ft RULES AID REGULATIONS f m m I is* I J?) OF THE 1 REPUBLICAN BLUES, 1 ORGANISED MAY 1, 1808, REVISED AND ADOPTED NOVEMBER 10, 1648. V®' if SAVANNAH: S BY EDWARD J. PURSE, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, No. 102 Bryan-street — Up-Stairs. 1849. * * LEKkWUniver! RULES AND REGULATIONS t' OF THE REPUBLICAN BLUES, ORGANISED MAY 1, 1808, REVISED AND ADOPTED NOVEMBER 16, 1848. SAVANNAH: BY EDWARD J. PURSE, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER, No. 102 Bryan-street — Up-Stairs. , 1849. » PREAMBLE. Whereas, the undersigned, influenced by a sincere and ardent desire to render themselves more useful to their country, have united as a mil- itary association, under the title of " The Repub- lican Blues"; and whereas, a strict subordina- tion and discipline are essential to the acquire- ments of the systematic habits of a Soldier, and that of military knowledge, which is calculated to render him an efficient defender of his Country's Liberty, we, the undersigned, do hereby, severally, upon the honor of Soldiers, pledge ourselves, each to the other, to abide by, perform and conform to these Rules, and that we will severally use our best efforts to maintain and promote the honor and prosperity of this oar voluntary association. RULE I. Style of the Corps and Officers. Sec. 1st. The Corps shall be styled the " Re- publican Blues," and shall consist of one Captain, — one First Lieutenant, one Second Lieutenant, \me Ensign, and one Supernumery Officer ; when the exigency of the Corps require it, ten non-commis- sioned officers, to be designated first, second, third, fourth, and fifth Sergeants, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth Corporals; and, when required, any number of Lance Corporals not exceeding four in number, and as many privates as the law of the State authorizes. 4 Sec. 2d. There shall also be a Secretary and Treasurer, Quarter-Master, and a Finance Com- mittee consisting of one commissioned officer, and two other members. RULE II. Uniform Coat of Commissioned Officers. Sec. 1st. The Coat of the Commissioned Officers shall be of dark blue cloth, double breasted, the facings to be of sky blue, two rows of buttons, twelve in number in ea,ch row, at equal distances, standing collars, sky blue, to meet in front with hooks and eyes, one loop four inches long on each side of the collar, with one uniform button at the end of each loop, the breast and collar edged with white, sky blue round cuff, two inches deep. Se •. 2d. For the Captain, a slashed sky blue flap on the sleeve, four and a half inches long, with three loops and three buttons ; and for subalterns, a slash sleeve of three and a half inches long, with two loops and two buttons, slashed sky blue flap on the skirt, with four loops and buttons, two but- tons at the waist skirt to extend within ihree and a half inches of the bend of the knee, and edged with white, skv blue turnbacks, silver embroidered bugle at the bottom of the skirt, loops on the collar, and flaps to be of silver lace, the collar and cuffs edged with silver lace. Sivord and Scabbard. Sec. 3d r The officers' sword-- shall be straight blades, with silver or plated mountings, and black leather scabbards, with silver or plated bands. 5 Waist Belts. i Sec. 4th. White leather, two inches wide, with sliding frog, to be worn over the coat, and clasped in front with a white clasp. Sash. Sec. 5th. Crimson silk net, with silk bullion fringe ends, to be tied on the left hip. RULE III. Sec. 1st. The coat of the non-commissioned officers and privates shall be a dark blue coatee, with sky blue facings, standing collar, three inches wide, having on each side an ornament of white cloth, with a button placed, on each end of the an- gular extremities, cuff three inches wide, with four buttons round the upper edge of each, one inch apart, a sky blue flap on the skirt, with four loops white and buttons, plaits to have four buttons each, one on the top of the line of the hip, another with- in one inch of the bottom of the skirt, and the other two, half an inch on each side of the central point between the extremities of the plait, a star of white cloth, the centre of which is to bejxie and a half inches from the bottom of the skirt, and on a line with the lower button at the plait,* two rows of buttons in front, twelve in each. — The collar facings and cuffs to be of sky blue cloth, the skirt to be turned up with the same, to reach within eight inches of the bend of the knee, the whole to be edged with white. Uniform for Musicians. The uniform of the Musicians shall be such as may be determined upon by the Corps at any time. 6 Buttons. 0 Buttons shall be white plated, convexed, with an eagle and the letters " R. B." stamped thereon, they are to be three fourths of an inch in diameter. Pantaloons. Pantaloons to be of white Russia drilling or sheeting for summer, and sky blue cloth for win- ter, with a stripe of white cloth on each outer seam, one and a half inches wide. Belts, Clasps, fyc. White cotton circular belts, two inches wide, confined in front with a white clasp ; also white cotton cross belts, two inches wide : from the cross belts the cartridge box shall be suspended on the right, and the bayonet scabbard on the left ; the belts of the Sergeants shall be white morocco cir- cular, and white cotton cross belts, with a sword similar to that worn in the United States Army, instead of the bayonet scabbard, also red worsted sashes with worsted bullion ends. Brush and Picker, Sfc. With white chains ; white leather straps for musket. Caps. Such as the Corps may adopt from time to time by resolution. Plumes. Plumes of color to suit the rest of the uniform, and of such material and fashion as the Corps shall from time to time by resolution direct. 7 Stocks. • Black stock, or collar, buttoned up to the chin. Epaulettes. The commissioned officers shall wear two silver epaulettes, as designated by the U. S. Regulations. The Sergeants', Corporals', and Privates' epau- lettes shall be such as the Corps shall agree upon and adopt from time to time by resolution. Chevrons. Shall be worn by the non-commissioned officers, and shall designate rank as follows: The First Sergeant, one double chevron, on a sky blue ground, on eack arm above the elbow — the other Sergeants, one single chevron on each arm, above the elbow — the First Corporal, one double chev- ron on the right arm above the elbow — the other Corporals, one single chevron on the right arm above the elbow. All the chevrons to be of silver lace, half an inch wide, edged with sky blue cloth. Honorary members shall wear, as badge of dis- tinction, the collars and cuffs of their coats trim- med with silver lace half an inch wide ; veterans or such as have served ten successive years in the corps, shall wear two inverted chevrons of silver lace half an inch wide, edged with sky blue, above the elbow on the left arm, and for every five years service thereafter, they shall be entitled to an ad- ditional one. Undress Uniform. Of the Corps, shall be such as shall, by resolu- tion, be established. 8 RULE IV. Elections. Sec. 1st. When a vacancy or vacancies occur, by death, resignation, or otherwise, the Company shall proceed to fill the vacancy, or vacancies, when a vote of a majority of the then efficient members present, shall be required to make the nomination or appointment. Sec. 2d. The vote for a commissioned officer shall only be considered as expressive of the feel- ings of the Corps, and as a measure preparatory to the election required by law. Sec. 3d. The vacancy of a non-commissioned officer, shall be filled as soon thereafter as is prac- ticable, and shall be selected from the Lance Cor- porals, when a vote of a majority of the then efficient members present shall be required to till such vacancy. Sec. 4th. There shall be four Lance Corporals selected by the Corps, from among the privates, and brevetted by a board of commissioned and non-commissioned officers, five of whom to be a quorum, and to be convened by the officer com- manding. It shall be the duty of such Lance Corporals to perform the duties of any non-com- missioned officer in his absence ; and they shall be obeyed and respected accordingly. Sec. 5th. No individual holding any staff ap- pointment, and attached to this Corps, shall be eligible to any office therein ; nor shall any officer retain his appointment after he removes from the city of Savannah. RULE V. Admissions. Sec. 1st. Any person desirous of becoming a member of this Corps, shall address a respectful 9 letter "to the Officers and Privates of the "Repub- lican Blues," expressive of his desire for mem- bership, and shall have thereto the signatures of at least, two members as vouchers of his moral character and republican principlts. Application may be made at any assemblage of the Corps, but shall not be acted upon until next meeting there- after, except where the individual has before been a member of the Corps, when only one meet- ing shall be necessary — when a vote of two-thirds of the members present at the meeting shall be re- quired to admit the applicant. Sec. 2d. No person will be eligible as a mem- ber who has been expelled from any volunteer Corps in this city, other than the Republican Blues, when, if the cause of expulsion was pro- tracted absence from the city or pecuniary dis- ability, the member so expelled may be admitted by payment of all his dues previous to his expulsion. All elections of members shall take place at the headquarters of the Corps, and the yeas and nays shall in all cases be called b} r the First Sergeant, and every member so admitted shall pay his con- tributions in advance. Sec. 3d. Every member admitted, shall equip himself within thirty days after his admission, and on failing so to do, his name shall be erased from the roll by the First Serge; int. Such persons as are members of the staff, veterans who have served ten successive years in the Corps, or such as are over forty-five years of age, shall be liable only to five regular parades, and four regular meetings, unless they hold an office in the Corps ; vouchers shall be equally responsible. 10 RULE VI. Drill Committee, Sec. 1st. A Drill Committee, consisting of one commissioned and two non-commissioned officers, shall be appointed by the officer commanding, to act for three months, whose duty it shall be to drill all new members, and no new member shall be al- lowed to enter the ranks until he shall be consid- ered qualified by the committee. The committee previously to report such qualification to the First Sergeant. RULE VII. Duty of Commissioned Officers. Sec. 1st. It shall be the duty of the Commis- sioned Officers to discharge all duties that may be assigned them by their superiors and these Rules. In the absence of the Captain, the command shall devolve on the next senior officer present. RULE VIII. Duties of First Sergeant. Sec. 1st. As Executive Officer of the Corps, it shall be his duty to divide the members into squads, and assign a squad to each of the other non-commissioned officers, whose squad list he shall from time to time examine and correct. He shall also provide music for the Corps. Sec. 2d. He shall insert all Regimental and Company Orders, and proceedings of Courts Mar- tial, in a book, to be called the " Ord-erhfs Book" and shall therein keep a record of all admissions, 11 promotions, resignations, expulsions, and deaths of members. Sec. 3d. He shall issue to the summoning offi- cers all orders received from the officer command- ing, stating the time and place of meeting, and shall promulgate in like manner notice of all stated parades and quarterly meetings. He shall in all cases require from the summoning officers written returns of their having summoned their respective squads, which returns he shall file for future reference. Sec. 4th. He shall call the roll at all assem- blages of the Corps, and note all defaulters thereat, on the expiration of ten days after such default, he shall, unless excuses admissible under these Rules are received by him, make written returns of such defaulters to the Secretary. It will also be his duty to report in like maimer all deficiences of uniform, arms in bad order, or any violations of these Rules that may come under his observation, and make written returns to the officer commanding. Sec. 5th. Whenever a member has been absent from the city more than six months at any one time, or a defaulter at three successive assemblages of the Corps whereby fines are incurred, or when a member's name is reported to him by the Secre- tary, as having suffered a charge against said member for thirty days, or in any case where membership is forfeited or surrendered under these Rules, he shall strike the name of such member from the roll of the Company, and shall immediately give written notice thereof to the commanding officer of the "Beat" where such member resides, and to the other Volunteer Corps in the city. And he shall report the names of all persons so dealt with at the next succeeding Com- pany Meeting ; and submit written returns thereof at each Quarterly Meeting. 12 Sec. 6th. It shall be his duty to give notice in writing to the officer commanding, should he at any time intend being absent from the city more than forty-eight hours, and previous to leaving ( if necessary) he shall turn over everything in his apartment to the next senior non-commissioned officer. RULE IX. Duties of Non- Commissioned Officers. Sec. 1st. The Non-Commissioned officers (other than the first Sergeant) shall be summoning officers, and the duty of each severally shall be to summon their respective squads immediately on receiving the orders of the First Sergeant, at such time and place as is specified in such orders, of the proper execution of which duty they shall make written returns to the first Sergeant prior to the time of assemblage named in their orders, designating whether the summons given as written or ver- bal, and whether served on the member personally or left at his usual place of business, and should any summoning officer fail to summon any member of his squad, by which a default shall occur, said summoning officer shall pay the fine incurred. Sec. 2d. Every iSon-Commissioned officer and private shall give notice in writing to the first Ser- geant (each one for himself} should he intend be- ing absent from the city more than forty-eight hours, and during the absence or sickness of any summoning officer his duties shall be performed by such lance Corporals as the first Sergeant may des- ignate. In the absence of the first Sergeant all his duties will devolve on the next senior Non-Commis- sioned officer that may be in the city, he being en- 13 titled to the same priveleges, and subject to the same penalties for the time being. RULE X. General Duties of Secretary ana 1 Treasurer, Sec. 1st. It shall be the duty of the Secretary and Treasurer to keep a record of proceedings at all company meetings in a book prepared for the purpose, to be styled " Minutes." Sec. 2d. He shall also keep a book styled "Ac- counts," in which an account shall be. opened in the name of each member, under which he shall enter all contributions and fines, according to re- turns made him, and shall immediately after such entries being made, demand payment thereof, and when paid, credit the moneys so received ; and it shall be his duty, whenever a charge remains on his books unpaid for thirty days, to report the same in writing to the First Sergeant. He shall also keep in said book a cash account, thereby show- ing the state of the Company's funds. Sec. 3d. He shall give notice in writing to all new members of their being admitted. He shall keep a fair copy of these Rules ibr the signatures of members, and any printed copies thereof, after furnishing each member with a copy gratis, shall be in his custody, and he is hereby authorized to furnish extra copies to members at twenty five cents, each. Sec. 4th. It shall be his duty to take into his immediate custody, and produce whenever re- quired, after reasonable notice, all the books and papers (except the Orderly Book in ise at the time,) belonging to the Corps. Sec. 5th. He shall at every quarterly meeting in January, April, July, and October, make a writ- 14 ten report of the condition of his department, which report shall be spread upon the Minute Book of the Corps, and he shall read these Rules aloud at every January quarterly meeting. Sec. 6th. It shall be his duty, should he at any time intend being absent from the city more than forty-eight hours, or should he be incapaciated from attending to the duties by reason of sickness, to give written notice thereof to the officer com- manding, appointing at the same time some private of the corps to attend to the duties of his office, on failing to perform any duty assigned to him by these rules, he shall be fined in a sum not less than three dollars, and for embezzling the funds of the corps he shall be expelled. Sec. 7th. The compensation allowed to the Sec- retary and Treasurer shall be ten per cent for collections and five per cent for disbursements pay- able quarterly. RULE XL Duties of Quartermaster. Sec. 1st. It shall be the duty of the Qnartermas- ter to keep the spare arms and accoutrements of the corps, to distribute muskets to members j >in- ing, and to keep all receipts given for the return or value of the same, all the camp equipage and other property belonging to the corps shall be under his immediate charge, he shall keep the room in good order, furnish lights, pens, ink and paper for the meetings of the corp>, and no property belonging to the corps in his possession shall be loaned out without a vote of the company ; furthermore, it shall be his duty to collect all the muskets and oth- er equipments belonging to the corps. Sec. 2d. He shall at the quarterly meeting in 15 January and July make a written report of the condition of his department, which report shall be spread upon the minute book of the corps, on failing to perform any duty assigned him he shall be fined in a sum not less than three dollars. Sec. 3d. The compensation for Quartermaster shall be twenty-five dollars (and expenses) per year payable quarterly. Sec. 4th. It shall be his duty, should he intend being absent from the city more than forty-eight hours to appoint some private of the Cops to per- form the duties of his office, such private to be en- titled to the same privileges and subject to the same penalties for the time being. RULE XII. Instructions. Sec. 1st. It shall be the duty of the officer com- manding at certain stated times (to be by him ap- pointed) to summon the non-commissioned officers to attend at such place as he shall direct for in- structions in tactics, by him or such commissioned officer as he shall detail for that duty, and any officer who shall fail to attend for three successive meetings, shall be reported to the Corps at the next regular meeting, and if the Corps shall not deem his excuse sufficient, his office shall be vaca- ted and a new election ordered. Sec. 2d. It shall be the duty of every commis- sioned and non-commissioued officer to provide himself with a copy of Scott's Tactics, which shall be the only text book of authority used by him. 16 RULE XIII. Committee on Finance. Sec. 1st. The Finance Committee shall be ap- pointed by the officer commanding at the quarterly meeting in January of each year, to serve one year therefrom ; and in case of a vacancy it shall be filled by the same authority, at the first succeed- ing company meeting. Sec. 2d. They shall be charged with the general supervision of the Treasurer's department, exam- ine all bills against this Corps, and report thereon, and no bill shall be paid on which they have not reported. Sec. 3d. It shall be their duty to examine, from time to time, his books and accounts, and certify to the correctness of his quarterly reports. RULE XIV. Parades. Sec. 1st. The regular parades of the Corps shall, be on the Eighth of January, Twelfth of February, Twenty-second of February, First of May, and Fourth of July, in each year, except when these da}'s fall on Sunday, and then on the succeeding Monday. Sec. 2d. It shall be the duty of the officer com- manding, and he is hereby authorized, to order such extra parades, drills, and company meetings as he may deem necessary for the transaction of all ordinary business — fifteen members shall con- stitute a quorum. Sec. 3d. The roll shall always be called in fif- teen minutes after the appointed hour of meeting. Whereupon the company will be under the com- mand of the senior officer present. 17 Sec. 4th. The officer commanding shall in times of alarm from fire or insurrection, or when deemed by him expedient fix an alarm post. Se