preclude the operations of this order.

Generals of reserves and inspectors are required to enforce this order.

III. Paragraph I, General Orders, No. 83, of 1864., is amended so to embrace commissioned officers within its provisions.

IV. It having been represented to the Department that officers and persons authorized to raise local organizations and companies within the enemy's lines are abusing their authority by receiving deserters into their companies and giving encouragement to desertion in order to fill up their commands, the attention of officers and soldiers is therefore especially directed to the following Articles of War, to wit:

ART. 22. No non-commissioned officer or soldier shall enlist himself in any other regiment, troops, or company without a regular discharge from the regiment, troop, or company in which he last served, on the penalty of being reputed a deserter and suffering accordingly. And in case any officer shall knowingly receive and entertain such non-commissioned officer or soldier, or shall not, after his being discovered to be a deserter, immediately confine him and give notice thereof to the corps in which he last served, the said officer shall be a court-martial be cashiered.

ART. 23. Any officer or soldier who shall be convicted of having advised or persuaded any officer or soldier to desert the service of the Confederate States, shall suffer death of such other punishment as shall be inflicted upon him by the sentence of a court-martial.

All persons violating these articles will be promptly arrested and brought to trial by court-martial, and, if the practice referred to is not at once discontinued, authorities to raise such commands will be summarily revoked.

By order:

S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General.

CIRCULAR LETTER.] CONSCRIPT OFFICE,

Richmond, Va., March 31, 1865.

Enrolling officers are hereby instructed not to interfere with parties detailed to the Navy Department whose details expire on or about the 1st of April, as it is impracticable on the part of said Department to apply immediately for renewals.

Application for renewal will, however, be made, and until further orders are issued the above-named parties will remain unmolested.

By order of Lieut. Colonel J. C. Shields, commandant:

J. H. BINFORD,

Lieutenant and Adjutant.

[APRIL 1, 1865. - For Davis to Lee, relation to measures for raising negro troops, see Series I, VOL. XLVI, Part III, p. 1370.]


HEADQUARTERS RESERVE FORCES, VIRGINIA,
April 1, 1865.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General:

GENERAL: I respectfully ask instructions upon the following points: First. Shall I continue to hold men to service after they attain the age of fifty years? The existing orders, verbally communicated to


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