WAR DEPARTMENT,
Washington City, March 11, 1865.
Major-General PALMER,
Louisville:

The wives and children of slaves enlisted in the U. S. service, or whomay hereafter enlist, are made free by act of Congress, passed on the 3d of March. A copy of the law will be sent you.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.

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WAR DEPARTMENT,
Washington, D. C., September 16, 1863.
Maj. GEORGE L. STEARNS,
Saint Cloud Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.:

I am directed by the President to answer the inquiries contained in your telegram of the 12th instant, as follows:

First. All men who enlist into the service of the United States during the present rebellion will, at the expiration of their term of service, be free.

Second. Under existing laws non-commissioned officers in colored regiments are not authorized to receive higher pay than privates, but at the next Congress they will no doubt be put upon the same footing
as to pay as other non-commissioned officers.

Third. Slaves of loyal citizens may be enlisted into the service of the United States with their master’s consent.

Fourth. If, in the judgment of the Military Governor of Tennessee and General Rosecrans, the necessities of the service require the enlistment by conscr7lption or ~he voluntary enlistment of slaves of loyal citizens without their master’s consent, they may be enlisted
into the service of the United States, giving to the owners a descriptive list of the persons so enlisted, in order that they may receive compensation from the Government upon their delivery of emancipation papers, the compensation not to exceed the sum authorized by law as bounties for volunteer service. Slaves so enlisted will be free upon the expiration of their term of service.

You will acknowledge the receipt of this telegram and communicate a copy of it to General Rosecrans and Governor Johnson.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.

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GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRs. DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
No. 135. Saint Louis, Mo., November 14, 1863.

Whereas the exigencies of the war require that colored troops
should be recruited in the State of Missouri, the following regulations, having been approved and ordered by the President, will govern the recruiting service for colored troops in Missouri, viz:

I. All able-bodied colored men, whether free or slaves, will be
received into the service, the loyal owners of slaves enlisted being
entitled to receive compensation as hereinafter provided.

II. All persons enlisted into the service shal1 forever thereafter be free.

III. None but able-bodied persons shall be enlisted.

IV. The State and county in which the enlistments are made shall
be credited with the recruits enlisted.

V. The owner of every slave recruited into the service shall receive from the recruiting officer a certificate to that effect, together with a copy of the descriptive list of the person enlisted.

VI. A board of three persons is to be appointed by the President, to whom the rolls and recruiting lists shall be furnished, for public information, and on demand exhibited to any person claiming under oath that his or her slave has been enlisted, and that he or she has not received a certificate and descriptive list, as provided in paragraph V.

Any such person shall also be permitted to inspect the recruits at any recruiting station, or at the general rendezvous, for the purpose of identification.

VII. If any person shall, within ten days after the filing of said rolls, make a claim for the service of any person so enlisted, the Board shall proceed to examine the proof of title, and, if valid, shall give a certificate of enlistment and descriptive list, as provided in paragraph V.

VIII. The Board shall award to the owner of each slave enlisted a just compensation for his services, not exceeding the sum of $3OO, upon the presenting by said owner of the certificate of enlistment and filing a valid deed of manumission and of release, and making satisfactory proof of title. Provided: First. That no person who is or has been engaged in rebellion against the Government of the United States, or who has in any way given or shall give aid or comfort to the enemies of the Government, shall be awarded any compensation
for the services of any slaves enlisted into the service of the United
States.

Second. That no compensation shall be awarded for the services of any slave who has at any time during the present rebellion belonged
to any person who has been in rebellion or given aid or comfort to
the enemies of the Government.

Third. All claimants shall file with their claims an oath of allegiance to the Government of the United States.

IX. The Board shall give the claimant a certificate of the sum awarded, which, on presentation, will be paid by the chief of the
Bureau for Organizing Colored Troops.

X. Enlistments will be made under the direction of the provost-marshal-general of the department, by the district and assistant provost-marshals, and by no other persons.

XI. Triplicate descriptive lists will be made out in every case upon printed forms to be furnished from the Provost-Marshal-General’s Office. One copy to be sent by mail to the Provost-Marshal-General, another copy to be sent with the recruits to the rendezvous, and the third copy to be given to the owner of the person enlisted if said enlisted person be a slave. If the enlisted person be free or his owner unknown the third copy of the descriptive list will also be sent to the Provost-Marshal-General.

XII. Each provost-marshal shall keep a record of all enlistments made by him of the same form as the descriptive roll.

XIII. All recruits will be sent to Saint Louis in parties, in charge of an officer or non-commissioned officer, who will also have charge of their descriptive lists, and will be reported to the officer in charge of colored troops at the general rendezvous at Benton Barracks.

XIV. Col. William A. Pile, Thirty-third Missouri Volunteers, is placed in charge of the colored recruits at Benton Barracks. He will
organize them into companies and regiments, in accordance with
existing orders, and present them to the commissary of musters at
Benton Barracks for muster into service.

XV. The officers for these regiments are to be appointed by the Secretary of War, after examination by a board of officers now in
session in Saint Louis. Applications for permission to appear before
this board, accompanied by satisfactory certificates of loyalty and
good character, will be approved by the commanding general and
forwarded to the War Department.

XVI. The surgeon on duty at any post or station where enlistments may be made will examine all recruits that may be presented to him by the provost-marshal, and determine their fitness for military service. No person will be enlisted until he shall have passed a satisfactory examination, as prescribed by Army Regulations. The examining surgeon and recruiting officer will sign the proper certificate, attached to the descriptive list.

XVII. All district and other commanders are directed to afford the provost-marshals all facilities necessary to the successful and speedy prosecution of this recruiting service. Upon the requisition of
provost-marshals the necessary officers and non-commissioned officers
will be detailed to take charge of recruits at the several recruiting
stations, and to conduct them to Saint Louis.

XVIII. Subsistence will be issued to recruits upon provision returns signed by the provost-marshals. Issuing commissaries will keep separate accounts of subsistence so issued and report the same to the chief commissary of the department. No other supplies will be
issued to recruits until they reach the general rendezvous.

XIX. Transportation orders for parties of colored recruits signed by provost-marshals will be honored by the quartermaster’s department, and respected by the officers of all railroads and steam-boats in this department.

By command of Major-General Schofield:
O.D. GREENE,
Assistant Adjutant- General.

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David Upton