Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-08-28
instructions TO Commanders in the
r South.


=. -.-,.,., WASHINGTON, Aug. 26.
Instructions as follows have been sent to
Major General George G. Meade, Com
manding the department of the South at
Atlanta; Major General George II. Thomas,
commanding Department of the Cumber-
land at Louisville, KY, and to Breyet
Major General r. G. Buchanan, command
ing Department of Louisiana at New Or
leans. The letter to General Buchanan
was published some days ago:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY, ADJ'T GEMS OFFCE,
szf WASHINGTON, August 25, 1858.
To Gen. Geo. G.. Meade U. s.. A. Command
ing Department of the South, Atlanta, Ga:
GENERAL-In reply to yonr request for
instructions relative to the use of troops
under your command in aid of the civil
authorities, the Secretary of War directs
to be furnished for your information and
instructions to Brevet Major. General
Buchanan, commanding the Department
of Louisiana, dated August Is, 1868, and a
letter from the Attorney General of the
United States, to Alexander Magruder,
Esq, United States Marshal of the North
ern District of Florida, dated August 20.
1868. The letter to General Buchanan in
dicates conditions under which the mill
tary force of the United States may be en-
ployed to suppress insurrection against the
Government of any State, and prescribes
the duties of the Department commander
in reference thereto. The letter of the At
torney General sets forth the conditions
under which the Marshals and Sheriffs may
command the assistance of troops IN their
respective districts or counties to execute
lawful precepts issued to them by compe-
tent authority. The obligation of the mill
itary, individual officers and soldiers in
command, with all citizens, to obey the sum-
mons of Marshall or Sheriff must be held
subordinate to their paramount duty as
members of permanent military body,
since the troops can act only in their prop
erly organized capacity under their own
officers, and in obedience to the immediate
orders of those officers, the officer COM
manding troops summoned to the aid of a
Marshal or Sheriff must also judge for him
self, and upon his own official responsible
ty, whether the service required is lawful
and necessary and compatible with the
proper discharge of his ordinary military
duties, and must limit his action absolutely
to proper aid in the execution of lawful
precept exhibited to him by the Marshal or
Sheriff. If time will permit, every de-
mand from civil officer for military aid,
whether for the execution of a civil process
or to suppress insurrecton, should be for
warded to the President, with all the ma
terial facts OF the case, for his orders, and
in all cases, the highest commander whose
orders can be given in time to meet the
emergency will alone assume the response
bility of action, by a timely disposition of
troops where there is reason to apprehend
necessity for their use and passive inter-
position between hostile parties, danger of
collision may be avoided. Department
Commanders, and, in cases of necessity,
their subordinates, are expected in this re-
gard to exercise on their own responsible
ty wise discretion, to the end that, in any
event, peace may be preserved. -.
By command of General Grant.
....... .- j. q. KELToN,
Assistant Adjutant General.