Nebraska advertiser., 1863-05-21
Important Military order.
The Spy--C Correspondence with the Enemy
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Persons.
HEADQUARTERS, Dept of the Missouri, !
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, April p, 1868. !

ST. LOUIS MO.y ApiAA = 10
GENERAL ORDERS, No. 30.1
To warn the public Of the severe penalties which Will
follow new transgressions in tins department., and Tor
the convenience of District Commanders, Judge Advo-
Gates and Military Courts, the following laws OF war
and general instructions are prescribed. Judge AdVo-
Gates will be governed accordingly IN drawing their
charges, and Military Courts IN tneH nndlnS, lhEOugn-
out this Department.
1. THE SPY.-Scme questions having arisen, where
authorities cannot be conveniently referred to, as to
what constitutes a Spy, attention is invited to the fol-
ssSpies are persons who, in disguise or under false
nrctence. insinuate themselves among the enemy, in
order to discover the state Of his affairs, TO pry into his
designs, and then communicate to Their employer the
information obtained"
to reconnoiter an enemy's position, his forces, defen-
ces. etc, but not in disguise, or under raise pretences.
S1cb however, are not spies in the sence in which that
Term is used in military and International law; nor are
persons SO employed liable to any more rigorous treat
ment than ordinary prisoners of war. 1t is the DIS
g1ise. or false pretence, which constitutes the pernus
ard forms the essential element Of the crime, which by
the laws Of war, is punishable Win an ishomlniouS
death ."-Iialleck, Int. Law, On. 10, 70
GIt may he added here that a person proved to be a
regular soldier of the enemy's army. found IN citizens
dress (disguise) within the lines Of the captor, is uni
versaily dealt with as a spy.-[Lieber.
CIf he lin the service Of The enemy comes IN disguise
or under false pretenceS, for the purpose Of obtaining
military information. he is a spy. If in the service OF
the enemy, and he comes in disguise, the law presames
him to be a spy.-ILetter OF Instructions from MAJOR
General HaIleck, General-in-Chief.
II. CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE ENEMY, MAIL
OA n INV 49," -
military occupation aud giving information TO the en-
envy, is universally treated as a sry-a spy OF a pecu-
liarly dangerous character. Even mere
secret correspondence of a person in an occupied as
t,ict. with The enemy, though the contents of the corr
respOndence may have been innocent, has suoJeetea the
correspondence to serious consequences, and sometimes
to the rigor Of martial law, especially II the onence De
committed after a proclamation to the contrary
The spy becomes in this case peculiarly dangerous
making hostile ufe Of the protection which, by the mod
ern law Of war. the victor extends to the persons and
property OF the conquered"
By the 9th Article Of War, whoever shall De eonylc-
ted Of holding corr espondence with or giving lntelli-
gence to the enemy, either directly or indirectly, shall
suffer death, or such other punishment as shall be or
deTed by the sentence OF a Court Martial.
Persons engaged in carrying such correspondence VIII
be held Liable TO the same punishment as the cores
pe1dents tn emseIves.
III. GUERRILIA.-Under the general term OF Guer-
rilla will be more particularly considered
LIST. Military Insurgents Of War Rebels.-The war
rebel is defined by Lleber as follows: "Similar remarks
(referriBg - those given under the preceding head APP
ply to the rebel, taking the word in the primary mean
lug Of rebsllsre, III at is, to return to war after having