National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-08-25
GENERAL EATURE-No. eel
An Act recognizing the several staff corps

An ACT recognizing the several staff corps Of
the Army.
Be q enacted By the Senate and House Of Rep
reseHtGtivss Of TIE United States Of America IN
Congress assembled, That the Inspector Gen
erals Department shall consist of one colonel
two observation-disclosures, and two majors, witt
| the rank, pay and emOlumeuts of officers o.
said grades; and the Secretary of War may
| In addition, detail officers Of the line, not 70
exceed four, to act as assistant inspector-gen
| ersl: Provided, That officers of the line de-
tailed as acting inspectors-g general shall have
all the allowances of cavalry officers Of theiI
| respective grades; and no new appointment
shall be made in the Inspector-GeneraPs De-
partment until the number of inspectorS-gen-
ersl is reduced to FIVE.
Sec. 3. That the Bureau of Military Justice
shall hereafter consist of one Judge Advocate
General, with the rank, pay, and emoluments
OF 9 brigsdier general; and the said Judge Ad-
vocate General shall receive, revise, and have
recorded the proceedings Of all courts-martlal,
courts of inquiry and military commissions,
and shall perform such other duties as have
been heretofore performed by the Judge Ad-
| Vocate General OF the Army. In the CORDS OF
judge advocates no appointment shall be made
/ as vacancies occur until the number shall be
reduced to four, which shall thereafter be the
permanent number of the officers of that
corps.
Sec. 8. That hereafter there shall be three
assistant commissaries general of subsistence,
with the rank, pay, and emoluments of lieuten-
ant colonel, instead Of the two now allowed by
law of said grade In the Subsistence Depart
meDt; that the number of commissaries of sub
sistence with the rank, pay, and emoluments
of captain Of cavalry, Is hereby reduced to
| twelve, and no appointment to fill a vacancy in
! said grade shall be made until the number
thereof shall be reduced to twelve, and the
number thereafter shall remain fixed at twelve.
Sec. 4. That the Medical Department of the
Army shall hereafter consist of one Surgeon
General, with the rank, pay and emoluments
of brigadier-general; one assistant surgeon
general, and one chief medical pUrVeyor each
with the rank, pay and emolunents of colo
mel, and two assistant medical purveyors, with
the rank, pay and emoluments Of lieutenant
colonies, who shall give the same bonds which
are or may be required Of assistant psymasters-
general of like grade, and shall, when not act
ing as purVeyors, be assignabls to duty as sur
geons by the President; fifty surgeons, with
the rank, pay and emoluments Of majors; one
hundred and fifty assistant surgeons, with the
rank, pay and emoluments of Heutenants of
cavalry for the first five years service, and
with the rank, pay and emoluments of captains
of cavalry after five years service; and four
medical store-keepers, with the same compen-
sstion as is now provided by law; and all the
original VACANCIES in the grade of assistant sur
examination; and the Secretary Of War is
hereby authorized to appoint, from the enlisted
men of the Army, or cause TO be enlisted, as
many hospital-steWards as the service NAV re-
Quire, to be permanently attached to the Medi-
cal Department, under such regulations as the
Secretary of War may prescribe. And the
number Of conEract-surgeons shall be limited
to seVenty-fve on or before the first day of
January in the year eighteen hundred and
ssventy-fVe; and thereafter no more than that
number shall be employed.
Sec. 8. That the Ordnance Department shall
consist of one Chief of Ordnance with the
rank, pay, and emoluments of a brigadier-
general; three colonies, four neutenant-colo-
nels, ten majors, twenty captains, sixteen first
lieutenants; and all vacancies which may here
after exist in the grade Of first lieutenant In
said Department shall be filed by transfer
from the line Of the Army: PrOUided, Thai no
appointment or promotion in said Department
shall hereafter be made until the officer or per-
son so appointed or promoted shall have passed
a satisfactory examination before board OF
ordnsnce-otiicers senior to himself.
Sec. @. That no officer now in service shall
be reduced in rank or mustered on: by reason
Of any provision of law herein made reducing
the number Of officers IN any department or
corps OF the staff.
Sec. z. That as vacancies shall occur in any
of the grades of the Ordnance and Medical
no appointments shall be made
10 Ill the same until the numbers in such
grade until the numbers in such grade shall
be reduced 70 the numbers which are fixed for
permanent appointments by the provisions Of
this act; and thereafter the number Of perma-
nent officers in said grades shall continne TO
conform to said reduced numbers, and all
other grades in said Ordnance and Medical
than those authorized by the pro-
visions of this act shall cease so exis. |
as soon as the same shall become vacant by |
death, resignation or otherwise; and no ap, |
pointment or promotion shall hereafter be |
made to Gil any vacancy which may occur
therein.
Sec. 8. That so much Of section six Of en- |
act entitled Dan act making appropriations for |
the support Of the army for the year ending |
June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy, |
and for other purposes" approved March |
third, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, as sp-
pines TO the Ordnance, Subsistence and Medical
departments Of the Army be, and the same is
hereby, repealed: Provided, That this sec
ton repeating said section shall not apply TO |
any Of the grades Of the Medical or Ordnance |
Departments which are omitted or abolished /
b. the provisions of this act,
Approved, June %, 1874.