General Orders No. 8.
A SKETCH
OF THE
ORGANIZATION
OF THE
QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT,
FROM
1774 TO 1868.
PUBLISHED FOR THE INFORMATION OF OFFICERS OF THE QUARTERMASTERS DEPARTMENT.
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNM:ENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1869.




[General Orders No. 8.]
QUARTERMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, D. C., February 5, 1869.
The following abstract of legislation affecting the organization of the
quartermasters' department, prepared under direction of the Quartermaster General, is published for information of officers of the department.
M. C. MEIGS,
Quartermaster General, Bvt. Major General U. S. A.




QUARTERMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, D. C., August 19, 1868.
GENERAL: I respectfully submit the enclosed sketch of the organization of the quartermasters' department, from the commencement of the
war for American independence, in 1774, to the reorganization of the
United States army, under acts of Congress following upon the close of
the American rebellion of 1861-'65.
This sketch embraces all the changes of any importance affecting the
quartermasters' department which have taken place during the period
mentioned, and in its preparation the most authentic data and the most
reliable authorities have been consulted and quoted from.
To trace in detail the history of the quartermasters' department during
the war with Mexico and the late rebellion would have enlarged the
work far beyond its intended limits, and would have required much
additional time and more extended research.
This sketch has therefore been confined as closely as possible to a simple
narration of the changes affecting the department specially during these
late conflicts, without special mention of the eminent and signal service
which it has so constantly rendered in achieving the final results.
I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient
servant,
H. A. ROYCE,
Brevet Colonel and Assistant Quartermaster Vols.
Brevet Major General M. C. MEIGS,
Quartermaster General U. S. A., Washington, D. C.




CHAPTER I.
JUNE, 1775-OCTOBER, 1788.
On the 16th of June, 1775, the Continental Congress, then in session
at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adopted the following resolution:
Resolvwd, That there be one Quartermaster General for the grand army, and one deputy
under him for the separate army.'
This appears to have been the earliest legislation of Congress creating
these or any other grades in the quartermasters' department.
The great necessity for establishing in this department an office, to be
filled by one person having general control of its affairs and the guidande
and superintendence of its operations, was generally felt by those conversant with the wants of the army then organizing.  General George
Washington gave the matter his special attention immediately after his
election as commander-in-chief of the army, and on the 10th of July,
1775, apparently not informed of the passage of the foregoing resolution,
wrote to the President of Congress as follows:
In the arrangement of troops collected upon the spur of immediate necessity, several appointments have been omitted which appear to be indispensably necessary for the good government
of the army, particularly a Quartermaster General, a commissary of musters, and a commissary
of artillery. These I must particularly recommend to the notice and provision of Congress.t
On the 19th of July, 1775, and probably upon the receipt of this letter,
Congress resolved that the appointment of a Quartermaster General and
certain other officers enumerated be left to General Washington.t
Acting under this authority, General Washington appointed Major
Thomas Mifflin, of Pennsylvania,~ Quartermaster General; writing to
the President of Congress on the 21st of September, informing him  of
the fact, and hoping and believing that such appointment would be
universally acceptable.ll
Major Mifflin, immediately after his appointment, entered upon his
duties in the quartermasters' department.
Prior to December 22, 1775, no provision had been made for the rank
of the person filling the position of Quartermaster General of the army
of the United Colonies, but on that date a resolution was passed conferring upon this officer a coloneley.
* Journals of Congress, 1775. The pay of the Quartermaster General was established by
this resolution at $S0 per month; that of the deputy, $40 per month.
t Sparks's Writings of Washington, vol. 3, p. 21.
I Journals of Congress, 1775.
~ Major Mifflin was born in Philadelphia in 1744. In 1772 he was a member of the Colonial
Assembly, subsequently of the first Continental Congress. Entering the military service,
he was on duty with General Washington in camp at Cambridge, Massachusetts, until
August, 1775, when he was selected to fill the position of' Quartermaster General. He was a
man of great energy and ability. Washington, in his correspondence at the time, speaks in
terms of the highest praise of his qualifications and of his integrity of character.
11 Sparks's Writings of Washington, vol. 3, p. 104.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS7 DEPARTMENT.                       5
On the 16th of May following, Colonel Mifflin was elected by Congress
a brigadier general of the armly,* whereupon he resigned his office of
Quartermaster General, and on the 5th of J-ne, 1776, Stephen Moylan
was elected to fill the vacancy.t
The position and duties of Quartermaster General appear to have been
distasteful to Colonel Moylan, his preference being for more active military service.t
Having tendered his resignation to Congress, that body, on the 1st of
October, 1776, resolved that General MTifflin be authorized and requested
to resume the said office, and that his rank and pay as brigadier general
be still continued to him.~
In accordance with this resolution, but with some reluctance, General
Mifflin again took charge of the affairs of the quartermasters' department.
On the 26th of December, 1776, Congress empowered General Washington to appoint a clothier general for supplying the army.I1
In the following February General Mifflin was elected a major general.
On the 8th of October, 1777, he requested leave to resign his commission
of major general and office of Quartermaster General, on account of ill
health; whereupon Congress resolved that his resignation of the office
of Quartermaster General be accepted, but that his rank and commission
of major general be continued to him, without the pay annexed to that
office, until the further order of Congress.T[
Witth a view, however, to temporarily retain his services in the quartermasters' department, Congress resolved, on the 8th November, 1777,
that he be desired, notwithstanding his resignation of Quartermaster
General was accepted, to continue in the exercise of that office, and that
he be invested with full powers to act until another Quartermaster
General should be appointed and should enter upon the duties of the
office.**
It does not appear, however, that he again entered formally upon these
duties.tt
* Journals of Congress, 1776.
tPrior to his appointment, Colonel Moylan had been connected with the army, and had
been appointed to the staff of General Washington for duty as aide-de-camp.  (Sparks's
Writings of Washington, vol. 3, p. 109.)
$On the 22d of January, 1777, General Washington wrote to the President of Congress
that Colonel Moylan had remained constantly with the army as a volunteer since leaving
the quartermasters' department, and that he was to be placed in command of a regiment of
light dragoons then being recruited. (Sparks's Writings of Washington, vol. 4, p. 293.)
5 Journals of Congress, 1776.
It The duties of this officer did not then properly pertain to the quartermasters' department,
but, in view of subsequent consolidation, this notice of this legislation is taken.
~ Journals of Congress, 1777.
X* Journals of Congress, 1777.
tt General Mifflin soon afterwards withdrew entirely from the army, (Hildreth's History
of the United States.) In 1783 he was a representative in Congress, and in the autumn of
that year was appointed its president. He subsequently served in the Pennsylvania legislature and as governor of that State; by his personal exertions he greatly assisted in quelling




G    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
The condition of the quartermasters' department, without any ostensible head, and with  an organization to a certain extent defective and
incomplete, was regarded with much solicitude by General Washington;
the sufferings of the following winter at Valley Forge, arising in part
from its inefficiency, increased his disquietude.
Week after week often passed away without a single responsible officer of the department
appearing in the camp. Hence the difficulty of following up any extensive plan of operations, and the embarrassments experienced even in the most trifling. The wagons that
should have been kept ready to move at a moment's warning, for the transportation of stores
and provisions, had been scattered over every route by which the army had passed, and
through every position in which it had encamped. The intrenching tools, so often essential
for the immediate protection of a camp, had been left in the hands of private individuals,
under no other security than the chances of personal honesty.
Although the want of proper materials for constructing tents had been a constant source
of complaint and suffering, a large supply of tents and tent cloth had been suffered to lie
throughout a whole campaign in a farmer's barn, and was only secured in the end by a special
order of the commander-in-chief.
To such a height had this carelessness arisen, that the troops were actually sickening and
dying for the want of straw, the most common of materials. Out of camp there were neither
wagons nor draught enough for the transportation of supplies; and in the camp everything
was drawn by the soldiers, who yoked themselves together to the carts. To complete this
picture of confusion and suffering, the military chest was empty, public credit was rapidly
sinking to the lowest ebb, and with large arrears for past expenses, and the certainty of a still
heavier expenditure for the future, there was hardly money enough, even in the depreciated
currency of the country, to meet the most trifling exigencies of the moment. To crown all,
a new campaign was approaching, in which the most energetic exertions were to be looked
for from an enemy exasperated by the ill success of his former efforts.
Under such circumstances not a moment was to be lost in placing at the head of the department a man of approved and extensive capacity, whose energy might relieve present
wants, while his provident care extended itself to those of the future. 
Major General Nathaniel Greene,t an able, gallant officer, and a personal
friend of General Washington, was selected by him to fill the vacancy,
and was elected by Congress on March 2, 1778.  That body gave him
authority to employ two assistants who should be acceptable to him, and
power to appoint all other officers of his department,:             and  specially
provided that he should retain the army rank which he then held.~
the "whiskey insurrection" in 1794. Governor Mifflin retired from office in December, 1799,
and on the 20th June, 1 O00, died at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the age of 56 years. (Loss
ing's Pictorial History of the Revolution. )
* Sparks's American Biography, second series, vol. 10, pp. 61, 62, 63.
t Major General Nathaniel Greene was born in Rhode Island, May 27, 1742.  In 1775 the
assembly of the colony of Rhode Island voted a force of 1,600 men; its officers were to be
appointed by the same body, and with a common consent Nathaniel Greene was raised to its
command with the rank of major general. In May, 1775, he took command of the army of
Rhode Island, and in June of that year his command was engaged in the leaguer of Boston.
The American army, very soon after the arrival of Washington in July, was placed on the
continental establishment. The effect of thislarrangement was to reduce the rank of Greene
from that of a major general to that of a brigadier. In the engagements with the British
forces in Long island the same year he was raised to the rank of major general, (Simms's Life
of General Greene.)
t Bancroft's History of the United States, vol. 9, p. 169.
~ Journals of Congress, 1778.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.    7
General Greene unwillingly accepted this office. He disliked any
appointment which required the keeping and expenditure of public
funds, and was unwilling to forego any of the opportunities which might
arise for active service in the regular line of the army.
It was only at the earnest entreaty of Washington that he finally consented, stipulating meanwhile that he should not lose his right of command in action.*
Entering, however, upon his new duties he executed them with great
zeal and ability, encountering obstacles of no ordinary kind, and rendering
services of the utmost importance to the army. He considered, however,
that Congress did not promptly second his views in relation to the business of the department, and he became disinclined to remain at its head.
On the 22d April, 1779, he wrote to General Washington that he would
be happy to obtain the command in the south, if General Lincoln's physical condition rendered him incapable of continuing in command.
General Washington replied April 24, 1779, as follows:
I am sorry for the difficulties you have to encounter in the department of quartermaster,
especially as I was in some degree instrumental in bringing you into it. If your judgment
points to a resignation of your present office, and inclination leads to the southward, my wishes
shall accompany it.t
It does not appear, however, that this point was pressed by General
Greene at the time.  He rendered active services in the field in 1779
whilst Quartermaster General. The question having been raised as to
his proper command under such circumstances, he wrote to General
Washington on the subject, and received a reply dated September 3,
1779, stating that when General Greene accepted office as Quartermaster
General and made a reservation of his rank, General Washington did not
consider that he was to retain thereby an actual permanent command.
He further wrote:
The military reason which prevents a Quartermaster General from exercising command in
ordinary cases I take to be this, that whatever may be the fact, the presumption is that both
in action and out of action he has, generally speaking, sufficient employment in the
duties of his office, and circumstances alone can decide when these are compatible with actual
command.t
At this time the attention of Congress had been attracted to the
organization of the staff departments as they then existed, and radical
changes were contemplated.
On the 20th January, 1780, a committee of three officers, consisting of
General Schuyler, General Mifflin, and Colonel Pickering, were chosen
to make inquiry into the expenses of these departments.~
In view of this inquiry a draught of plan of reorganization of the quartermasters' department, considered practicable both by General Washington
and General Greene, was submitted by the latter to this committee.' Simms's Life of Greene.
t Sparks's Writings of Washington, vol. 6, pp. 229, 230.
t Sparks's Writings of Washington, vol. 6, pp. 337, 338.
~ Journals of Congress, 1780.




8    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
Great hostility to both of these officers, however, was manifested by
certain members of the Congress, especially by those who it was believed
had organized the movement to place General Gates at the head of the
army, and the plan finally submitted to that body and adopted by it on
the 15th July following, was found to differ widely from  that which had
been proposed by them.
The new sytem provided for one Quartermaster General and one Assistant Quartermaster General, to be appointed by Congress; one deputy quartermaster for the main army, and one for each separate army, to be
appointed by the Quartermaster General, who was also to appoint, if he
deemed it necessary, a deputy for each State, to be approved by the
supreme executive of the State)said deputies to appoint, in turn, as
many assistants as required, and all storekeepers, contractors, clerks,
conductors, artificers, and laborers, found necessary to the service to be
appointed by the deputies in their respective districts. The act occupies
several pages, and enters into the most minute details for the government
of the department.*
General Greene was greatly dissatisfied with this system.  He considered the number of assistants too small, their salaries too low, and the
whole scheme inefficient.
Early in August, 1780, he tendered his unconditional resignation as
Quartermaster General, requesting Congress to appoint his successor at
once without loss of time, expressing his desire to remain no longer in
the department than was necessary to close his accounts and to set fairly
in operation the new system  as adapted for the future government of the
department.t
On the 5th August, 1780, Colonel Timothy Pickering was elected by
Congress to fill the vacancy.t  He accepted that position on the 7th of
that month.
I Journals of Congress, 1780.
Under this act, on the 25th July, 1780, Charles Pettit, esq., was elected Assistant Quartermaster General, to reside near Congress, and on June 20, 1781, his resignation was accepted
and the office abolished, the duties being added to those of the Quartermaster General and his
deputies. (Journals of Congress, 1780-'81. )
t General Greene remained for two months in the quartermasters' department performing the
duties of Quartermaster General and preparing the place for his successor. Soon after he
was appointed to the command of the southern army, which he joined at Charlotte, North
Carolina. He served with great distinction until the close of the war, when he returned to
Rhode Island. Subsequently he removed to Georgia with his family, and entered upon the
cultivation of a plantation near Savannah, which had been presented to him by the State of
Georgia. This he made his home until 19th June, 1786, when he died.
Timothy Pickering was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1745. With the commencement
of hostilities, in 1776, he entered the service as colonel of militia, and was engaged thenceforward in active field service, and for several months Adjutant General, until 17th October,
1777, when he was appointed by Congress a member of the Continental Board of War. The
duties of this board of war were multifarious and of great importance, corresponding in gen.
eral to those of Secretary of War of subsequent years. Upon these important duties he was
engaged until his election to fill the position of Quartermaster General.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.   9
The following is the resolution adopted in the case:
Resolved, That Timothy Pickering, esq., having been appointed Quartermaster General,
upon an extraordinary emergency, be continued as a member of the board of war; but that
the exercise of all his powers at the said board, and his pay as a member thereof, be suspended during such time as he shall continue Quartermaster General.
That while he holds the office of Quartermaster General he have the rank of colonel and
the pay and rations of a brigadier general over and above the pay allowed the Quartermaster
General in the late arrangement of the quartermasters' department.*
Upon assuming the duties of his office Colonel Pickering found many
serious difficulties with which to contend.
The scarcity of funds and the depreciation of the currency, and the
want of a system  and harmony in the quartermasters' department under
the new organization, seriously interfered with the prompt transaction
of business.  His personal pecuniary affairs were also a source of embarrassment to him, although his compensation had been considered favorably
by Congress in appointing him  to the office, and he made repeated applications for appointment to more lucrative positions.t
The business of the department, however, was growing less with a
constantly decreasing army, and with a view to economy and reduction
of expenses, Congress at length, on the 25th July, 1785, resolved that the
department of Quartermaster General be considered as ceasing from that
date, and that the Secretary of War and all others concerned be governed accordingly.t
By a subsequent resolution, dated 29th September, 1785, a commissioner,
previously appointed for the settlement of the accounts of the quartermaster general's department, was authorized and directed to enter upon
a general settlement of the various accounts of Colonel Pickering, as
Quartermaster General, and of the several deputies serving in the
department.
The quartermasters' department at this time existed more in name than
reality. It had no organization or effective force.
* Journals of Congress, 1780.
t The pay proper of the Quartermaster General was at that time $166 per month, in addition
to which, Colonel Pickering received the compensation set forth in the resolution appointing
him, making his pay equivalent to $4,396 per annum, besides forage allowances.
f Journals of Congress, 1785.
On the return of peace, Colonel Pickering engaged in business in Philadelphia as a commission merchant; subsequently he entered upon several negotiations with the Indian tribes
under appointment from President Washington. In August, 1791, he was appointed Postmaster General. On the 2d January, 1795, he was transferred to the office of the Secretary
of War, and on December 12, 1795, to that of Secretary of State, in which office he continued
until May 12, 1800, when he was removed by President Adams. In the following year he
engaged in farming in Massachusetts. In 1802 he was appointed chief justice of the court of
common pleas for the county of Essex. In 1803 he was elected United States senator by the
legislature of Massachusetts, and filled this position until the expiration of his second term
in 1811. Upon the commencement of hostilities against Great Britain in 1812 he was
appointed member of the Massachusetts board of war. From 1813 to 1817 he was a member
of the United States House of Representatives. He died January 29, 1829, at Salem, Massachusetts. (New American Encyclopedia, vol. 13, p. 310.)




10    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
A committee, which had been appointed by Congress to make full
inquiry into the condition of the Department of War, reported on the
2d October, 1788, that at that time all supplies required for the quartermasters' department were furnished by persons known as "contractors
of provision," who from time to time contracted with the Secretary of
War to furnish all necessary articles required for the troops, principally
stationed on the frontiers.*
Steady reductions were also being made in the army until, in 1790, it
was enacted that its total strength should not exceed 1,216 men.
CHAPTER II.
OCTOBER, 1788-APRIL, 1802.
On the 4th March, 1789, the first Congress of the United States convened.
As has been seen, the army at this time was virtually disbanded; it
consisted of but between one and two thousand men, and no legislation
affecting an increase of this force appears to have been thought necessary
by Congress until 1791, when the Indian hostilities on the western frontier attracted the special attention of that body.
After a careful examination of the subject, it was decided to establish
a line of posts sufficient to maintain communication from the Ohio to the
Maumee, the intention being to build a strong fort on that river, and to
leave in it a garrison of a thousand men, large enough to send out
detachments to keep the neighboring Indians in awe.t
On the 3d of March an Lct was passed which authorized raising and
adding another regiment to the force at that time in the service, &c.
From sections 5 and 6 of this act is taken the following:
In case the President of the United States should deem the employment of a major general,
brigadier general, a quartermaster, and chaplain, or either of them, essential to the public
interest, that he be, and he hereby is, empowered, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, to appoint the same accordingly. * * * *' The quartermaster shall be entitled to the same pay, rations, and forage as the lieutenant colonel commandant of a regiment.                                                    *       *
On the 4th March, the day following, Major General St. Clair was
made commander-in-chief of forces destined for Forts Pitt and Washington and neighboring posts as places of rendezvous, whence to carry
out the plan of campaign above referred to; and on the same day Samuel
Hodgedn, of Pennsylvania, having been appointed a quartermaster under
the act, by President Washington, was confirmed as such by the Senate.4
On the 5th March, 1792, an act was passed making further provision
for the protection of the frontier.
* Journals of Congress. 1788.
tHildreth's History United States, vol. 4, pp. 203, 204.
tExecutive Journal of the Senate, vol. 1, 1791.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS DEPARTMENT.   11
Under section 7 of this act, fixing the monthly pay, rations, and forage
to be allowed to officers of the army, the grade of deputy quartermaster
was recognized, although it does not appear to have been created by
legislation of Congress.
Section 2 of this act provided for the detail of line officers as quartermasters of the regiments being formed, with additional compensation
for the extra duty thus performed by them.
On the 28th March General St. Clair left Philadelphia for Fort Washington, via Fort Pitt, arriving there the 15th May following. Quartermaster Hodgden, however, tardily followed his commanding officer and
failed to reach Fort Washington until the 10th September, although
express orders had been received by him  some time previously from
General St. Clair to hasten forward.
The little army, numbering but about 2,000 men, suffered in the meantime and subsequently for the want of the most necessary supplies.
The quartermasters' and other stores forwarded from the east to the
troops were found to be deficient in quantity and bad in quality. Boats
for the transportation of the troops were not in readiness: horses which
were to be furnished by the contractors were not brought forward; the
rations of the men were failing, and the green forage for the animals had
been touched by the early frost.  In short, the extreme deficiencies and
derangements of the business of the quartermaster and contractor of
provisions were considered to have been, to a great extent, the cause
of the subsequent failure of the expedition.*
On the 19th April, 1792, Quartermaster Hodgden was superseded by
James O. Hara, of Pennsylvania.t
In the following May the duties of the quartermasters' department, at
that time light, were rendered still more unimportant by the transfer of
the power of purchasing and contracting for army supplies to the
Treasury Department.
Section 5 of the act of May 8, 1792, under which the transfer was
made, reads as follows:
That all the purchases and contracts for supplying the army with provisions, clothing,
supplies in the quartermasters' department, military stores, Indian goods, and all other supplies or other articles for the use of the Department of War, be made by or under the direction
of the Treasury Department.+
In accordance with the request of the Secretary of War, in a letter to
Congress dated 2d December, 1794,~ it was further enacted, on the 23d
February, 1795, that an officer be appointed in the Treasury Depart.
ment, to be known as the "Purveyor of Public Supplies," to attend to
this special duty.ll' American State Papers, Military Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 36, 44.
t Executive Journals of the Senate, vol. 1, 1792.
t Laws of the United States, vol. 2, p. 304.
~ American State Papers, Military Affairs, vol. 1, p. 69.
II This office existed until March 28, 1812, when it was abolished. (Laws of the United
States, vol. 2, p. 472.)




12    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
The grade of Quartermaster General, which had been abolished in
1785, appears to have been revived about this time, it having been recognized in an act of March 3, 1795, for continuing and regulating the
military establishment,  although not recreated by legislation of Congress
prior to May 30, 1796. At that time an act was passed authorizing,
among other general staff officers, a Quartermaster General.t The same
act provided that the general staff should continue in service until March
4, 1797, and no longer.1
On the following day, Lieutenant Colonel O'Hara having resigned, John
Wilkins, jr., of Pennsylvania, was appointed Quartermaster General
under this act.~
On the 3d March, 1797, the act above referred to was so amended as
to continue indefinitely the grades of Quartermaster General and Paymaster General, these officers to receive the same pay and emoluments
previously authorized by law.Il The duties of this office appear to have
been still very light.
During the following year, however, the unfriendly demonstrations of
republican France caused much solicitude to the American people, and
it was considered necessary to temporarily increase the force of the army
to meet any exigency which might arise.  Accordingly Congress, by an
act of May 28, 1798, authorized the President "in the event of declaration of war against the United States, or of actual invasion of their
territory by a foreign power, or of imminent danger of such invasion
discovered, to call into active service a provisional army of not exceeding 10,000 men."
Section 7 of this act provided that in case the President should judge
the employment of a Quartermaster General essential to the public
interest, he was authorized to appoint the same accordingly, subject to
the confirmation of the Senate. The Quartermaster General was to be
entitled to the rank, pay, and emoluments of lieutenant colonel.~f
General Washington had retired to private life and was then residing
at Mount Vernon. Just before the close of the session of Congress he
was nominated and confirmed Lieutenant General and Commander-inchief of all the troops to be raised. This command Washington accepted
with the express condition that he should not be called into active service until the army was in a situation to require his presence, unless
urgency of circumstances should sooner make it necessary.**
The military establishment, as then authorized, was to consist of 5,792 men.
t Section 12 of the act provided that these staff officers be taken from the line, receiving
$25 per month additional compensation for the duty performed.
+ Laws of the United:tates, vol. 2, pp. 556, 560. In consequence of peace with the Indians, the military establishment had been reduced in 1796 to 2,800 men. (Hildreth's History
of the United States, vol 4, p. 628.)
g Executive Journals of the Senate, vol. 1, 1796.
II Laws of the United States, vol. 2, p. 588.
~ Laws of the United States, vol. 3, pp. 50, 52.
/* Hildreth's History of the United States, vol. 5, pp. 240, 241.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.  13
On the 4th July he wrote to the Hon. James McHenry, Secretary of
WVar, as follows:
The Inspector General, Quartermaster General, Adjutant General, and officer commanding
the corps of artillerists and engineers, ought to be men of the most respectable character and
of first-rate abilities; because from the nature of their respective offices, and from their being
always about the commander-in-chief, who is obliged to intrust many things to them confidentially, scarcely any movement can take place without their knowledge. It follows, then,
that besides possessing the qualifications just mentioned. they ought to have those of integrity and prudence in an eminent degree, that entire confidence might be reposed in them.
If the Quartermaster General is not a man of great resource and activity, and worthy of the
highest confidence, he would be unfit for the military station he is to occupy; for as it is not
possible at all times to conceal from him real designs and movements under false appearances,
the better and safer way is to place full confidence in him under the seal of responsibility. Then,
knowing the plan, he participates in the concealment, on which, and the celerity of a movement, success oftentimes depends. In addition to these requisites in a Quartermaster General, economy in providing for the wants of an army, proper arrangements in the distribution
of their supplies, and a careful eye to the use of them, are of great importance and call for
a circumspect choice.*
On the 31st December following President Adams transmitted to Congress a special report from  the Secretary of War, dated December 24,
1798, relative to the reorganization of the army, in which the following
appeared:
The only provision for the appointment of a Quartermaster General is to be found in the
act of the 28th of May, authorizing the President to raise a provisional army, which limits his
rank and emoluments to those of lieutenant colonel; this provision is conceived to be entirely
inadequate for a war establishment. The military duties of the office are of a nature to render
it of the first importance in an army, demanding great and peculiar abilities, and a character
every way worthy of trust; accordingly it is the general practice, founded upon very substantial reasons, to confide it to an officer of high military rank The probability is that, without
a similar arrangement on our part, we shall not be able to command a fit character, and in
taking one of inferior pretensions, we shall subject the service to disadvantages out of all proportion to any objections which may be supposed to militate against the conferring of such
rank.
It is feared that an appointment under such a provision will only create embarrassment,
should there be real necessity for military exertions, and that the alternative must be either
to leave the army destitute of so necessary an organ, or to give it one likely, in the progress
of things, to prove unequal to the task. A new provision on this subject appears absolutely
indispensable t
Congress, taking the entire subject of army reorganization into consideration, passed the act of March 3, 1799.  Sections 10 and 12 of this
act read as follows:
SECTION 10. That there shall be a Quartermaster General of the army of the United States,
who shall be entitled to the rank, pay, emoluments, and privileges of a major general.
SECTION 12. That to any army of the United States, other than that in which the Quartermaster General shall serve, there shall be a deputy quartermaster general, who shall be a
field officer, and who, in addition to his other emoluments, shall be entitled to $50 per month,
which shall be in full compensation for his extra services and travelling expenses; but the
provisions of this act are not to affect the present Quartermaster General of the army of the
United States, who, in case a Quartermaster General shall be appointed by virtue of this act,
i Sparks's Writings of Washington, vol. 2, pp. 551-52.
tAmerican State Papers, Military Affairs, vol. 1, p. 125.




14    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
is to act as deputy quartermaster general, and shall hereafter have the rank of lieutenant
colonel; and that to every division of an army there shall be a division quartermaster, who,
in addition to his other emoluments, shall be entitled to $30 per month, which shall be in full
compensation for his extra services and travelling expenses: and that to every brigade there
shall be a brigade quartermaster, who, in addition to his other emoluments, shall be entitled
to $24 per month, Which shall be in full compensation for his extra services and travelling
expenses; each of which officers shall be chosen by the Quartermaster General from among
the regimental officers.*
It was also provided by this act that no regimental officer of higher
rank than a captain be appointed a division quartermaster, and that no
one of higher rank than first lieutenant be appointed quartermaster of a
brigade.
The apprehended difficulties with France were not, however, realized
to any serious extent by the United States.  Hostilities were mainly carried on by the navy, and under the acts of February 20 and May 14,
1800,t enlistments and military appointments were suspended.
The appointment of a new Quartermaster General, under the act of
1799, was not made, and Mr. Wilkins remained in charge of the duties
of the station, his position being raised to that of major general, as would
appear fromn a message of President Jefferson to Congress in 1802. t
Material reductions were in contemplation, and by the act of March
16, 1802, fixing the military peace establishment, it was enacted that the
army be reduced to one regiment of artillerists and two of infantry, with
the necessary officers.
Sections 3, 16, and 17 of this act provided for the appointment of paymasters, assistant paymasters, and military agents, upon whom the duties
of the quartermasters' department were thenceforward to devolve. They
authorized the appointment of one paymaster of the army, seven paymasters and two assistants, who, in addition to their other duties, were
to have charge of the clothing of troops; also the appointment of three
military agents, and such number of assistant military agents as might
be thought expedient by the President, not exceeding one at each military post, it being the duty of these agents and assistants to purchase,
receive, and forward to their destination all military stores and other
articles for the troops in their respective departments, and all goods and
annuities for the Indians;. they were to make returns of all property
which would come into their possession to the Secretary of War.  Both
paymasters and agents were required to file bonds for the faithful performance of these duties.  Under operation of this act, John Wilkins, jr.,
ceased to be Quartermaster General, and Peter Gansevoort, of New York,
for the northern department; William Linnard, of Pennsylvania, for
the middle department; and Abraham D. Abrahams, of Georgia, for the
southern department, were appointed military agents and confirmed as
such by the Senate, 29th April, 1802.~
* Laws of the United States, vol. 3, p. 295.
t Laws of the United States, vol. 3, pp. 305, 400, 401.
t Register of Officials, 1802.
S Executive Journal of the Senate, 1802.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT. 15
CHAPTER III.
APRIL, 1802-FEBRUARY, 1815.
There appears to have been no further legislation of Congress affecting the quartermasters' department until the act of April 12, 1808,
granted authority to raise, for a limited time, an additional military force
in view of apprehended difficulties with foreign powers.  This act provided for two brigade quartermasters and a quartermaster to each of the
eight regiments to be raised under it.*
On the 1st January, 1810, the following communication was sent to the
Senate by the Secretary of War, showing the disadvantage arising froim
the different systems under which the department was at that time being
conducted:
The inconveniences and embarrassments to the service, together with the neglect and loss
of property, arising from the irregular and unprecedented manner in which the quartermasters' department is conducted, render it my duty to suggest the propriety of some further legal
provision on the subject. The defects in the present system originated ill the laws. By the
law fixing the military peace establishment, provision is made for the appointment of three
military agents, and as many assistant military agents, not exceeding one to each military
post, as the President shall deem expedient. The law authorizing an additional military
force provides for two brigade and eight regimental quartermasters. The military agents
and assistant military agents are appointed by the President, the brigade quartermasters
by the brigadiers, and the regimental quartermasters by the colonels of regiments.
The result of this organization is, that the assistant military agents, who ought to account
for and make returns to the military agents of all property delivered to them, are not held
by a proper responsibility, the military agents having no power or influence in their appointment, nor authority to call them to account for malpractices or neglect of duty. The brigade
and regimental quartermasters are as little under their control.
It will also be perceived that no provision is made for the appointment of an officer whose
duty it should be to have, charge of, and be responsible for, the property appertaining to that
department, to regulate and superintend the distribution of all supplies, and to whom all subordinate officers should be accountable.
In want of such an officer the Secretary of War has been obliged to perform the duties of
Quartermaster General. Under the military peace establishment those duties were laborious.
Since raising the additional militr.ry force they have necessarily increased, until it is suggested by experience that, if they were compatible with other duties required of him, the Secretary of War cannot continue to discharge them, either satisfactorily to himself or with justice to the public.
It is therefore respectfully suggested that the President be authorized by law to appoint a
Quartermaster General, with rank in the army not exceeding the rank of, with pay
and emoluments not exceeding those of   -.
An assistant quartermaster general, to be taken from the line of captains, whose compensation shall not exceed one-half his monthly pay and emoluments.
As many deputy quartermasters general, not exceeding four, as the service may require.
If taken from the line, their compensation not to exceed one-half their monthly pay and
emoluments; if not of the line, not to exceed the present compensation of the military
agents.
* Laws of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 161, 162.




16    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
As many assistant deputy quartermasters, not exceeding one to each military post, as the
service may require, to be taken from the line, and allowed $8 per month (as provided by
law for the present assistant military agents.)
In time of peace, the proposed system being less complicated, and possessing a more regular and rigid accountability, would be far less expensive in its consequences, at the same
time that it would instruct the officers in a branch of service acknowledged by military men
to be of the first importance.
To meet a state of war without such an establishment, which has been justly denominated
the right hand of an army, would be to disregard the practice and experience of our own
and every other nation, and expose to hazard and defeat every military operation.*
No action appears to have been immediately taken by Congress upon
those recommendations.
War with Great Britain at this time seemed imminent.  Serious complications had arisen; the maritime rights of Americans had been
assailed, and a strong political party were clamorous for a campaign
against the Canadas as a retaliatory measure.  It was hoped by diplomacy to avoid the impending calamity, but, as a prudential measure,
it was decided to further increase the military force, and by the act of
January 11, 1812, 113 new regiments were authorized to be added thereto.
On the 28th March, following, an act was approved re-establishing the
quartermasters' department and reviving the grade of Quartermaster
General.
The first section provided for one Quartermaster General, four deputy
quartermasters, and as many assistant deputy quartermasters as, in the
opinion of the President, the public services might require.  The Quartermaster General and deputies to be appointed by the President, subject to the confirmation of the Senate; the assistant deputies to be
appointed by the President alone.  The President was further authorized to appoint such additional deputies, not exceeding four, as in his
judgment might be required.
The second section provided that the Quartermaster General should
be entitled to the rank, pay, and emoluments of a brigadier general,
with forage for two additional horses; the deputy quartermasters, when
not taken from the line, should be entitled to receive $60 per month,
five rations per day, and forage for two horses; but if taken from the
line, then such additional pay and emoluments as should be equal to
the foregoing provision; the assistant deputy quartermasters, when not
taken from the line, should be entitled to and receive $40 per month,
three rations per day, and forage for one horse; but if taken from the
line, then such additional pay and emoluments as should be equal to
the foregoing provision.
The third section, that in addition to their duties in the field, the
Quartermaster General, his deputies and assistant deputies, when directed
thereto by the Secretary of War, should purchase military stores, camp
equipage, and other articles requisite for the troops, and generally
I American State Papers, Military Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 256,257.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS'  DEPARTMENT.   17
should procure and provide means of transportation for the army, its
stores, artillery, and camp equipage. The Quartermaster General to
account to the War Department for all property and moneys passing
through his hands or those of his subordinate officers, and to be responsible for the regularity and correctness of all returns.
The fourth section provided for a Commissary General of Purchases,
with as many deputies as the public service might require, to be appointed
by the President, subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
The fifth section made it the duty of the Commissary General of Purchases, under supervision of the Secretary of WVar, to conduct the procuring and providing of all arms, military stores, clothing, (heretofore
purchased by paymasters,) and all articles of supply requisite for the
military service of the United States; deputy commissaries, in cases
of necessity, to act under the orders of the commanding general, Quartermnaster General, or deputy quartermaster, in purchasing supplies.
The sixth section provided that neither the Quartermaster General
nor Commissary General shall be concerned in trade or commerce, nor
have ownership in any sea-vessel, nor purchase public lands or other
public property, nor be concerned in public securities of the United
States, or of any State, nor receive any emolument other than that provided by law for their services.
The seventh and eighth sections fixed the pay of Commissary General of Purchases at $3,000 per annum, and caused him to file bonds to
the sum of $50,000. The compensation of a deputy commissary was not
to exceed two and one-half per centum on the public moneys disbursed
by him, not exceeding the sum of $2,000 per annum, and he was to file
bonds for $10,000.
The remaining sections, so far as they relate to the Quartermaster
General, provided for the necessary clerks for his office; that letters
and packets, to and from it, should be free of postage; gave authority
to the Quartermaster General to appoint a principal wagon-master, and
as many wagon-masters as might be required, not exceeding one to each
brigade; and authorized the Quartermaster General also to appoint
one principal forage-master, and as many assistant forage-masters as
the service may require. This act abolished the office of purveyor
of public supplipes and the offices of the military agents; the former to
deliver public property in his possession to the Commissary General,
the latter to the deputy and assistant deputy quarterlnasters.*  In
accordance with the provision of this act William  Jones,t of Pennsylvania was appointed Commissary General of Purchases, and Morgan'Laws of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 396, 399.
t It does not appear that William Jones entered actively upon the duties pertaining to the
purchasing department. On the 8th of August, 1812, Callender Irvine, of Pennsylvania, who
had been superintendent of military stores, was appointed to fill the position, so continuing
until his death, October 9, 1811. (Gardner's Dictionary of the Army of the United States,
p. 246.) In the following year the office was abolished.
2QD




18    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
Lewis,* of New York, Quartermaster General, and were confirmed by
the Senate on the 3d and 4th April, 1812, respectively.t
On the 23d of April, 1812, an act was approved organizing a corps of
artificers, to be attached to the Quartermaster General's department,
and subject to the orders of the officers of thatdepartment.4  It was
enacted that this corps consist of one superintendent, appointed by the
President, four assistants, two master masons, two master carpenters,
two master blacksmiths, two master boat-builders, two master armorers,
two master saddle and harness-makers, twenty house-carpenters, five
ship-carpenters, 20 blacksmiths, 16 boat-builders, 16 armorers, 12 saddle and harness-makers, and 24 laborers, to be selected from the privates
of the army, when authorized by the commanding general, or engaged
from  among citizens by the superintendent.  The superintendent to
report monthly to the Quartermaster General; pay-roll to be examined
by the Quartermaster General, or a deputy, and be countersigned.
The corps of artificers was to be engaged for three years, unless sooner
discharged by the President.  On the 14th May following an act was
approved, establishing an ordnance department and creating the grade
of Commissary General of Ordnance, which act at once relieved the Commissary General of Purchases of some of the most important duties then
devolving upon him.~
On the 22d May an act was approvedll which provided:
1. That neither the Quartermaster General, deputies, nor assistant
deputies, should be concerned in the purchase or sale, for commercial
purposes of any articles intended for their respective departments, nor
receive any emoluments for their services other than that provided by
law.
2. That the Quartermaster General should have power to appoint one
principal barrack-master, with as many deputies as he should deem
necessary.
3. That bonds with sufficient security should be filed by the Quartermaster General, deputies, and assistants, for the acceptance and approval
of the Secretary of War.
4. That the Quartermaster General should not be liable for money or
property that might come into the hands of the subordinate officers of
his department.l
On the 18th June, 1812, war against Great Britain was declared.
On June 26, 1812, an act was approved consolidating the old army
and the new levies; the regular force was to consist of 25 regiments of
* Morgan Lewis was born in New York city in October, 1754, and was in active service in
the revolutionary war as adjutant general to Major General Gates, with rank of colonel.
(Ibid, p. 278.)
tExecutive Journals of the Senate, vol. 2, 1812.
tLaws of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 410, 411.
~ Laws of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 430, 431.
11 Ibid., pp. 436, 437.
I~ Laws of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 436, 437.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.  19
foot, four of artillery, two of dragoons, and one of riflemen; making on
paper, with the engineers and artificers, a total of 36,700 men.  The
actual force under arms consisted, however, at the declaration of war,
of 10,000 men only, of whom about half were new recruits.* By an act
of July 6, of the same year, the President was authorized to increase
the number of officers of the quartermasters' department by the appointment of one deputy quartermaster general and such number of assistant
deputies, not exceeding three, as might be required, to any army of the
United  States, other than that in which the Quartermaster General
should at the time be serving.t
By the act of January 29, 1813, the military force was largely increased
to meet the exigency. Under the operation of this and preceding acts
the military organization included 52 regiments of cavalry, artillery,
dragoons, and infantry.
On the 3d March following an act was approved providing for the
supplies required for the army and for the accountability of persons
intrusted with the same.4 In view of its important relations to the
quartermasters' department, as then constituted, the several sections
are fully quoted:
SEC. 2. That there shall be a superintendent general of military supplies, who shall
reside at the seat of government, and receive an annual salary of $3,000, and whose duty it
shall be, under the direction of the Secretary for the War Department, to keep proper accounts
of all the military stores and supplies of every description purchased or distributed for the
use of the army of the United States, and of the volunteers and militia in the service; to prescribe the forms of all the returns and accounts of such stores and supplies purchased, on
hand, distributed, used, or sold, to be rendered by the Commissary of Ordnance and officers
in his department, by the Commissary General of Purchases and his deputies, by the several
officers in the Quartermaster General's department, by the regimental quartermasters, by
the hospital surgeons, and other officers belonging to the hospital and medical departments,
and by all other officers, agents, or persons who shall have received, distributed, or been
intrusted with, such stores and supplies as aforesaid; to call to account all such persons, to
audit and settle all such accounts, and, in case of delinquency, to transmit the account, and
state the vaiue of the articles unaccounted for by such delinquency, to the accounting officers
of the treasury for final settlement and recovery of such value; to transmit all such orders,
and generally to perform all such other duties, respecting the general superintendence of
the purchase, transportation, safe-keeping, and accountability of military supplies, and
stores as aforesaid, as may be prescribed by the Secretary for the War Department.
SEC. 3. That the Commissary General of Purchases and his deputies, the several officers in
the quartermasters' department, the regimental quartermasters, the Commissary of Ordnance,
his assistant and deputies, the principal hospital surgeons and officers belonging to the hospital and medical departments, and all other officers, agents, or persons who shall have
received or may be intrusted with, any stores or supplies of any description whatever, for
the use of the army of the United States, and of the volunteers or militia in their service,
shall render quarterly accounts of the disposition and state of all such stores and supplies to the superintendent aforesaid; and shall also make such other returns respecting the
same, and at such other times as the Secretary for the War Department may prescribe:
Provided, however, That the accounts and returns thus rendered shall relate to the articles of
* Hildreth's History of the United States, vol. 6, p. 308.
t Laws of the United States, vol. 4, p. 479., United States Military Laws, pp. 242, 243, 244.




20   ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
supply only which may have been received and disposed of, or as may remain on hand, and
shall not embrace the specie accounts for moneys disbursed by such officers, agents: or other
persons; which specie accounts shall be rendered, as heretofore, to the accountant for the War
Department.
SEC. 4. That the officers, agents, or other persons who may receive money in advance
from the War Department, shall render quarterly accounts to the accountant of the said department, of their specie receipts and disbursements, and shall, moreover, make such other
monthly summary statements thereof to the Secretary of the said dcepartment as he may prescribe. And the quarterly accounts of supplies or of moneys rendered as aforesaid shall be
respectively settled by the superintendent general of military supplies, and by the accountant of the War Department, according to their respective authorities, within three months
after the time when such accounts shall have respectively been rendered to them.
SEC. 5. That the Secretary for the War Department shall be, and is hereby, authorized and
directed to define and prescribe the species, as well as the amount of supplies to be respectively purchased by the Commissary General's and Quartermaster General's departments, and
the respective duties and powers of the said departments respecting such purchases; and
also to adopt and prescribe general regulations for the transportation of the articles of supply
from the places of purchase to the several armies, garrisons, posts, and recruiting places, for
the safe keeping of such articles, and for the distribution of an adequate and timely supply
of the same to the regimental quartermasters, and to such other officers as may, by virtue of
such regulations be intrusted with the same. And the Secretary aforesaid is also authorized
to fix and make reasonable allowances for the store-rent, storage, and salary of storekeepers
necessary for the safe-keeping of all military stores and supplies.
SEC. 6. That the superintendent general of military supplies shall be appointed by the
President, with the advice and consent of the senate; but the President is hereby authorized
to make the appointment during the recess of the Senate, which appointment shall be submnitted to the Senate at their next meeting, for their advice and consent.
SEC. 7. That the superintendent general of military supplies shall be authorized to employ
a sufficient number of clerks: Provided, That their annual compensation shall not exceed, in
the whole, $7,000; and the sum of $3,000 is hereby appropriated for paying the said compensation, and that of the superintendent aforesaid, during the year 1813, to be paid out of any
moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.
SEC. 8. That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, empowered, as he
may deem it expedient, either to appoint, for the time being, a special commissary or commissaries, for the purpose of supplying by purchase or contract, and of issuing, or to authorize
any officer or officers in the Quartermaster General's department to supply and issue as aforesaid the whole or any part of the subsistence of the army, in all cases where, either from the
want of contractors or from any deficiency on their part, or from any other contingency, such
measnre may be proper and necessary in order to insure the subsistence of the army; or of
any part thereof, and such special commissaries shall each, whilst employed, be entitled to
the pay and emoluments of a deputy quartermaster general.
SEC. 9. That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to appoint
not exceeding six assistant commissaries, to be attached to such army, or to reside at such
places, respectively, as the Secretary for the War Department may direct, for the purpose
of receiving from the Commissary General of Purchases, or from his deputies, and of distributing to the regimental quartermasters, and to such officers as may by the Secretary aforesaid be designated, the clothing and other supplies purchased by the Commissary General aforesaid, or his deputies, and destined for the use of the troops belonging to the army, or in the
vicinity of the place to which such assistant commissaries may respectively be attached; and
said assistant commissaries shall, whilst employed, be entitled to the pay and emoluments of
a deputy quartermaster general.
On the same day (3d March, 1813) an act was passed " for the better




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.   21
organization of the general staff of the army," and causing radical changes
in that of the quartermasters' department.*
Section 1 provided that the department consist of eight quartermasters
general, eight deputy quartermasters general, and thirty-two assistant
deputy quartermasters general.
Section 2 provided that the quartermaster general attached to the principal army have the brevet rank and the pay and emoluments of a brigadier general as before.
Section 3 provided that all other quartermasters general have the brevet
rank and the pay and emoluments of colonels of infantry, and that the
deputies and assistant deputies have the brevet rank and the pay and
emoluments of majors of cavalry and captains of infantry, respectively.
Section 4 authorized the President to take these officers from the line
or not, as he might consider expedient.
Section 5 made it the duty of the Secretary of War to prepare a code of
regulations for the better government of the staff departments and to be
used for the army upon receiving the approval of the President.
Section 8 authorized the appointment of forage, wagon, and barrackmasters as before, and  gave power to  each  quartermaster general
attached to any separate army, command, or district, to appoint, under
the direction of the Secretary of War, as many artificers, mechanics, aaid
laborers as the public service might require.
In accordance with the provisions of this act, Robert Swartwout,t of
NewYork, was appointed Quartermaster General on the 21st March, 1813,
and designated as chief of the quartermasters' department, in place of
General Lewis who had received an appointment of major general in the
army.4
* Laws of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 522-3-4.
The following quotation is from the President's annual message to Congress November
12, 1812: "I cannot press too strongly on the earliest attention of the legislature the importance of the reorganization of the staff establishment, with a view to render more distinct and
definite the relations and responsibilities of its several departments. That there is room for
improvements which will materially promote both economy and success, in what appertains
to the army and the war, is equally inculcated by the examples of other countries and by the
experience of our own."  (Executive Journals of the Senate 1812.)
t Robert Swartwout had been a colonel of New York militia in the war of 1812. (Gardner's
Dictionary of the United States, p. 435.)
Quartermaster General Lewis was appointed a major general of the army on the 2d March,
1813, serving as such until June 15, 1815, when the reduction of the army took place. He
filled the position of governor of the State of New York from 1804 to 1807. He died in New
York April 7, 1844. (Gardner's Dictionary of the Army of the United States, p. 278.)
But six subordinate quartermasters general were appointed immediately after the passage
of the act; they were William Linnard, John C. Bartlett, Elisha Jenkins, James Thomas,
William Piatt, William Swan, (American State Papers, Military Affairs, vol. 1, p. 389.)
On the Ist January, 1815, there were the following: William Linnard, Elisha Jenkins,
James Thomas, William Swan, James S. Swearingen, Paul Bentalou, Justus Past.
(Gordon's compilation of United States Army Registers, p. 4.)




22    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
On the 10th February, 1814, it was enacted that three regiments of
riflemen be raised, one quartermaster and one quartermaster sergeant
being allowed each.*
On the 30th March, 1814, it was enacted that three regiments of artilery be formed into one corps, and organized into twelve battalions, one
quartermaster being authorized to each battalion. Section 20 of this act
prohibited taking quartermasters of any grade from the line of the army.t
CHAPTER IV.
FEBRUARY, 1815-JUNE, 1860.
On the 11th February, 1815, news of the proclamation of peace by
Great Britain was brought to New York, causing the greatest joy and
enthusiasm throughout the country. The evil effects of the disastrous
war had been felt from the lakes to New Orleans; and although the
United States troops were gaining signal victories at the time peace was
thus declared, its return, and with it the cessation of further hostilities,
was heartily welcomed by the people.
On the 3d of March following, an act was passed reducing the army of
the United States to 10,000 men; one quartermaster and quartermaster
sergeant to each regiment were authorized; also four brigade quartermasters, to be taken from the subalterns of the line.4  This act made it the
duty of the President to discharge all officers who, by its operation,
became supernumerary. Accordingly, on the 17th May, 1815, orders were
issued from the Adjutant and Inspector General's office announcing that
the President had so arranged the general staff as to include one Quartermaster General and two deputy quartermaster generals, provisionally
retained, and the four brigade quartermasters provided for by the law;
all other officers of the quartermasters' department, whose accounts were
unsettled, were to be allowed to remain in service during a reasonable
period, for the single purpose of rendering and settling them.~
Robert Swartwout was continued Quartermaster General, with the
brevet rank of brigadier general.ll
On the 27th December, 1815, William H. Crawford, Secretary of War,
* Laws of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 644, 645.
t Ibid., pp. 667, 670.
+ Laws of the United States, vol. 4, p. 895.
) Gordon's Compilation of the United States Army Registers, pp. 60, 61.
II Samuel Champlain, of Connecticut, and Samuel Brown, jr., of New York, who had been
appointed deputy quartermasters general on the 1st and 26th March, 1813, respectively, were
retained, the former being assigned to the division of the south, and the latter to the division
of the north-the two military divisions of the United States at that date. William Linwood,
who was appointed a Quartermaster General with the rank of colonel on the 12th April, 1813,
was subsequently appointed a provisional deputy quartermaster general to assist Major Brown
in the division of the north. (Ibid.)




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS'  DEPARTMENT.   23
in a report to the House of Representatives, referred to the staff officers
who had been provisionally retained in the military service, and recommended that in organizing the general staff provision be made, among
other officers, for one Quartermaster General, who should be stationed
at Washington.*  This recommendation was not apparently concurred
in at that time.
On the 24th April, 1816, however, an act was passed organizing the
staff departments.t
The first section of this act authorized the appointment of one Quartermaster General, with one deputy quartermaster general to each division, and an assistant of each to every brigade; these latter, by the law,
superseded the brigade quartermasters and inspectors then existing.
Section 5 provided that the purchasing department consist of one
commissary general of purchases, as before authorized, one deputy commissary to each division, six assistant commissaries of issues, and as many
military storekeepers as the service might require.  The salaries of the
latter were to be regulated by the Secretary of War according to the duty
they were performing, not, however, to exceed the pay and emoluments
of a captain of infantry. The salaries of the former were fixed by the law.
Section 6 directed that all officer3 of the quartermasters' and other
disbursing departments file bonds in such sums as the Secretary of WTar
might direct, and that military storekeepers be subject to the rules and
articles of war in the same manner as officers of the army.
Section 7 made it the duty of the President of the United States to
prescribe the quantity and kind of clothing to be issued annually to the
troops.t
Section 9 authorized all officers of the general staff to retain the pay
and emoluments secured to them by the act of 3d March, 1813.
General orders issued from the Adjutant and Inspector General's office,
Manly 3, 1816, announced that, in conformity with the above act, James R.
Mullany,~ of New York, and George Gibson,11 of Pennsylvania, had been
appointed quartermasters general of the divisions of the north and south,
respectively, with rank of colonel, to date from April 29, 1816.~1
On the 14th April, 1818, an act was passed further regulating the staff' American State Papers-Military Affairs, vol. 1, p. 636.
t Laws of the United States, vol. 6, pp. 79, 81.
$ This duty seems to have previously devolved upon Congress. (See act of March 16, 1802.)
~ James R. Mullany entered the army as major of the 23d infantry, March 13, 1812; he was
promoted to be lieutenant colonel on the 3d March, 1813, and to be colonel of the 30th infantry
on the 30th November, 1814. Under the reductions of the army he was discharged the service on the 14th April, 1818. (Gardner's Dictionary of the Army. )
I[ George Gibson, of Pennsylvania, entered the service as captain in the 5th infantry May
3, 1808; he was promoted to be major of the 7th infantry 9th November, 1811, and lieutenant colonel of the 5th infantry August 15, 1813, leaving the service June 15, 1815, on the
disbandment of the army. (Gardner's Dictionary of the Army.)
~ Gordon's Compilation of the United States Army Registers, pp. 88, 89.




24   ORGANIZATION OF TIIE QUARITERMASTERS DEPARTMENT.
of the army,* in accordance with a plan suggested by Mr. Calhoun, Secretary of War.t
Section 3 of this act repealed so much of the act of April 24, 18167 as
allowed one quartermaster general to each division and provided that
the quartermasters' department consist in the addition to the two deputy
quartermasters general and the four assistant deputy quartermasters
general. then authorized, of one Quartermaster General with the rank, pay,
and emoluments of a brigadier general, and as many assistant deputy
quartermasters general as the President might deem  proper, not exceeding, in the whole number, 12.
Section 6 provided for a Commissary General of Subsistence, thereby
talking from  the duties of the Commissary General of Purchases.
Former enactments, relative to  forage, wagon, and barrack-masters,
were repealed by this act.
Under  this act, by general orders of the Adjutant and Inspector
General's office, April 30, 181, William  Cumming, of Georgia,$ was
appointed Quartermaster General, to date from  April 18, 1818, in. lieu of
quartermasters general of divisions, one of whom, Colonel Gibson, was
appointed Commissary General of Subsistence from  the same date.~
General Cunlming declined the appointment conferred upon him, and
on the 8th May, 1818, Brevet Colonel Thomas  S. Jesup, lieutenant
colonel 3d United States infantry,jl was appointed to fill the vacancy.Il
Immediately upon the receipt of the notice of this appointment, Col* Laws of the United States, vol. 6, pp. 28S, 289.
t Hildreth's History of the United States, vol. 6.
Colonel Gibson, who was discharged from service by virtue of this act, was, on the 18th
April, 1818, appointed Commissary General of Subsistence, and subsequently brevetted brigadier general and major general. (Gardner's Dictionary of the Army.)
t William Cumming, of Georgia, was appointed major in the 8th infantry, March 25, 1813;
he was appointed Adjutant General with rank of colonel, February 16, 1814, resigning that
position on the 31st of March, 1815. He was occupied in civil pursuits when the appointment of Quartermaster General was conferred upon him. (Gardner's Dictionary of the
Army.)
Q Gordon's Compilation of United States Registers, page 134.
The other officers of the quartermasters' department, who by the law were rendered supernumerary, were retained in the service until the 1st of June following.
II Thomas Sidney Jesup was born in Virginia in 1778. On the 3d of May, 1808, he was
appointed from Ohio as second lieutenant of 7th infantry. Promoted to first lieutenant in
December, 1809. In the war of 1812, he served under Brigadier General Hull as brigade
major and acting adjutant general. He was promoted to be captain and major and was transferred to the 25th infantry in 1814, receiving during the same year the brevets of lieutenant
colonel and colonel, for gallant and distinguished services in the battles of Chippewa and
Niagara, in the latter of which he was severely wounded. On the 30th April, 1817, he was
made lieutenant colonel of the 3d infantry, and on the 27th of March, 1818, appointed Adjutant General with the rank of colonel, and was serving in this capacity when appointed
Quartermaster General.
1~ The Army Register of May, 1818, shows that William Linwood and Milo Mason were
deputy quartermasters general under the act, and that there were nine assistant deputies
under appointment. The number of assistants was increased in 1819 to 16, the maximum
number allowed by the law.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.  25
onel Jesup, then  at Brownsville, Texas, started for Washington  city,
and upon the 15th of June, 1818, entered upon the duties of his new
position.
On the 17th  July following, he submitted to the Secretary of War a
comprehensive projet of the nature and functions of the quartermasters'
department and the duties of its officers.  This projet, having met with
the approval of the Secretary of War, was embodied by Major General
Scott in the code of regulations compiled under the act of March 3,1813,
and published for the information and guidance of the army, in July, 1821.
On March 2, 1821, an act of Congress was approved reducing the
army and fixing the military peace establishment.*   Under this act, the
army was to be composed of four regiments of artillery and seven of infantry, with certain officers of engineers, ordnance, and the staff.
Section 7 of this act provided for one Quartermaster General, (who under
the act of March 28, 1812, received the pay and emoluments of brigadier general,) two quartermasters with rank, pay, &c., of majors of
cavalry, and ten assistant quartermasters, to be taken from  the line and
to receive additional comnpensation varying from  $10 to $20 per month,
as the Secretary of War might decide.
This great reduction in the effective force of the quartermasters' department proved disadvantageous and  embarllrassed the prompt transaction of its business.  On the 22d of November, 1823, General Jesup
wrote to the Secretary of War as follows:             *     *     *      *     *
In 1820, when the military frontier was not so extensive as at present, there were attached
to the department, in addition to the Quirtermaster General and two deputies, 16 assistants,
besides 18 regimental and battalion quartermasters. The act of Congress of March, 1821,
reorganizing the army, abolished the regimental and battalion quartermasters, and reduced
the number of assistants from 16 to 10; so that, of 37 officers, 1:3 only were retained. The
same act reduced the purchasing department to one Commissary General and two storekeepers, and the duties relative to the administration and accountability of army clothing were
necessarily transferred to the quartermasters' department, thus nearly doubling its labors
and responsibility; though its force had been reduced nearly two-thirds. The law, it is true,
authorized the employment of subsistence commissaries in the quartermasters' department,
but they have the duties of their own department to perform, which, at stations where their
services are most necessary, give them sufficient employment; besides, the experience of every
department proves that the only way to insure strict accountability is to confine officers to
the duties of their own branches of service, to compel them to perform them, and positively
to prohibit their interference with those of others.
The reduction of the rank and file of the army from 10,000 to 6,000 men by no means warranted a corresponding reduction in the disbursing departments, for it is well known to every
intelligent military man that the labors of most branches of the staff, and particularly of the
quartermasters' department, depend not on the number of troops in service. but on the number and remoteness of the posts occupied, the extent of the frontiers, and the dispersed state
of the military resources of the nation.
The officers at present attached to the department are entirely inadequate to the proper and
efficient dscharge of the duties required of them: and the compensation of the assistants,
on whom necessarily devolve most of the laborious details of the department, does not bear
a just proportion to their duties and responsibility. The officers of that grade now in the
department are equal in capacity and intelligence to those of any other grade or corps in the
" Laws of the United States, volume 6, pages 553, 554.




26   ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
army, but I fear that, unless measures be adopted to render their situation more desirable,
they will for the most part abandon their situations and return to their companies. They
should be allowed a compensation which would not only afford them a competent support,
but be an equivalent for the talents and labor required in the discharge of their duties. But,
it may be said, let those who are dissatisfied retire, there are others who would gladly fill their
places. True, tl!ere are; and if the importance of a station depended upon the number of
applicants to fill it, and the merit of those applicants upon the clamorous assertion of their
pretensions, this might be good reasoning. But every day's experience proves that the number of applicants does not depend upon the value of the station sought: reduce the compensation one-half, and they would not be diminished. The difference would then consist in the
character, and not in the number; for even if an office be set up to the lowest bidder, there
will always be bidders enough.
I would, therefore, propose that in addition to the officers now attached to the department,
there be authorized three quartermasters and eight assistants, to be taken from the line of the
army. This change, with an allowance of forage to the assistants by presenting sufficient inducements to men of character to enter and remain in the department, would better secure a
strict accountability than all the restrictive laws on the statute-book. It is called for by
every consideration of policy as well as economy; for the best guarantee the nation can have
for the proper application of its funds will be found in the honor, intelligence, and abilities
of its officers. Let it not be said that the system of b:ndingr affords this guarantee; experience proves the contrary. It may secure the payment of duties at the custom house, or
affordultimate security against defaulters, but can never insure good faith in the public
expenditures. *                                           *   *             *
This recommendation does not seem  to have been acted upon, and no
further legislation of Congress affecting the quartermasters' department
is recorded prior to the act of May 18, 1826.t
Section  1 of this  act made  it the  additional duty of the quartermasters' department to receive from  the purchasiug department and
distribute to the army of the United States all clothing, camp and garrison equipage required for the use of the troops, and called upon the
Quartermaster General, under the direction of the Secretary of War, to
prescribe and enforce a system of accountability for all clothing and
equipage issued to the army.
Section 2 made it the duty of every company commander or other
officer who should receive clothing and equipage for the use of his command or for issue to the troops, to render to the Quartermaster General
quarterly returns of such supplies, with vouchers, according to precribed
forms, such returns and vouchers, after due examination by the Quartermaster General, to be transmitted for settlement to the proper officer of
the Treasury Department.
Section 3 provided for the proper care and preservation of clothing
and equipage by the officers having it in charge.
Sections 4 anrd 5, in  order to  enable  the  quartermasters' department to carry out the provisions of this act, provided for the appointment
of two additional quartermasters and 10 assistant quartermasters, to be
taken from  the line of the army, to have the same rank and pay as
authorized for like grades in the act of March 2, 1821, each officer thus
appointed to file bonds in the usual manner.
* American State Papers, Military Affairs, vol. 2, pp. 559, 560.
t Laws of the United States, vol. 7, pp. 505, 506.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.  27
The quartermasters' department, as constituted under this and the
preceding acts, suffered no change in its organization prior to 1838.
The so-called Black Hawk war and the campaigns in Florida had been
successfully met, without any great increase of the standing army, forces
of militia being called out by several of the States from  time to time to
resist Indian encroachments and depredations.
Serious questions were, however, again arising with England, and
complications on the northeastern frontier led Congress, on the application of the President, to pass the act of July 5, 1838, again increasing
the military establishment.*  This act, besides providing a large military
force, caused many needed changes in the various departments of the
army.
As early as May 24, 1836, Major Thomas F. Hunt, acting as Quartermaster General in the absence of General Jesup, who was actively participating in the Florida war, wrote to the Secretary of War asking for an
increase of officers and the creation of new  grades in the department,
which was forwarded two days afterwards, with favorable endorsement,
to Congress.  From  this letter is taken the following extract:
*           S           *           *           X           X           X
The increase which suggests itself to me as necessary to the proper and efficient performance of the duties of the department, under present circumstances, is 14 officers, (making
with thoe already in it 39, including the Quartermaster General,) viz:
Two assistant quartermasters general, with the rank, pay, and emoluments oef colonel of
cavalry.
Two deputy quartermasters general, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of lieutenant
colonel of cavalry.
Ten assistant quartermasters, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of captain of cavalry;
those already in the service to be placed on the same footing.
I would therefore respectfully suggest that an organization in some such form as the following would be of great service to the public:
One Quartermaster General, with the rank, pay, and emoluments as authorized by existing
laws.
Two assistant quartermasters general, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of colonel of
cavalry.
Two deputy quartermasters general, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of lieutenant
colonel of cavalry.
Four quartermasters, (the number provided for by existing laws,) with the rank, pay, and
emoluments of major of cavalry.
Thirty assistant quartermasters, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of captain of cavalry.
All vacancies of assistant quartermasters to be filled fiom officers of the line, who shall have
served at least two years with their companies or in the line with troops; and officers thus
taken from the line for such appointment to be separated entirely from the line; and promotion in the department to take place as in regiments and corps.
Even with this organization, cases would arise when, from urgent necessity, officers of the
line might be required to perform duties in the department, and if provided by law, would
conduce to the public good.
When the present condition of the country, the great and indispensable demands for the
services of officers in this department,(the memst imiportant one of all others when the troops are in
the field and engaged in active operations,) the fact that many volunteers (perhaps as many
as 1 0,000) may be received into the service by the President under a law just passed, the proper
Laws of the United States, vol. 9, pp. 823, 824.




28   ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS7 DEPARTMENT.
and economical disbursement of the public funds, the security and preservation of public
property, the vigorous and successful prosecution of military enterprises, defence of the
country and protection of its citizens, so far as depends on a department of such vast importance. are taken into view, I cannot but believe that the increase and organization suggested
are called for by every consideration connected with the good of the country. The Quartermaster General, before he left here, was satisfied of the indispensable necessity of an increase
in the department, and had he not left for the south, he would have taken some action on
the subject, and I doubt not he would have suggested that the two grades between his own
and the next in the department be provided for.
The act of 1838 embraced in part the views of the acting Quartermaster General, as will be seen from the following sections:*
SECTION 9. That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized, by
and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to add to the quartermasters' department not
exceeding two assistant quartermaster generals, with the rank of colonel; two deputy quartermaster generals, with the rank of lieutenant colonel; and eight assistant quartermasters,
with the rank of captain; that the assistant quartermasters now in service shall have the
same rank as is provided by this act for those hereby authorized; and that the pay and
emoluments of the officers of the quartermasters' department shall be the same as are allowed to
officers of similar rank in the regiment of dragoons: Provided, That all appointments in the
quartermasters' department shall be made from the army, and when officers taken for such
appointments hold rank in the line, they shall thereupon relinquish said rank, and be separated
from the line of the army, and that promotion in said department shall take place as in regiments and corps.
SECTION 10. That the Quartermaster General be, and he is hereby, authorized from time
to time to employ as many forage-masters and wagon-masters as he may deem necessary
for the service, not exceeding twenty in the whole, who shall be entitled to receive each forty
dollars per month, and three rations per day, and forage for one horse; and neither of whom
shall be interested or concerned, directly or indirectly, in any wagon or other means of transport employed by the United States, nor in the purchase or sale of any property procured for
or belonging to the United States, except as an agent fbr the United States.
By the supplementary act of July 7, 1838, so much of section 9 of the
above act as required assistant quartermasters to be separated from  the
line was repealed.f
The threatened conflict with England was, however, happily avoided,
and no further outbreak called for any increase of the military force
until the commencement of the war with Mexico.
By the act of August 23, 1842, the office of Commissary General of
Purchases, which had been vacant since the death of Callender Irvine,
on the 9th of October, 1841, was abolished, and the duties transferred to
the quartermasters' department.4
These duties had been less onerous since the appointment of the
Colmmissary Generals of Ordnance and Subsistence, and, at the time of
the discontinuance of the office, consisted principally in providing the
required clothing and equipage and hospital furniture for the army.
In May, 1846, war withl  Mexico was declared, and on the 13th of the
* United States Military Laws, pp. 343, 344.
t Laws of the United States, vol. 9, p. 905.
X Laws of the United States, vol. 10, p. 285.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.  29
same month an act was approved providing for a volunteer force of
50,000 men.*
On the 18th of June following an act was approved making certain
changes in the military establishment in view of the above action.t
Section 5 made it lawful for the President to appoint, subject to the
confirmation of the Senate, such additional officers of the quartermasters'
department as the service might require, not exceeding one quartermaster to each brigade, with the rank of major, and one assistant
quartermaster, with the rank of captain, for each regiment, to continue
in service only so long as their services should be required in connection
with the militia and volunteers.
Section 7 provided that promotion in the quartermasters' department
to the rank of major should thenceforward be made from the captains of
the army; that appointments in the line and in the general staff which
conferred equal rank in the army should not be held by the same officer
at the same time, and that when any officer of the staff who might have
been taken from the line had obtained or been entitled to promotion to
a grade in his regiment equal to the commission he might have held in
the staff, the said officer should vacate such staff commission or he might
at his option vacate his commission in the line.
On the 11th February, 1847, an act was approved,  increasing the
force already authorized, by 10 regiments, each regiment being entitled
to a regimental quartermaster, who should be allowed $10 per month
additional pay, and forage for two horses for such duty.
Sections 5 and 10 authorized the President to appoint in the usual
manner four quartermasters, with the rank of major, and 10 assistant
quartermasters, with the rank of captain, to be discharged from the
service at the close of the war. This latter clause was repealed by the
act of July 19, 1848,~ which provided, however, that no vacancy which
might occur therein should be filled until authorized by subsequent
legislation.
One of the results of the Mexican war was the vast accumulation of
money and property accounts of the disbursing officers who had been
engaged in its campaigns. This led to the passage of the act of March
3, 1857,11 under which all the accounts and vouchers of the disbursing
officers of the quartermasters' department were to be audited and settled
by the Third Auditor of the Treasury. The same act, (section 2,)
provided for adding to the quartermasters' department five military
storekeepers, who were required to file the usual bonds, and who, with
those previously authorized, were to be allowed in kind, and in kind
only, the fuel and quarters of a first lieutenant of the army.
a United States Military Laws, p. 367.
t United States Military Laws, pp. 372, 373, 374.
+ United States Military Laws, p. 368.
p United States Statutes at Large, vol. 11, pp. 201, 203.
II Laws of the United States, 1848, p. 73.




3')    ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
On the 10th June, 1860, General Jesup died, after a continuous service
of 42 years as chief of the quartermasters' department, and on the 28th'of the same month Lieutenant Colonel Joseph E. Johnston, 1st United
States cavalry, was appointed Quartermaster General, with the rank of
brigadier general.*
CHAPTER V.
JUNE, 1860-AUGUST, 1868.
The organization of the United States army at the outbreak of the
rebellion in 1861 provided for 12,931 officers and enlisted men. After
the close of the Mexican war and the disbandment of the volunteer forces
called  out by that struggle, the  regular troops had been gradually
decreasing in numbers, and at the time of the commencement of hostilities in 1861, were scattered by companies and detachments throughout
the country.
Under legislation of Congress, as previously shown, the organization
of the quartermasters' department was at that time as follows:
One Quartermaster General-brigadier general.
Two assistant quartermasters general-colonels.
Two deputy quartermasters general-lieutenant colonels.
Four quartermasters-majors.
Twenty-eight assistant quartermasters-captains.
Seven military storekeepers.  Total 44.
On the 15th April, 1861, President Lincoln issued his proclamation
calling for 75,000 men to serve three months.
On the 22d April, 1861, General Johnston resigned his charge of the
quartermasters' department for the purpose of entering the rebel service,
and on the 15th AMay following Colonel M. C. Meigs, of the 11th United
States infantry, lately captain of engineers United  States army, was
appointed Quartermaster General in his stead.t
* Joseph E. Johnston was born in Virginia. He graduated from West Point and was promoted in the army to be second lieutenant 4th artillery July 1, 1829; promoted to first lieutenant of 4th artillery July 31, 1836. On the 31st May, 1837, he resigned and subsequently
practiced as civil engineer. On the 7th July, 1838, he was reappointed in the United States
army with the rank of first lieutenant corps of topographical engineers, and on the same date
was brevetted captain for gallantry in the Florida war. On September 21, 1846, he was promoted to captain in corps of topographical engineers; appointed lieutenant colonel of voltigeurs April 9, 1847, and on April 12, 1847, he was promoted to the brevet rank of major and
colonel for gallant and meritorious conduct at Cerro Gordo, Mexico; and for gallant and
meritorious conduct at the battle of Chapultepec he was brevetted lieutenant colonel on
September 13, 1847. On August 28, 1848, the voltigeurs being disbanded, he was reinstated,
by act of Congress of July 19, 1848, with his original rank as captain topographical engineers,
to date from September 21, 1846. On March 3, 1855, he was appointed lieutenant colonel
Ist cavalry, continuing as such until June 28, 1860, when he was appointed Quartermaster
General.
t Captain M. C. Meigs was born May 3, 1816, at Augusta, Georgia. His family in his
infancy removed to Pennsylvania, and he was appointed from that State to the United States




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.   31
On the 3d May, 1861, President Lincoln issued his second proclamation calling into service 42,034 volunteers to serve three years if required,
and increasing the regular corps by the addition of 22,714 officers and
enlisted men.
The acts of 22d and 25th July, 1861,* following soon after, confirmed
the action of the President and authorized the increase of the number
of volunteers to 500,000 men during the war; each regiment raised to
have a quartermaster (a lieutenant) and a quartermaster sergeant, the
latter to have the pay and allowances of a sergeant of cavalry; each
brigade was also allowed one assistant quartermaster; the officers and
men thus authorized to be placed on the footing as to pay and emoluments of similar corps of the regular army.
On the 29th July following, an act was approved,t adding to the regular army 11 regiments for service during the rebellion; authority being
given to reduce the military establishment to 25,000 men within one year
after the organized resistance to the authority of the government ceased,
unless otherwise ordered by Congress.  This law also provided for regimental and battalion quartermasters and quartermaster sergeants for
these new organizations.
On the 3d August, 1861, an act was passed,$ "providing for the better organization of the military establishment."
Section 3 provided for adding to the quartermasters' department one
assistant quartermaster general, (colonel,) two deputy quartermasters
general, (lieutenant colonels,) four quartermasters, (majors) and 20 assistant quartermasters, (captains,) with the rank, pay, and allowances of officers of cavalry of like grades. This section also provided that whenever
any assistant quartermaster had served 14 years' continuous service, he
should be promoted to be a quartermaster with rank of major; also for
as many master wagoners, ranking as sergeants of cavalry, as the President might deem necessary.
Military Academy, graduating therefrom July 1, 1836, entering the army as second lieutenant 1st artillery. On November 1, 1836, he was transferred to the corps of engineers as
brevet second lieutenant, to date July 1, 1836; but by order of December 31, 1836, reverted
to original appointment in ]st artillery. On July 1, 1837, he was again transferred to corps
of engineers as brevet second lieutenant, to date July 1, 1836, having relinquished his commission in 1st artillery, and on July 7, 1838, was promoted to first lieutenant in the corps of
engineers. He was thenceforward engaged in various works of fortification and internal
improvement in the northern and northwestern States until November, 1852. On March 3,
1853, he was promoted to be captain of engineers; from that time to 1860 he was engaged in
superintending the construction of the wings and dome of the United States Capitol the Cieneral Post Office building, and the Washington aqueduct. In November, 1860, he was in
charge of the fortifications of the harbor of Tortugas. On 6th April, 1861, he sailed from
New York as engineer of an expedition for the relief of Fort Pickens, and on the 14th May,
1861, he was appointed colonel 11th infantry. In June, 1861, he was appointed Quartermaster General, to rank from 15th May, 1861.
* United States Statutes at Large, vol. 12, pp. 268, 270, 274.
tIbid., pp. 279, 281.
t Ibid., p. 287.




32   ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
By section 8, of the act of 5th July,  1862,* the President was authorized to increase the number of military storekeepers of the quartermasters'
department to 12, if the exigencies of the service rendered it necessary.
On the 17th July, 1862, an act of Congress was approvedt authorizing
the acceptance, ot the services of 100,000 additional volunteers for nine
months.  Section 10 of this act authorized  adding to the staff of the
commander of each army corps one chief quartermaster with the rank
of lieutenant colonel, to be assigned by the President from the army or
volunteer force. Appointments under this act were made of volunteer
and regular officers of the quartermasters' department; the rank and
pay which they thus obtained being temporary, and  dependent upon
the existence of the corps organization to which they were assigned as
chief quartermasters.
On the 25th June, 1864, the following act was passed, providing for
the examination of certain  staff officers, including quartermasters and
assistant quartermasters:
That every quartermaster and assistant quartermaster, and every commissary and assistant commissary of subsistence, and every paymaster and additional paymaster shall, as soon
as practicable, be ordered to appear for examination as to his qualifications before a board to
be composed of three staff officers of the corps to which he belongs of recognized merit and
fitness, of whom two at least shall be officers of volunteers, which board shall make a careful
examination as to the qualifications of all officers who may appear before them in pursuance
of this act, and shall also keep minutes and make a full and true record of the examinaction
in each case. And all members of such boards of examination shall, before proceeding to
the discharge of their duties as herein provided, swear or affirm that they will conduct all
examinations with impartiality, and with a sole view to the qualifications of the person or
persons to be examined, and that they will not divulge the vote of any member upon the
examination of any officer who may appear before them.
SEC. 2. That such boards of examination shall be convened under the direction of the Secretary of War, by the Quartermaster General, the Commissary General of Subsistence, and
the Paymaster General, at convenient places; and general rules of examination and a standard
of qualifications shall be prescribed by said officers subject to the approval of the Secretary
of War, and shall be published in general orders.
SEC. 3. That after such general orders shall have been published for 60 days, if any officer
who shall then be ordered before a board of examiners under the provisions of this act shall
fail for:30 days after receiving such special order to report himself as directed, all his pay
and allowances shall cease and be forfeited until he does appear and report for examination,
and if he shall still thereafter fail for a further 30 days so to appear, he shall thereupon be
dropped from the rolls of the army: Provided, however, That if such failure to appear and
report shall have been occasioned by wounds or sickness, or other physical disability, then
there shall be no forfeiture of pay until 30 days after such disability has been removed; but
if in 60 days after the disability is removed the officer shall not report himself, he shall then
be dropped from the rolls as in other cases.
SEC. 4. That if the board of examination shall report that any officer does not possess the
requisite business qualifications, they shall forward the record of the examination of such
officer to the head of such bureau to which he may belong, and if the head of such bureau
shall approve the finding and report of the board, he shall forward the same through the Secretary of War to the President of the United States, and if the President shall confirm the
* United States Statutes at Large, vol. 1!, p. 509.
t Ibid., vol. 12, pp. 598, 599.
tIbid., vol. 13, pp. 181, 182.




ORGANIZATION OF TILE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.   33
same the officer so failing in his examination shall, if commissioned, be dismissed froal the
service with one month's pay, and if not yet commissioned, his appointment shall be revoked;
and if the board shall report that any officer fails to pass a satisfactory examination by reason
of intemperance, gambling or other immorality, and if the head of the bureau shall approve
the finding and report of the board, and the same be communicated, as before provided, to
the President and confirmed by him, then such officer shall be dismissed from the service
without pay and shall not be permitted to re-enter the service as an officer: Provided, That
such dismissal shall not relieve him from liability under existing laws for any offence he may
have committed.
SEC. 5. That the boards of examination shall forward all their records of examination to
the heads of the bureau to which they appertain, and such records shall be filed in the proper
bureaus with a suitable index, and any officer who may desire it shall be entitled to receive a
copy of the record in his own case upon paying the cost of copying the same.
In accordance with the provisions of this act, the necessary regulations
were prescribed in general orders from the War Department, and boards
were located at different places.  The majority of the officers of the reg.
ular and volunteer corps were examined and those found disqualified
permitted to resign or were dismissed, or, in some cases, simply mustered out of the service, in view of their having served during the war
with such ability as they possessed.  The requirements of the law that
two of the officers constituting each board should be of the volunteer
corps, and the subsequent rapid muster-out of the volunteer organization, rendered the examination of all of the officers of the department
impracticable, and in accordance with the instruction of the Secretary
of War further action under the law was suspended.
On the 4th July, 1861, an act was approved,* providing for the better
organization of the quartermasters' department.  This act established
in the office of the Quartermaster General nine divisions, to exist during
the rebellion and one year thereafter; each  division to be placed in
charge of a competent officer of the quartermasters' department, under
assignment by the Secretary of War, and to perform  the duties thus
assigned them under such rules as should be prescribed by the Quartermaster General. with the approval of the War Department.  This act
specified in general terms the business embraced in each division, and
the special duties of the officers placed in charge, under the direction of
the Quartermaster General.
Section 10 of the act conferred upon the chiefs of these divisions the
rank, pay, and emoluments of a colonel in the quartermasters' department, and authorized the Quartermaster General, with the approval of
the Secretary of War, to change the distribution of duties among them
according to the necessities of the public service; such changes to be
made public in War Department general orders.
Section 11 authorized the Secretary of War, during the continuance
of the rebelliV  to assign to duty as inspectors of the quartermasters'
department    officers, to be selected from  the regular and volunteer
officers of tha. taff corps, who had served not less than one year, and
who should havre, while so assigned and acting, the temporary rank,
i U. S. Statutes at Large, vol. 13, pp. 394-398.
3 Q D




34   ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
pay, and emoluments of colonels of the quartermasters' department;
and also, when in his judgment it was necessary, to assign to each army
in the field, consisting of more than one army corps, and to each military department and to each principal depot, not exceeding ten in. number
at any one time, of the quartermasters' department, an officer to act as
chief or senior quartermaster of such army, military department or depot,
who should have, while so assigned, the temporary rank, pay, and emoluments of a colonel of the quartermasters' department; and  also to
assign to each division of two or more brigades a quartermaster as division
quartermaster, who, while thus assigned and acting, should have the
temporary rank, pay, and emoluments of a major of the quartermasters'
department, with the proviso that when any of said officers should be
relieved from  such duty, his temporary rank, pay, and  emoluments
should cease, and he should return to his lineal rank in the department;
further providing that when within the limits of any military department there should be not more than  one army corps, then the chief
quartermaster of the army was to perform  also the duties of the department quartermaster.
Section 12 directed that at least two-thirds of all the officers of each
grade or assigned rank thus provided for be selected from  among the
quartermasters of the volunteer service.
On the 18th December, 1865, Quartermaster General Meigs submitted
to the General commanding the armies the following project of law Aie
-the increase of the quartermasters' department, based upon a proposed
increase of the regular army, in fixing the peace establishment:
There shall be added to the general staff of the quartermasters' department the officers
necessary to complete the following organization:
One brigadier general and Quartermaster General, eight colonels and quartermasters, 16
Lieutenants, colonels and quartermasters, 64 majors and quartermasters, and such number
-of military storekeepers as may be necessary, not exceeding 16: Provided, that no officer of
Ithe department shall be discharged from the service in the execution of this law, and that
vacancies occurring hereafter in the grade of major shall be filled by selection from the captains of the army,and from those who have rendered two years' meritorious service as assistant quartermasters of volunteers during the war. Master-wagoners and wagoners may be
enlisted or appointed as now provided by law.
In each regiment one subaltern shall be assigned to duty as regimental quartermaster, who
shall have, while so assigned and acting, the pay and emoluments of a first lieutenant of
cavalry.
Acting quartermasters at permanent posts and stations, or with commands where no
officer of the general staff of the department is available to perform the duty, shall be detailed
from the captains and subalterns of the line, and shall receive, while so assigned and acting,
the pay and emoluments of mounted officers of their respective grades.
Officers of the line detailed to act as regimental quartermasters or as quartermasters of permanent posts or of commands of not less than two companies, shall, when the assignment is
duly reported to and approved by the War Department, receive as compensation for their
duties and responsibilities with respect to the money and property of the quartermasters'
department under their charge, $10 per month while so assigned and acting.
The provisions of the act for the better organization of the quartermasters' department,
approved July 4, 1864, shall continue in force so far as they do not become obsolete and
unnecessary upon the disbandment of the volunteer army.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.  35,
The Secretary of War shall have power to assign officers of the quartermasters' department of skill and experience, not exceeding two at any one time, to act as chief quarter-.
masters of armies in the field, or of great geographical military divisions, who, while soassigned and acting, shall have the rank, pay, and emoluments of brigadier general, and
when relieved from such duties shall return to their lineal rank in the department.'
*The following letter was written by the Quartermaster General in submitting this.
scheme:
As requested by you, I have the honor to submit a project of law for the increase of the
quartermasters' department in proportion to the proposed increase of the regular army, and
in view of the near discharge from service, by limitation of the laws under which they now
serve, of the numerous officers of volunteers now attached to the quartermasters' department.
The proposed organization is based upon a force of 50,000 men, so organized as to admit,
by filling up the companies to the maximum, of an increase to 8S,600 men.
The number of commissioned officers of the regular quartermasters' department is now,
by law, 67. I recommend that it be increared to 89, distributed as follows:
One brigadier general, Quartermaster General, eight colonels and quartermasters, 16
lieutenant colonels and quartermasters, 64 majors and quartermasters, discontinuing, as in
other staff corps, the rank of captain in the regular establishment, and giving up also the
awkward titles of assistant and deputy quartermaster generals, which are relics of the days
when the corps was a civil not a military body, attached to, rather than forming a constituent part of, the army.
It appears to me to be important that the officers now in the corps should be promoted,
and that vacancies caused by their promotion should be filled by appointment from the
officers of volunteers, who have had at least one year's experience in the quartermasters'
department during the war, and have gained credit therein.
The magnitude and importance of the duties of the officers, of the corps will, I trust, be
found to justify the changes recommended.
The regimental quartermasters I recommend to be taken from the subalterns of the regiments. Their duties will require them to be mounted officers, and they should receive the
pay and allowances of such officers.
For permanent posts and for bodies of troops when no officer of the regular corps of the
department is available, which, with the number of officers therein recommended, will be
frequently the case, I recommend that either captains or subalterns of the line shall be
detailed. While on such duty, which will require them to be mounted, they should receive
the pay and allowances of mounted officers.
The names of officers of the line detailed or assigned to such duties should be promptly
reported to the War Department. Upon such report and approval and confirmation of their
assignment by the War Department, they should be allowed, as regimental quartermasters
and under existing laws, tlhe additional compensation of $10 per month for their duties and
responsibilities with respect to the money and property of the quartermasters' department
under their charge. This allowance is, by existing laws, made to regimental quartermasters,
but not to acting assistant or post quartermasters, whose duties and responsibilities are fre.
quently much greater than those of regimental quartermasters.
If the allowance is paid only upon confirmation and approval of the assignment when
reported to the War Department, it will prevent officers known to be inefficient being assigned
to or remaining long in such positions, as is too frequently the case under the present system
when the assignments are not promptly reported.
The military storekeepers are now limited to 12. It has been necessary to assign commissioned officers or to hire agents or clerks to perform the duties of military storekeepers at.
many posts. I recommend that the limit be extended to 16.
The number of master wagoners and of wagoners, as regulated by existing laws, requires
no change.
The provisions of the act of July 4, 1861, for the better organization of the quartermasters'




:36   ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
On the 28th of July, 1866, an act was passed increasing and fixing the
peace establishment of the United States, and authorizing thereby 60
regiments.
Section 13 provided that the quartermasters' department of the army
thenceforward consist of one Quartermaster General, with the rank, pay,
and emoluments of a brigadier general; six assistant quartermasters general, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of colonels of cavalry; two
deputy quartermasters general, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of
lieutenant colonels of cavalry; fifteen quartermasters, with the rank,
pay, and emoluments of majors of cavalry; and forty-five assistant quartermasters, with the rank, pay, and emoluments of captains of cavalry; and
the vacancies thereby created in the grade of assistant quartermaster
should be filled by selection from  among the persons who had rendered
meritorious services as assistant quartermasters of volunteers during two
years of the war, but that after the first appointments made under the
provisions of this section, as vacancies might occur in the grades of
department, have been tested by the experience of the department in the closing and most
active year of a most extensive war. They have enabled it to meet, with the aid of the volunteer officers allowed by law, every demand upon its resources or upon its officers for an
army of a million of men.  I recommend that the provisions of this law be continued in
force, except so far as they become obsolete by the disbandment of the volunteer army.
The power which this law gives the Secretary of selecting young, vigorous, and zealous
officers for important stations and duties, and assigning them to such duties with corresponding rank, such rank to continue only while they remain on such duty, is most valuable. It
acts as a spur to exertion. The officer knows that his rank depends upon continued activity
and success in the discharge of his duties, and it opens to all the younger officers the prospect
of promotion, which may be early gained by distinguished ability and merit.
The officers of high rank in the corps will inevitably in a few years be too old for active
field duties, as was the case at the beginning of the present war. It is desirable that the
organization of the permanent army should, as far as possible, be such as to enable it at any
moment to take the field fully organized for vigorous and active operations.
This power of selection and detail in the quartermasters' department will enable the corps
to supply to any army taking the field hereafter officers in the vigor of life, and with experience. ability. and rank to act as chief quartermasters of the corps, divisions, and brigades,
as inspectors, or to take charge of depots and bases of operations. I trust this power will
be continued in the Secretary of War.
I recommend that the right to assign to duty with temporary rank, pay, and emoluments
of brigadier general, not more than two officers, be conferred upon the Secretary of War,
these officers to be assigned only when their services are necessary, as senior or chief quartermasters of large armies organized for active service, or of great military geographical divisions.
Experience during the past few years has shown the necessity for conferring such rank
upon the chief quartermasters of such commands. The rank has heretofore been generally
conferred by appointing the chief quartermaster a brigadier general of volunteers, or, when
that was not possible, by giving him a brevet of brigadier general, and assigning him to
duty according to his brevet ran i.
For an active army about to take the field, or for a geographical division remote from Washington, in which important military movements are to originate, I am of opinion that a quartermaster with the rank and power of brigadier general should be available.
If the rank is temporary, conferred by assignment, the most capable and zealous officer of
the department can be selected and placed in the most important station, and the rank will
b e necessary to enable him to command others junior in the corps.




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS7 DEPARTMENT.  37
major and captains in that department, no appointments to fill the same
should be made until the number of majors be reduced to twelve, and
the number of captains to thirty, and thereafter the number of officers
in each of such grades to conform to said reduced numbers.
Section 14 provided for the increase of the number of military storekeepers to sixteen, if such increase became necessary, and allowed to
them the rank, pay, and emoluments of a captain of infantry.
Section 15 enacted that the act of July 4, 1864, reorganizing the quartermasters' department, and above referred to, continue in force until
January 1, 1867, and no longer.
Section 23 directed that no person be appointed to any vacancy created
in the pay, medical, or quartermasters' department until they passed the
examination required by the act of June 25, 1864.
By section 10 of the act of March 2, 1867, the rank, pay, and emoluments of military storekeepers were made equal to those of captains of
cavalry.
On the 1st of January, 1867, the various divisions of the Quartermaster
General's office were abolished under the above act, and the officers of
the department assigned to duty in various capacities, with the temporary
rank of colonel and major, lost such rank and resumed that held by them
previous to such assignment.
On the 5th of June, 1867, Quartermaster General Meigs visited Europe
upon leave of absence of which he had availed himself, for the purpose
of restoring his health, which had become impaired by the unintermitted
and protracted labors of his office during the war. During his absence
Brevet Major General D. H. Rucker, assistant quartermaster general,
was I)laced on diuty as acting Quartermaster General, and entered fully
and heartily into the work of reduction consequent upon the close of the
rebellion.
On the 5th of June, 1868, General MCeigs returned from his leave, and
at once resumed his duties as Quartermaster General.
To trace the history of the quartermasters' department through the
eventful period of the rebellion, becomes of itself a task far more formlidable than that which has been assumed in the compilation of these pages,
yet full of interest to every one who has been connected with the department, and, with the materials at hand, a feasible and practicable undertaking.
The annals of history, the most bitter and persistent struggles in the
Old World in ancient or modern times, furnish no parallel to the late
campaigns of the Union armies, and to the promptness, facility, and despatch with which immense bodies of troops have been transported from
one sphere of action to another, and fabulous quantities of supplies of
every kind furnished for their use or relief.
Doubtless, the certainty and regularity with which the required supplies were furnishec, and the promptness with which the innumerable




38   ORGANIZATION OF THIE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.
demands upon the department were met, were greatly conducive to the
success which finally crowned the great conflict.
During the war it became necessary, as has been heretofore shown, to
call suddenly into the service, in various capacities, 919 assistant quartermasters of volunteers from every sphere of action; representatives of
almost every vocation of life, in many cases promptly leaving business
and home interests, to respond to the appeal of our late honored and
lamented President and of the country.
It is not properly within the scope or the design of this work to allude
specially to the aid which they have rendered to the department in the
late struggle. The eminent positions which many have occupied, and the
flattering encomiums which have been bestowed upon them by their chief
and those with whom they have served are matters of permanent record
and grateful testimonials of appreciation of their faithful labors.
Early in 1865, and immediately upon the close of the war, the War
Department mustered out of service all volunteer quartermasters who
desired to retire to private life or whose services could be spared. The
temporary retention, however, of many in various capacities was rendered
absolutely necessary by the vast extent of country covered by the operations of our armies, and the continued demands made by them upon the
resources and energies of the quartermasters' department.
As the army decreased in numbers so rapidly, volunteer quartermasters
were mustered out, some being added to the regular army, serving in the
department or in the line, and the last leaving the service on the 31st of
August, 1868.
The quartermasters' department was thus reduced to the regular corps,
organized under previous legislation, as follows: 1 Quartermaster General, with rank of brigadier general; 6 assistant quartermaster generals,
with rank of colonel of cavalry; 10 deputy quartermaster generals, with
rank of lieutenant colonel of cavalry; 15 quartermasters, with rank of
major of cavalry; 44 assistant quartermasters, with rank of captain of
cavalry; 16 military storekeepers, with rank of captain of cavalry; with
the restrictive clauses that no appointments can be made in the grade
of quartermaster and assistant quartermaster until the number of the
former is reduced to 12, and the number of the latter to 30,




ORGANIZATION OF THE QUARTERMASTERS' DEPARTMENT.  39
TABULAR LIST
Of chiefs of the qusar:ermasters' department of the armies of the Confederated Colonies and
of the United States from  1774 to 1868.
Name.                Rank.                     Title.    *         Date of ap-  Where appointpointment.       ed from.
Thomas Mifflin*.-... Colonel.........   Quartermaster General ---—. Aug.-, 1775  Pennsylvania.
Stephen Moylan*....... do.................do..................... June 5,1776
Thomas Mifflin*.... Brigadier General........do.............. Oct. 1, 1776  Pennsylvania.
Nathaniel Greene*.... Major General...........do................... Mar. 2,1778  Rhode Island.
TimothyPickering'..  Colonel..................do....... Aug. 5,1780  Massachusetts.
Samuel Hodgdent..... Lieutenant Colonel. Quartermaster.M............. Mar. 4,1791  Pennsylvania.
James ()'Harat.........  do.................. do..................... Ap'l 19, 1792  Iob.
John Wilkins, jr.t........   do........ Quartermaster General....... June 1, 1796        Do.
John Wilkins, jr.t...    Major General.........do................. June 1, 1799        Do.
Morgan Lewist....... Brigadier General..... —.do..................... Ap'l 4,1812  New York.
Robert Swartwoutt.....  do.............  Chief quartermasters' dep't. Mar. 21, 1813     Do.
James R. Mullanyt   Colonel............ Div. quartermaster general.   Ap 1 29, 1816        Do.
George Gibsont.........-.   do.............. do..................... Ap'l 29, 1816  Pennsylvania.
William Cummingt  B. Brigadier General.. Quartermaster General..... Ap'l 18, 1818  Georgia.
Thomas S. Jesupt........ do.............. do..................... May  8, 1818  Ohio.
Joseph E. Johnstont....- do..........do................ June 28, 1860  Virginia.
Montgomery C. Meigst'... do.............. do.....................   May 15, 1861  Pennsylvania.
* Chiefs of the quartermasters' department of the Continental army.
t Chiefs of the quartermasters' department of the United States army.
l+ Now in service.
NOTE, -Jannary. 1869.-The total number of officers now on the roll of the establishment,
89.  During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1868, 595 officers of the establishment, and of
those detailed from the line as acting assistant, quartermasters, were employed in disbursing
money of the quartermasters' department. Thus the number of officers required and employed in the discharge of its duties many times exceeded the regular establishment.