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

Chap. XII.—An Act supplementary to the act entitled “An act for the more perfect organization of the Army of the United States.”
One additional major to be appointed for each regiment of the army of the United States. Act of June 26, 1812, ch. 108. A third lieutenant to each company.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint one additional major to the first regiment of light dragoons, the regiment or light artillery, each regiment of infantry, and the rifle regiment, in the army of the United States, who shall receive the like pay, rations, forage, and other emoluments, as officers of the same grade and corps of the present military establishment.
A third lieutenant to each company.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That there be appointed, in manner aforesaid, one third lieutenant to each troop or company, in the army of the United States, who, if of cavalry or light dragoons, shall receive the monthly pay of thirty dollars, and of other corps, twenty-three dollars, and be allowed the same forage, rations, and other emoluments, as second lieutenants of the same corps to which they belong.
An additional sergeant to be also allowed.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That there be allowed to each troop or company, in the army of the United States, one additional sergeant, who shall receive the like pay, clothing, rations, and other emoluments, as sergeants of the present military establishment.
​An additional advance to be made to recruits.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That in order to complete the present military establishment to the full number authorized by law, with the greatest possible despatch, there shall be paid to each effective able bodied man, who shall be duly enlisted into the service of the United States, after the first day of February next, to serve for the term of five years, or during the war, an advance of twenty-four dollars, on account of his pay, in addition to the existing bounty, one half of such advance to be paid at the enlistment of the recruit, and the other half when he shall be mustered and have joined some military corps of the United States, for service;Bounty of 160 acres. and a bounty of one hundred and sixty acres of land, as heretofore established by law.
Additional premium to recruiting officers. Proviso. Proviso.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the commissioned officers who shall be employed in the recruiting service, shall be entitled to receive for every effective able bodied man, who shall be duly enlisted after the first day of February next, by them, for the term of five years or during the war, and mustered, and between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, the sum of four dollars: Provided nevertheless, that this regulation, so far as respects the age of the recruit, shall not extend to musicians, or to those soldiers who may re-enlist into the service: And provided also, that no person under the age of twenty-one years, shall be enlisted by any officer, or held in the service of the United States, without the consent, in writing, of his parent, guardian, or master, first had and obtained, if any he have; and if any officer shall enlist any person contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, for every such offence he shall forfeit and pay the amount of the bounty and clothing which the person so recruited may have received from the public, to be deducted out of the pay and emoluments of such officer.
Persons performing a tour of militia duty may be absolved from the balance of their term of service by enlisting in the army.Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for any person during the time he may be performing a tour of militia duty to enlist in the regular army of the United States, and the recruiting officers are hereby authorized to enlist any such person in the same manner, and under the same regulations, as if he were not performing such militia duty; and every person who shall enlist, while performing a tour of militia duty as aforesaid, shall be thereby exonerated from serving the remainder of said tour; and the state to which he may belong shall not be required to furnish any other person to serve in his stead.
Approved, January 20, 1813.