The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-10-05

the paylnaSGer anu the QuarGermaSCef,
as well as many other officers of the
war department., is job of enormous
proportions, involving arithmetical
problems of considerable intricacy.
While the officers and the enlisted
men are enjoying 80 days vacation on
full pay, the regular army officers are
going over the books of every COM
pany, inspecting the monthly muster
rolls and reviewing the regimental
quartermasters accounts.
With an army of 100, 900 men, half
the volunteer service to be mustered
out at one time, the war department
finds itself in an anomalous situation.
Never before in history has the prob
lem presented itself quite in the pres
ent form. The regiments Of '98 were
all new to the service; at the most
they had served but four months, when
the time TO disband had come, and the
books of many regiments where the
volunteer officers were just beginning
thoroughly to understand the system,
must be COTTON into shape to the salts
faction Of the mustering-out officer.
Itwas the original intention Of the
war department to keep the men in
their camps until this work had been
completei., but the clamor of those.
who wanted to be sent home was SO
great that the government consented
tosa system of giving all officers and
men Of the regiments to be mustered
out leave Of absence with an agree
ment to csll them together at the ex-
piration of that period for final in
spection and muster out.
STILL IN SERVICE.
In this way the regiments are still
kept in the service and directly under
the military authority, while at the
same time, they may enjoy all the
privileges Of civilians.
Regiments which have been outside
the United States are given so day
furloughs Gin the case Of officers the
expression is leave of absence, } and
other regiments get 80 days. Full pay
is allowed. for either period. General
Corbin explained enlphatically that all
the men so furloughed are as fully un-
der the military authority as ever, and
that if they do not report on the thir-
tieth or sixtieth day, as the case may
be, except for duly proven sickness,
they will be considered deserters.
Moreover, while the officers are prac-
tically on leave Of absence, they have
been technically put on waiting or
-ders, !" which makes it incumbent upon
them to report for service at any time
during the period Of furlough, if their
presence should be deemed necessary.
The musterout is all done by regu-
lar army officers, except in the case Of
army surgeons who may be of the
volunteer service in case regular army
surgeons cannot be secured; but in
such case it is ordered that the sur
.geon shall not be member Of the
organization to which he is detailed.
The musterout is similar to the month
ly muster at the time of payday; but
includes also the granting Of certii-
cate Of discharge. 1t is this one
document which necessitates all the
extra care. As at regular monthly
muster, there is general accounting
of property, and secondly an inspec-
ton Of the men.
SOUP LADIES AND SPOONS.
Officers who at any time were re-
sponsible for public property, Of any
description, are obliged to give an ac-
count for every spoon and every soup
ladle in their care. A table Of articles
charged in case of loss or damage has
been prepared by the paymaster, and
includes among other items, one Of 2l
cents for soup ladle, and another of
/ cent for mustard spoon. AS a
rule the only officers accountable for
property are the company and the
regimental commanders that is, the
captains and the colonels. There are
cases, however, in which others are in
charge Of property. Thus in the
Sixty-ffth New York one Of the cap
tains and the first lieutenant both re-
signed just before the order for the
musterout of the regiment had come,
thus leaving the second lieutenant in
command of the company.
This government pursues the fol-
lowing system in regard to military
property. Commissioned officers get
only their regular pay, and in case
they are mounted, an additional allow
ance for the care of their horses.
Food. clothing, etc., they must pay