Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1865-02-03
IDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1865.

shall receive credit in the quote to be i'm.
| pressed in such State Rejected
| A proviso til It the impre nent shall on
! " be made for one year was defeated, ane
the bin was finally passed The bill, a.
amended and passed, reads as follows:
BILL TO PROVIDE FOR TIE BMpLoYMENr
| OF FRER NEGROES. AND SLAVES TO Work
! UPON FoRT1FroATIoNs AND pgl + RIM OTHER
LABOR CONNECTED WITH THE DEFEScRs OF
| THE COUNTRY.
''SEcTIoN /. Whereas. the efficiency Of
the army is at times greatly diminished By
the withdrawal from the ranks of soldiers
to perform labor and duties which can as
Well be done by free negroes and slaves.
The Congrass Of tie Confederate States
Of america 10 enact, Thst all free male ne
groes between the ages Of eighteen aud
| fifty years shall be held liable to perform
any labor or discharge any duties with the
army. or in connection with the military
tdefences Of the country. such as working
upon Notifications, producing and prepar-
| ing materials of war. building and repair
ling roads and bridges, AID doing other
woA usually done by engineer TT ops and
pontoniers, acting as cooks, t a nsters,
stewards and walters in military hospitals,
or other like labor, or similar duties which
may required or prescribed by the Secrota-
Try Of War or the General Commanding the
Trans Mississippi Department, from time
to time. All said free negroes, whilst
thus engaged, shall receive rations and
clothing, under such regulations as the
Secretary of War may prescribe, and shall
shall receive pay at the rate Of eighteen
dollars per month.
SECTION 2 That tie Secretary Of War
ann the General Commanding the Trans
Mississippi Department are each author
lied to employ, for dGties ike those named
| in the first section Of this act, as many
| male negro slaves between the ages Of
| eighteen and forty years as the wants Of
the service may require. And the said
slaves, whilst SO employed, shall be fur
nished ratious and clothing, as provided in
the preceding section, and the owners paid
/ such hire foe their services as may be agreed
upon, not to exceed eighteen dollars per
month; and III the event Of the loss Of any
slaves whilst so employed, by the act OF the
tnemy or by escape to the enemy. or by
wounds or death inflicted by the enemy. or
I by disease aotracted whilst in any service
required OF said slaves, and by reason of
said service, then the owners thereof, re-
spectively, shall be entisled to received the
full value of such slaves, to be ascertained
and fixed by agreemen, at the time said
slaves are SO hired, und>r rules prescibed
| by the Secretary OF War.
"SEcrIoN 3. That whenever the Secretary
of War, or the General Commanding the
Trans~M ississippi Department., shall be un>
iable to procure thu services Of slaves by
hiring them5 as above provided, in sufi-
cient numbers, then it shall ba lawful for
the said Secretary or General to order the
impressment, and to impress as many male
slaves within the ages named in the second
section Of this act, and for the purposes
and uses above stated. as the wants Of the
service may require: Provided, That slaves
so impressed shall, whilst in the Govern,
| nent employ ment, receive the same clothing
and fations allowed to slaves hired from
| their owners, and in the event of their loss
| or death in the manner or from the causes
above stated, their value shall be estimated
and fixed as p divided by the first section Of
| an act to regulate impressments. passed
| March 20, 1868, and paid as in tie case Of
slaves hired From their owners, and the val
ue Of the hire Of said slaves shall be fixed
in like manner.
"SEcrIoN 4. That the Secretary Of War
and the General commanding the Trans
Mississippi Department shall, in ordering
he impressment of slaves, regulate the
same, as far as practicable, SO That slayese
shall be taken from each State. In p.opor-
tion to the whole number hired aud i'm
pressed under CHS act, whether owned by
citizens of such State or not, but not more
than one in every five male slaves within
the said ages Of eighteen and forty years
shall be taken from any one owner, nor
where an owner has less than five slaves
shall said slaves be impressed, and all i'm
pressmeuts under this act shall. as far a.
practicable, be taken 10 equal ratio from
all owners in the same locality, city, coun:
| ty or district: Proridea, Aoweuer: That
| nothing herein contained shall be so con
strued as to exempt any State from fur
nishing its fair quota OF slaves for the pur-
poses herein specified, and according to the
provisions of this act; Proviaed further,
That in each case care be taken TO allow
each owner credit for all male slaves b.
tween the ages aforesaid heretofore Impress
ed, or impressed under this act. or hired
to the Government. who are still in service
CIR who may have died OF been lost while
in service /: Provided further That if the
Governor of any State shall certify to the
Secretary Of War, or the Commanding Gen
eral Of the Trans Mississippi Department,
that slaves cannot be impressed in any 10
cality, county, district, parish or city in
such State without great detriment to such
locality, county, district, parish or city.
and can be impressed without detriment in
other portions Of the State, then the quo
ia Of said locality; county, district, parish
OF city shall be impressed from other por-
tions of such State.
| 'SECrtoN 5. Il any slave is wv held for
service who is not liable thereto under the
provisions -of this act, such slave shall be
forthwith returned to the owner OH demand
and proof of the fact.
..SEcrfoN 6 Duplicate rolls shall be
prepared of all the slaves hired or impress
ed under this act, which shall contain a