# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/12th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 48

Chap. XLVIII.—An Act the better to provide for the supplies of the Army of the United States, and for the accountability of persons entrusted with the same.
Third section of act of April 2, 1794, ch. 14, repealed.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the third section of the act, entitled “An act to provide for the erecting and repairing of arsenals and magazines, and for other purposes,” passed on the second day of April, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four, be, and the same is hereby repealed, from and after the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and thirteen.
Superintendent general to be appointed to reside at the seat of government. Salary three thousand dollars. His duties. Exempted from postage by act of 1813, ch. 9.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That there shall be a superintendent general of military supplies, who shall reside at the seat of government, and receive an annual salary of three thousand dollars; and whose duty it shall be, under the Secretary for the War department, to keep proper accounts of all the military stores and supplies of every description, purchased or distributed for the use of the army of the United States, and of volunteers and militia in their service; to prescribe the forms of all the returns and accounts of such stores and supplies purchased, on hand, distributed, used, or sold, to be rendered by the commissary of ordnance and officers in his department, by the commissary general of purchases and his deputies, by the several officers in the quartermaster general’s department, by the regimental quartermasters, by the hospital surgeons and other officers belonging to the hospital and medical department, and by all other officers, agents, or persons who shall have received, distributed, or been entrusted with such stores and supplies as aforesaid; to call to account all such persons; to audit and settle all such accounts, and, in case of delinquency, to transmit the account, and to state the value of the articles unaccounted for by such delinquency, to the accounting officers of the treasury for final settlement and recovery of such value; to transmit all such orders; and generally to perform all such other duties respecting the general superintendence of the purchase, transportation, safe keeping, and accountability of military supplies and stores as aforesaid, as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the War department.
Commissary general of purchases, &c. &c. to make reports to him, &c. &c.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the commissary general of purchases and his deputies, the several officers in the quartermaster’s department, the regimental quartermasters, the commissary of ordnance, his assistant and deputies, the principal hospital surgeons and officers belonging to the hospital and medical departments, and all other officers, agents, or persons who shall have received, or may be entrusted with any stores or supplies of any description whatever for the use of the army of the United States, and of the volunteers or militia in their service, ​shall render quarterly accounts of the disposition and state of all such stores and supplies to the superintendent aforesaid, and shall also make such other returns respecting the same, and at such other times as the Secretary for the War department may prescribe:Proviso that the accounts and returns shall relate to articles of supply only. Provided however, that the accounts and returns thus rendered shall relate to the articles of supply only, which may have been received and disposed of, [or] as may remain on hand, and shall not embrace the specie accounts for monies disbursed by such officers, agents, or other persons; which specie accounts shall be rendered as heretofore to the accountants for the war department.
Accounts for supplies to be returned and settled quarterly.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the officers, agents, [or] other persons who may receive monies in advance from the war department, shall render quarterly accounts to the accountant of the said department, of their specie receipts and disbursements, and shall moreover make such other monthly summary statements thereof to the secretary for the said department, as he may prescribe. And the quarterly accounts of supplies, or of monies, rendered as aforesaid, shall be respectively settled by the superintendent general of military supplies, and by the accountant of the war department, according to their respective authorities, within three months after the time when such accounts shall have respectively been rendered to them.
Species and amount of supplies to be prescribed by the Secretary of War, &c. &c.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary for the War department shall be, and he is hereby authorized and directed to define and prescribe the species as well as the amount of supplies to be respectively purchased by the commissary general’s and quartermaster general’s departments, and the respective duties and powers of the said departments respecting such purchases; and also to adopt and prescribe general regulations for the transportation of the articles of supply from the places of purchase to the several armies, garrisons, posts, and recruiting places, for the safe keeping of such articles, and for the distribution of an adequate and timely supply of the same to the regimental quartermasters, and to such other officers as may by virtue of such regulations be entrusted with the same.Allowances for store rent, &c. And the secretary aforesaid is also authorized to fix and make reasonable allowances for the store rent, storage, and salary of store keepers necessary for the safe keeping of all military stores and supplies.
Superintendent, how appointed.Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the superintendent general of military supplies shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate; but the President is hereby authorized to make the appointment during the recess of the Senate, which appointment shall be submitted to the Senate at their next meeting for their advice and consent.
Clerks to be employed by him. Proviso.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That the superintendent general of military supplies shall be authorized to employ a sufficient number of clerks: Provided, that their annual compensation shall not exceed in the whole seven thousand dollars; and the sum of eight thousand dollars is hereby appropriated for paying the said compensation and that of the superintendent aforesaid, during the year one thousand eight hundred and thirteen, to be paid out of any monies in the treasury, not otherwise appropriated.
President may appoint a special commissary for supplying and issuing provisions, &c. &c.Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby empowered, as he may deem it expedient, either to appoint for the time being a special commissary or commissaries for the purpose of supplying by purchase or contract, and of issuing, or to authorize any officer or officers in the quartermaster general’s department, to supply and issue as aforesaid the whole or any part of the subsistence of the army, in all cases where, either from the want of contractors, or from any deficiency on their part, or from any other contingency, such measure may be proper and necessary in order ​to insure the subsistence of the army of any part thereof; and such special commissaries shall each, whilst employed, be entitledCompensation. to the pay and emoluments of a deputy quartermaster general.
Assistant commissaries to be appointed.Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized to appoint not exceeding six assistant commissaries, to be attached to such army, or to reside at such places respectively as the Secretary for the War department may direct, for the purpose of receiving from the commissary general of purchases, or from his deputies, and of distributing to the regimental quartermasters, and to such officers as may by the secretary aforesaid be designated, the clothing and other supplies purchased by the commissary general aforesaid, or his deputies, and destined for the use of the troops belonging to the army, or in the vicinity of the place to which such assistant commissaries may respectively be attached.Compensation. And said assistant commissaries shall, whilst employed, be entitled to the pay and emoluments of a deputy quartermaster general.
Approved, March 3, 1813.