The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-04-08
GENERAL NATuRE-No. 62.l

tUENERAL NATUkE-NO. o.
AN ACT to revise, consolidate, and
amend the laws relating to pensions.
Be it enacted by the Senate and the
House Of Representatives of the United
State Of America in Congress assembled,
That if the ability of any officer of the
army, including regulars, volunteers, and
militia, or any officer in the navy, or
marine corps, or any enlisted man, how
ever employed, in the military or naval
service Of the United States, or in its
marine corps, whether regularly mustered
or not, disabled by reason of any wound or
injury received, or disease contracted,
while in the service of the United States
and in the line Of duty any master serv-
ing on a gunboat, or any pilot, engineer,
sailor or other person not regularly mus
tered, serving upon any gunboat or war
vessel of the United States, disabled by
any wound or injury received, or otherwise
incapacitated, while in the line of duty,
for procuring his subsistence by manual
labor; any person not an enlisted soldier
in the army, serving for the time being as
member of the militia of any State under
orders Of an officer Of the United States,
or who volunteered for the time being to
serve with any regularly organized military
or naval force of the United States, or who
otherwise volunteered and rendered SER
vice in any engagement with rebels OF In
dams, disabled in consequence of wounds
or injury received IN the line Of duty in
such temporary service any acting assis-
tant or contract surgeon, disabled by any
wound or injury received or disease con-
tracted in. the line of duty while actually
performing the duties of assistant
surgeon or acting assistant
surgeon with any military force in
the field or in, transitu or in hospital, or
any provost-martial, deputy provost-mar-
tial, or enrolling officer, disabled by rea-
son Of any wound or injury received in the
discharge Of his duty, to procure subsist-
ence by manual labor, has been since the
fourth day of March, eighteen hundred and
sixty-one, or shall hereafter be impaired
by reason of such disability, he shall, upon
making due proof Of the fact, according
to such forms and regulations as NAV be
provided by and in pursuance of law, be
placed upon the list of invalid pensioners
Of the United States, and be entitled to re-
ceiye, for total disability or permanent
specific disability, such pensios as is here
matter provided in such cases, and for an
inferior disability, except in cases of
permanent specific disability for which the
rate of pension is expressly pro.
vided, an amount proportionate to that
provided for total disability, to commence
as hereinafter provided, and to continue
during the existence of the disability:
PROVIDED, That no claim of /. State militia
man or non-enlisted person. on account of
disability from wounds or injury received
in battle. with rebels or Indians, while tenn
porarily rendering service, shall be valid
unless prosecuted to a successful issue
prior to the fourth day of July, eighteen
hundred and seyenty-four: And provided
further, That no person shall be entitled to
pension by reason of wounds or injury
received or disease contracted in the SER
vice of the United States subsequent 10 the
twenty-seventh day Of July, eighteen hum
dred and sixty-elght, unless the person
who was wounded or contracted the dis.
ease was in the line Of duty and, if in the
military service, was at the time actually
in the field, OF on the march, or at
some post, fort, or garrison or en-
route by direction of competent authority
to some post, fort, or garrison
or, if in the naval service, was
at the time borne on the books of some
ship or other vessel of the United States.
at sea or in harbor, actually in commission,
or was at some naval station, or on his
way, BY direction of competent authority,
to the United States, or to some other ves-
sci, or naval station, or hospital. @
SEC. 2. That the pension for total disa-
bility shall be es follows, namely: For
lieutenant-coloneka and all officers of higher
rank in the military service and in the
marine corps, and for captain, and all Off
GERS OF higher rank, commander, surgeon,
paymaster, and chief engineer, respectively
ranking with commander by law, heuten-
ant commanding and master commanding,
in the naval service, thirty dollars per
month for major in the military service
and in the marine corps, and lieutenant,
surgeon, paymaster, and chief en-
gineer, respectively ranking AZ with
lieatenantby law, and passed assistant sur
geon IN the naval service, twenty-five dol
lars per month; for captain in the military
service and in the marine corps, chaplain
in the army, and provost martial, profess
sor Of mathematics, master, assistant SUR
geon. assistant paymaster, and chaplain
to the naval service, twenty dollars per-
month ; for first lieutenant in the military
service and in the marine corps, acting
assistant or contract surgeon, and deputy
provost-martial, seventeen dollars per
month for second lieutenant in the mill
,tary service and in the marine corps, first
assistant engineer, ensign, and pilot in the
naval service, and enrolling officer, fifteen
dollars per month for cadet-mmidship-
men, passed amidshipmen, midshipmen,
clerks Of admirals and paymasters, and OF
other officers commanding vessels, second
aud third assistant engineer, masters mate,
anu all warrant officers in the naval
service, ten dollars per month; and
for all enlisted men whose rank or office is
not mentioned in this section, eight
dollars per month; and the mas.
tiers, pilots, engineers, sailors, and
crews upon the gunboats and war;
vessels shall f,e entitled to receive the PEN
sion allowed herein to those of like rank in
the naval service and every commission
ed officer of the army, navy, and marine
corps, shall receive such and only such
pensions as is Eerein provided for the rank
he held at the time he received the injury,
or contracted the disease which resulted in
the disability, on account of which he may
be entitled to pension; and any commits
sion or presidential appointment, regularly
issued to such person, shall be taken to
determine his rank from and after the
date, as given in the body of the commits
sion or appointment comforting said rank |:
PyOUided, That vacancy existed in the
rank thereby conferred that the person