Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-03-15
0 F.E /
AIT. AND INSP. GENERALS OFFICE,
RlouIoNn, VA, March :, 1854.
GENERAL ORDERS,
NJ, Oh

lmpfeSsLhcut5, anu tho lnstrnctlDlS III W.
War Department respecting il are putli,le
Tor the Information ara direction ui Nil c"!i
cerncI:
h AN ACT to amend can act to regulate ;lnprcsa
. ments," approved March tNenty-sixth, eish
teen hundred aud -ixty-:lree, and 10 repel
an act amenda:s!y thereof. approved Apr
twaaty-ecyenth, "!ah:cen hundred and slzty
three.
The Congress Of the Confederate Safes Q
America d. enact, That in ali cases wher'
property is Impressed for the uso Of the arm.
and navy. or Tor other public use, under sai'
act. the same shall DO paid for ct the time 0
SAID lmpTcssment, unless m appeal SHALL J.
taken from said valuation, rs hereinafter pro
vided, acc riding to the valuation agreed urot
between the parties, or asccrtained by loya
and d:sinterested citizens of the city, count!
or parish in which the ilnpressment mag 81
made, in the manner aud according to tt,
regulations provided in the frat, second anc
third sections of the above recited act. OF If
the eighth section thereof, where it is applica
bic.
Sec. 2. Whenever the officer making TIC
impressnnent OF property, under the act here
by amended, shalt believe that the aprraise
ment is fair and just, he shall! endorse his ~
proval upon the appraisemen:, and make pay.
mcnt accordingly but if he shull believe that
it iB not fair and just, then he shall refuse t.
approve, anl endorse the reasoGs Ct his ro
fusal on the certificate, and avail haze TIT
right to appeal from the decision Of the up
pr"isers, ly repor ing tho ease TO tho commits.
sioners appointed under sa;d act co which this
Is an amendment, for their decision, whOsC
judgment shall be final, and in the meantime
the property shall Dc held and appropriated
by the officer imprassn NJ the same, who shall
give n receipt therefor t, the owner, who shall
also have the right of appeal as herein provi-
ded.
see. 2. The said commissioners shall haze
nower to summon and examine witnesses
to enable them to fix the value Of Irco-
perty Impressed, which shall be. il Just
! compensation for the property so impressed,
at tho timo, and place OF impressment;
aud when the Commissioners shall have fixed
the value Of property in cases Of appeal, they
shall furnish the owner and impressi1g officer
With q statement Of Slch vaiGe, which raiua-
zion by the Commissioners shall TO within
three months from the time ufiimpressncnt.
Sec. 4. That said Commissioners shall he
worn faithfully to discharge all their duties
under this act, and tie act to which this is IN
amendment.
Sec. 8. That the tenth section Of the act ot
which this is an amendment be stricken out,
and the following inserted instead thereof
mo slave labori,.s On a farm or plantation
exclusively devoted to tho production Of grain
or provisions, shall be taken for public use,
without the consent Of the owner, except in
case Of urgent necessity, and upon the order OF
the General commanding the department in
which sad farm or plantationtis situated"
Sec. 6 That the, act ameDdatory of the
above recited acE, approved April twenty. sew.
enth, eighteen hnndIcd and sixty-three, and
20 much of the first section Of said act al res
quires N affidavit 10 DO made by the owner, or
his agent, that such property was grown,
raised, or produced by said owner, or held, OF
has been purchased by him, not for sal' or
speculation. but for mis- own Use OF consump-
tion, be, and the same ID hereby repealed.
Sec. !. That no improvement shall be made
UNDER ehis act, or the act to which this il
amendatory, for the use or beneti. Of %contrac-
tors with the government.
Sec. s. Nothing in this act shall DO con-
strued to authorize tho ampre :sins oiiihcr Ia
enter an appeal from any decision { ;hs' local
appraisers, under the seventh section Of the
act to which this is amendatory.
Approved, February lG, 1854.
l. improvements according to this act, and
the act to which this is IN amendment, may
he made for necessary supplies fer the Con-
federate armies in the field, ard for their &C
cunuiariOn in magazines and at posts aid
! depots, and to carry Oh tsc varicu3 operations
f the Military Bureaux connected with tho
War Department., whenever the 9arno cannot
be obtained by contract.
II. They may be made unde7 orders frIm
the Generals commanding armies, depar:-
ments, corps, divisions, and by commanders
of detached parties when Il necessity arises
ihercfor. These orders may be executed by
appropriate officers of The staff belon Sing to
The army. The Chiefs of the rariuus Eureaux
shall designate the officers and persons who
hall be competent to mako impreesnents un-
der the authority conferred upon them.
III. Before any inpressment shall bemadc,
the lmpressinr officer or his agent will make
an offer to the owner, his baiiec Ur agent, in
writing, for the purchase OF the property, de-
scribing the property he wisheS to purchase,
the price he IL willing - pay. and tho mode
OF payment, ard stating that, upon Is refusal
I'd accept the same, compensation will be
made according to tie acts Ut Congress iJr the
regulation OF improvements. This notice will
be consider cd as binding the property Until
the completion e the negotiation Tor the sale
and transfer of the same to tho ilnpressing
,ficer. The property Will lcmain in the cus-
toby Of the oSncr and OF his risk during tie
pending of these proceedings. unless u deliTe-
ry of the same be ikereuron made to the i'm
pressing officer, with his consent. In case Of
a change Of possession under these circrrm-
stances, tho Confederate States Will be re-
garded as the owner, and the property held
for its use and at lis risk.
". In NIL cases in which the offer of an i'm
pressing officer is refused, he will proceed to I'D.
lust the price according to the first section of the
net above recited that is, by the judgamen, ofiwo
loyal and disinterestcd persons OF the city, county
or parish in which the impressment may ne
madr-ore TO be selected by the owner, his bsilee
or agent. and one by the impressing rfficer. In
the event of their disagreement, these two will
select an umpire of like qualification. The per.
sons thus selected will proceed 10 assess just
compensation for the property so impressed,
whether the absolute ownership or the Temporal
ry use thereof bs required. If the impressing
officer believes that the ap~prsisment is fair and
Just, he will endorse his approval, and pay for
the property; and the right in the object iin-
pressed will become the property ofthe Confeder-
ate States, But if hedoes not approve of the ap-
praisment he will decline to approve it and en-
dorse the reasons for mis- refusal on the certlii-
cate and forthwith report the case to the Com
missioners appointed under the 5th Section Of
the Act, to which the act above recited is Al
amendment, and in The meantime the property
will be taken and a receipt describing the prop
erty and the proceedings for the adjustment Of
the price and the appeal, given to the owner.
The impics, ing officer will Immediately report
thu case to the appraisers, with a statement of
the quality and condition of the property and
his opinion upon the subject.
v. No officer or ageLt will.inpress the neces-
sary supplies which any person may hsv' for:he
consumption of himself his family, employees.
slaves, or to carry OH his ordinary nschsnical,
manufacturing or ag ,icultuiai employnents.
II any question arise M to the fact whether the
supplies are necessary. or whether there be u
surplus. it will be determined by appraisers mu-
tuaIly selected according 10 the preceding sec
ton, and III This case the decision Of the ap.
praisels will be binding OF the officer, vino
will not be allowed al appeal theretrom.
vi. These regulations IRE published AZ q sub