ORDERS

STATE OF VERMONT.

Adjutant and Inspector General's Office,
Woodstock, October 28, 1863.

The Selectmen of the several towns of this State, in performing the duty assigned to them underGeneral Order No. 1, from these Head Quarters, will be governed by the following regulations:

1. You will not allow any man to be deceived or inveigled into service by false representations, but will in person explain the nature of the service, the length of the term, the pay, clothing, rations and other allowances, to which a soldier is entitled by law, to every man before he signs the enlistment.

2. The conditions of enlistment will be such as are prescribed by the Army Regulations. You will enlist no person under the age of twenty-one years, without the written consent of his parent, guardian or master, -- which written consent you will produce, when the men shall be mustered in to the service of the United States. You will enlist no man, whose age shall exceed forty-five years, or be less than eighteen years, and none but able-bodied men, -- being precise in your enquiries in this respect. Recruits must be at least five feet and three inches in height; but the regulation in respect to age and height does not extend to musicians.

3. Enlistments must in all cases be made in triplicate. One copy will be sent to the office of the Adjutant and Inspector General, and two copies will be transmitted to the recruiting officer at the principal depot for recruits, whenever recruits are sent there by you.

4. Enlistments must be filled up in a fair and legible hand. The real name of the recruit must be ascertained and correctly spelled; and the christian name must not be abbreviated.

5. The filing on the back of the enlisting papers need not be filled up. this will be done in the Adjutant General's office.

6. You will report to the Superintendent of Recruiting for your district, once in threedays, the names and number of men enlisted by you, under each quota, since the last report. These reports must be made promptly, and report must be made, even though there have been no enlistments. The report must state, against the name of each recruit, whether he has enlisted under the quota for old regiments, or under the quota for new regiment.

7. At the time of enlistment, the recruit must be carefully examined by a surgeon and by one of the selectmen, and the proper certificate upon the enlistment papers must be signed by each. After the recruit has signed the enlistment papers, the oath will be administered to him, according to the form in the enlistment paper, by a justice of the peace, who will also sign the proper certificate upon the enlistment paper.

8. The pay and subsistence of the men will commence from the day of their enlistment. You will contract for their subsistence, while under your charge, at a rate not exceeding thirty cents per day for each man, for board and lodging.

9. You will keep a careful and accurate account of your expenses, and take all duplicate receipts as a voucher for every payment made. Blanks will be hereafter furnished to you, upon which to make your accounts of expenditures in form, for payment by the United States Mustering and Disbursing Officer.

10. No expenditure must be charged, without a proper voucher to support it.

11. In all the vouchers, the different items, with dates, and the cost of each, must be stated.

12. In vouchers for medical attendance and medicines, the name of each patient, date of and charge for each visit, and for medicine furnished , must be given, and the certificate of the physician added, that the rates charged are the usual rates of the place.

13. No conditional enlistments must be received.

14. You will be allowed your necessary and reasonable expenses.

15. All recruits must be sound and active, free from all malformation, defect of sight, hearing, ulcers, piles, rupture, fracture, dislocation, and diseases of any kind. But the lack of, or defect in the lefteye, or slight injury of the lefthand, will not reject the man.

16. In filling the description of the recruit, upon the contract of enlistment, if he is unmarried insert the word "not" before the word "married," as printed. If he is a married man, draw a line across the space before the word "married." Carelessness in stating whether men are married, or not, will result in embarrassment in the drawing of their State pay; -- if men are returned as married, who are not, their orders will be refused, when they should be paid; and if married men are returned as unmarried, the pay which should be drawn by the Selectmen will be paid to the man himself.

17. The medical examination must be strict and close. No desire to obtain a recruit can justify the enlisting of a man, who is physically unsound. A man with a hernia, however slight, or having varicose veins, cannot be received as a soldier, under any circumstances.

18. Expense by use of telegraph must not be incurred, unless in cases of strict necessity. When such expense is necessarily incurred, a copy of the telegram must be preserved to be delivered, with the account, to the U. S. Disbursing Officer at time of settlement.

19. The triplicate enlistment contracts must be completed at the time of the enlistment of the recruit. The name of the recruit must be written distinctly, in the contract, with every letter perfect and accurate. If the recruit cannot write his name, but make a mark for a signature, his name must be written, in the usual way in such cases, and the Recruiting Officers must sign as a witness to the signature.

20. Consents for the enlistment of minors must be taken in triplicate, upon the blanks on the back of each contract.

21. If the recruit shall have heretofore served in the Army of the United not less than nine months, the company and regiment in which he last served, and the date of his discharge, must be entered in the appropriate blank under the filing of each of the three copies of the enlistment contract.

22. Recruits are to be forwarded, as fast as enlisted, to the Superintendent of Recruiting Service for your district, -- of whose name and station due notice will be given; -- and whenever a recruit is delivered to such Superintendent, the three copies of the enlistment contract are also to be delivered to him. And it must also be designated to him, at the same time, in writing, upon which quota each recruit is to be credited.

23. As a high bounty is offered to recruits, who have not served, or who have served less than nine months, if they enlist for the old regiments, than if they enlist for the new regiments, the quota of the town for the new regiments must necessarily be filled mainly by enlisting "Veterans," who have served not less than nine months, and have been honorably discharged. These will receive the same bounty, whether they enlist for the old or new regiments. You will use all necessary and proper means to induce the men of that class, who are residents of your town, to enlist in the new regiments or battery now forming. The quota, assigned for filling these new organizations, is for the deficiency under the United States' draft, which amounted, on the 17th of October, to 1923 men, for which deficiency a draft will be had on the 5th of January, if not previously filled by volunteering, as well as for the quota assigned under the recent Proclamation of the President. The total quota, therefore, of Vermont, for the next draft, in case another is rendered necessary by a failure to raise volunteers, will be 3330, the quota of 300,000, as assigned, and the deficiency up to Oct. 17th, that is, 1923, total, 5253. This total deficiency of 1923 will of course be reduced by all held to service under the recent draft, after Oct. 17th, and by all volunteers heretofore enlisted but not yet credited, who shall be mustered hereafter, as well as by all the State may raise in excess of 3330, her quota of 300,000, as called for by the President's Proclamation. It is essential, therefore, in order that the State may avoid a draft, that both quotas be filled previous to the 5th of January. The law, under which the draft will be had, will undoubtedly be amended by Congress, in important particulars, previous to the 5th of January. These considerations, as well as the very liberal bounties offered, should induce a sufficient number of "Veterans" to volunteer, to fill the quota of your town for the new regiments, and you will use every effort to induce them to do so, bearing in mind, however, that if but one of the quotas can be filled, it is of more real importance to the public service, that the old regiments should be filled, than that any new regiments should be raised.

24. The State has heretofore filled, with commendable promptitude, every call that has been made upon her. The people have a very natural repugnance to a draft, and under another draft, and especially if the law be so altered as to require every drafted man to serve or to furnish a substitute, there must inevitably be many cases of severe but necessary hardship. Opportunity is now given to avoid such a draft. The men are needed promptly, and every consideration of patriotism, and of State, local and personal pride, requires that you should commence promptly, and prosecute vigorously, the business of obtaining volunteers. The officers of the State, feeling the most earnest desire that the entire State should avoid another draft, appeal to the patriotic citizens of your town, through you, who are their officers, and legal and natural representatives. As guardians of their rights and of their honor, it is incumbent upon you to respond to this appeal by earnest and successful work. Call to your aid the assistance of the active and influential citizens of the town. Let every loyal citizen of the town understand, and, if possible, induce him to realize, that he has an immediate and personal interest in the success of your efforts. If necessary, call meetings in your school districts, and bring the matter home to every inhabitant. In short, the Governor, upon whom the requisition is made, expects, and justly, that you will respond to his call upon you with an earnestness of purpose which shall ensure success.

25. Recruits for the old Regiments will be allowed, so far as is compatible with the public service, to select the Regiment in which to serve. IT is, however, the earnest desire of the Government, first to secure recruits for the Regiments and detached Companies, whose term of service will expire in 1864. These are the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Regiments of Infantry, the First Regiment of Cavalry, and the First Second and Third companies of Sharp-shooters. And while recruits for the remaining Regiments and detached Companies, to wit: the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Regiments of Infantry, the Eleventh Regiment, Heavy Artillery, and the First and Second Batteries of Light Artillery, will be received, and will be paid the same bounties that are paid to recruits for the other Regiments, you will do all you can to encourage the first enlistments for old Regiments, to be made for the first mentioned organizations.

26. Recruits for the new Regiments will be allowed to elect in which Company they will service, and they will be assigned to such Company, unless it shall have been previously filled. If so, the recruit will be allowed to serve in such other Company as he may elect, not then filled.

27. All recruits for the new Regiments and Battery now being raised, who have been heretofore, or who shall be hereafter, enlisted by the Recruiting Officer appointed for these organizations, will, when mustered into the United States service, be credited to the town furnishing them, towards the quota of such town for new Regiments.

28. When it is necessary to send recruits to the station of the Superintendent by railroad, you will be allowed to issue passes for them upon the blanks furnished for that purpose. Passes must be signed by you as Recruiting Officer, and must in all cases be made and delivered to the Conductor upon the Railroad in duplicate. One pass is sufficient for any number of recruits who travel upon the Railroad at the same time.

By order of the Governor,

PETER T. WASHBURN

Adjutant and Inspector General