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 A bill to be en 
 Conf Pam 12mo #50 
 

 [House Bill, No. .] 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— January 30, 1863.— Read 
 first and second times and ordered to be printed. 
 
 [By Mr. IIolcomb, from Committee on Judiciary.] 
 
 A^ BILL 
 
 To be entitled an actio authorise and regulate impressment of private 
 property, for the use of the army and other military purposes. 
 
 1 Section 1. The Congress of the Confederate States of America do 
 
 2 enact : Any ofiicer of the Confederate States, commanding a 
 
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 3 military district or department, may authorize the impressment 
 
 4 of property for the use of the army or other military purpose, 
 
 5 by order in writing, -vrhenever he is satisfied that the same can- 
 
 6 not ^ procured in due time, except by impressment. 
 
 1 Sec. 2. AVhere slaves are required to labor on fortifications 
 
 2 or other public works, the impressment shall be made in accord- 
 
 3 ance with the law of the State where .they arc employed; in the 
 
 4 absence of such law, in accordance with rules and regulations 
 
 5 not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, to be prescribed 
 
 6 from time to time by the Secretary of War. 
 
2 
 
 1 Sec. 3 In no instance shall nuy individual be deprived, by 
 
 2 irapressment, of the amount of provisions required for the com- 
 
 3 fortable support of his family, nor except under circumstances 
 
 4 of extreme urgenc}'', to be declared in the order of the com- 
 
 nianding general, shall any individual be deprived of the grain, 
 
 6 forage, slaves or other property necessary for the use of his • 
 
 7 plantation. 
 
 1 Sec. 4. In all cases of imprc'ssmont, just compensation shall 
 
 2 be made for the property seized, ^vhether the absolut9 ownership, 
 
 3 or the temporary use or hire only thereof is demanded. If the 
 
 4 owner and the impressing ofnccr cannot agree upon the amount of 
 
 5 such compensation, if shall be ascertained and determined by the 
 
 6 judgment of three loyal and disinterested free-holders of the 
 
 7 city, county or parish in which the impressment is made — one to 
 
 8 be selected by tho owner, one by the impressing officer, and the 
 
 9 third to be chosen by these two. The persons thus selected, 
 
 10 after taking an oath to appraise «the property impresse* fairly 
 
 11 and impartially, which oath the impressing officer is authorized 
 
 12 to administer, shall proceed to assess the full value of the pro- 
 
 13 perty seized, as well as the amount of compensation for its tem- 
 
 14 porary use or hire, where that only is required: and also to 
 
 15 determine upon the application of the impressing officer, which 
 
IG application is to be made onlj in extreme cases, what amount of ^^^ 
 
 17 provision would furnish a liberal support for the family of the 
 
 18 owner. And it shall be the duty of such persons to make out 
 
 19 a certificate to be signed by ail the parties, in which the valua- 
 
 20 tions herein provided for shall be declared, and the property im- 
 
 21 pressed, v.hcrc its temporary use or hire only is demanded, 
 
 22 described with such minuteness as to identify it, and to deliver 
 
 23 one copy thereof to the owner, and one to the impressing officer. 
 
 1 Si:c. 5. Where property has been impressed for temporary use 
 
 2 or hire, and is lost or destrojcd without the default of the owner, 
 .3 the Confederate States shall pay the full value thereof, as ascer- 
 4 taiued under the provisions of this act. If such property, when 
 
 returned, has, in the opinion of the owner, been injured whilst 
 () in tl»e public use, the amount of damage thsreby sustained shall 
 
 7 be determined in the manner prescribed in the fourth section of 
 
 8 this act ; the officer returning the property, being authorized to 
 
 9 act on behalf of the Confederate States, and upon such inquiry, 
 
 10 the certificate of the value of the property when originally im- 
 
 1 1 pressed, shall be received as conclusive evidence thereof. 
 
 1 Sec. 6* Any officer of the Confederate States impressing 
 
 2 property in violation of the provisions of this act, shall be liable 
 
 3 to such punishment as the military court of the district or depart- 
 
•1 
 
 4 mcnt to which he belongs may in its discretion inflict, unless 
 
 5 compliance with the requirements thereof, be prevented by the 
 
 6 ovrncr of the property, or by the public enemy. And in the 
 
 7 latter event the impressing officer shall be liable to the penalties 
 
 8 of this section, unless he shall cause the property seized to be 
 appraised in the manner pointed out in this act, as soon as prac- 
 
 10 ticable, or if this be impossible, by reason of the occupation of 
 
 1 1 the enemy, then by an appraisement in the city, county or parish 
 
 12 most convenient to that in which the property was impressed. 
 
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