The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-08-22
Executive Order.


lima, Georgia. Florida, Alabama. Mississippi
Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, shall IL
an orderly manner, seize and use any prop
erty. real or personal. which may be neces
sary and convenient for their several com
mauds for supplies. or for other military
purposes; and that, while property may be
destroyed for proper military objects, nont
shall be destroyed in wantonness or malice
Second-That military and naval com
manders shall employ as laborers, within
and from said States, so many persons OF
African descent as can be advantageously y
used for military or naval purposes, giving
them reasonable wages for their labor.
Third-Tha,. as TO both property and
persons of African descent, accounts shall
he kept sufficiently accurate and in detail TO
show quantities and amounts, and from
whom both property and such persons shall
have come, as ba' is upon which compen-
sation can be made in proper cases; and the
several departments shall attend to and per-
form their appropriate parts towards the
execution of these orders. BY order of the
President, EDWIN NJ. STANTON, Sec. War.
No official copy of this order had been
received at these headquarters, and the
General Commanding has for this reason
delayed the Issuing of general order to
carry .nto effect the views and directions of
The President. Some recent occurrences in
this army have. however, shown that i. has
become necessary to do so, to prevent this
executive order being made pretext for
military license.
| The order of the President accords so
substantially with the course uniformly pur-
sued by this army on this peninsula, under
the orders and instructions of the General
Commanding, that no material change in
any respect is required thereby in its con-
duet and government.
Personal property necessary or conven
lent for supplies or other military purposes
Of this army will be, as heretofore. seized
and used by the proper quartermasters or
subsistence officers. upon the orders Of COM
manders of army corps. or, in case of troops
employed on detached service, where army
corps commanders not accessible, by or
der of the officer in command of such de-
J tached force.
! In all cases the officers thus making the
seizures shall take an account showing the
kind and quantities of property seized, and
by whose command; the amounts of its es-
timated value. and the names Of the pers.
ons from whom the same shall have come
Whenever circumstances admit of so doing,
receipts will be given to the owners or their
agents. specifying simply the particulars
above mentioned. Copies OF all such ac.
counts and receipts be transmitted in
the usual manner, by the officers making
them, to these headquarters.
All officers and soldiers of this army are
enjoined and ordered to abstain from all
seizures of private property except in the
mode above prescribed; and all other appro-
. prations will be regarded aud punished as
l1aY Lao hot "a ort,
may be plundered with impunity is, per-
haps, the very worst that pervads an
army. Marauling degrades men and
demoralizes as soldiers all who engage in it.
and returns them to their homes untitled for
the pursuits of honest industry. This ar
my is composed mostly of young men; and
the General Commanding, to whose care
they are entrusted, owes ii to the parents
who have sent their sous, and to the COM
munities that have sent the flower of their
youth into the military service of their coun-
try, to warn and restrain them from an evil so
pernlcious.
The order of the President requires the
application Of similar rule in the use Of
real property. This, however. does no, ap-
ply to such used are inseperabe from mill.
tary operations-to-w marches, camps,
pastursge, hospitals. depots, quarters and
damages occasioned by active hos;ilities;
but no use should be made CIR injury done
to real property bey ond hat is really nee
essary or convenient for military purposes.
The destruction of any species of prop
erty in wantonness or malice is expressly
prohibited by the Presidents order, as well
as By the Articles Of War and The usages
of all civilized nations. All commanding
officers are earnestly enjoned % exercise
IL -
Cling and trespasssng are The inyariab.e IN
dca,ions OF tendency TO this description
Of crime.
Inhabitants. especially women and child I
rem, remaining peaceably at their homes,
must not be molested, and wherever com
manding officers End families peculiarly ex-
posed in their persons and properly to ma
rauding from this army, they will. as here
tofore, so far they can do so with safety
and without detriment to the service, post
guard for their protection.
In protecting private property. no refer
ence is intended to persons held to service
or labor by reason of African descent
Such persons will be regarded by this army,
as they heretofore have bean, as occupying
simply peculiar legal status under State
laws, which condition the military authori
ties of he United States are not required to
regard at all in districts where military op.
eralions are made necessary by the rebel
lious action of the State Government.
Persons subject 10 suspicious of hostile
purposes, residing or being near our forces
viii be. IS heretofore, subject to arrest and
detention, until the cause or necessity is re-
moved. All such arrested parties will be
sent, as usual, to the Provost Marshal Gen.
eral, with statement of the facts in each
case.
The General Commanding takes this &C
casion 70 remind the officers and 'diers of /
this army that We are engaged IN support
ing the Con Institution and laws of the United