I'm looking for two "General Orders," both issued my my least favorite General, George Brinton McClellan. I'm pretty sure they were both issued sometime in 1862, between July and After 2nd Manassas. I'm looking for the General Order numbers.

   The first is the order which describes the tentage which an infantry soldier will carry. One shelter half for enlisted, two for line officers etc. And, I believe this order also describes the baggage transportation allowed for each Regiment. Three wagons or 5 mules, something like that.

The second is the order which forbade "camp followers," famalies of enlisted men and the like from traveling with the army.

I can't find my OR CD's. I am not happy. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Quote :

GrumpyDave wrote : I'm looking for two "General Orders," both issued my my least favorite General, George Brinton McClellan. I'm pretty sure they were both issued sometime in 1862, between July and After 2nd Manassas. I'm looking for the General Order numbers.    The first is the order which describes the tentage which an infantry soldier will carry. One shelter half for enlisted, two for line officers etc. And, I believe this order also describes the baggage transportation allowed for each Regiment. Three wagons or 5 mules, something like that. The second is the order which forbade "camp followers," famalies of enlisted men and the like from traveling with the army. I can't find my OR CD's. I am not happy. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Dave

Not sure if this is the one you are looking for:
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ANU4519-0014

Pg 366, I think has the order you are looking for about tentage.

You can search the OR's online from the website: http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse.monographs/waro.html

O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME 14 [S# 14]
CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN, VIRGINIA, FROM MARCH 17 TO SEPTEMBER 2, 1862.
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ETC -- #14



CIRCULAR.] HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
Camp near Harrison's Landing, Va., August 10, 1862.
The general commanding directs that you have your corps in readiness to march on temporary service to-morrow at 2 o'clock p.m. The men will be provided with 40 cartridges in boxes and two days' rations in haversacks.
Four days' extra rations of subsistence and three days' forage for animals, with 60 cartridges per man, will be loaded in wagons ready to move with the column.
Such of your well men as have not muskets will be supplied at once by requisitions upon the ordnance department or from men who are sick.
You will give directions to have such of your old tents cut up as may be necessary to supply deficiencies in shelter-tents. The men will march as light as possible, and will leave everything except what is absolutely necessary for the march.
The requirements of General Orders, No. 153, from these headquarters to be carried out at once in every particular where it does not conflict with these instructions.
Should you require more wagons than you have you will apply to the chief quartermaster.
By command of Major-General McClellan:
JAS. A. HARDIE,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Aide-de. Camp, Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen.

GENERAL ORDERS No. 153.
HDQRS. ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
Camp near Harrison's Landing, Va., Aug. 10,'62.
I. The following allowance of wagons is authorized: For the headquarters of an army corps, four.
For the headquarters of a division or brigade, three. For a battery of light artillery or squadron of cavalry, three. For a full regiment of infantry, six.
This allowance will in no case be exceeded, but will be reduced to correspond as nearly as practicable with the number of officers and men actually present. All means of transportation in excess of the prescribed standard will be immediately turned in to the depot with the exception of the authorized supply trains, which will be under the direction of the chief quartermasters of corps. The chief quartermaster of this army will direct the organization of the supply trains. II. The army must be prepared to bivouac when on marches away <ar14_366> from the depots. The allowance of tents will therefore be immediately reduced to the following standard, and no other accommodations must be expected until a permanent depot is established:
For the headquarters of an army corps, division, or brigade, one wall-tent for the general commanding and one to every two officers of his staff.
To each full regiment, for the colonel, field, and staff officers, three wall-tents.
For all other commissioned officers, one shelter-tent each.
For every two non-commissioned officers, soldiers, officers' servants, and camp followers, as far as they can be supplied, one shelter-tent.
One hospital tent will be allowed for office purposes at corps headquarters, and one wall-tent at division and brigade headquarters.
All tents in excess of this allowance will be immediately turned in to the depots.
Tents of other patterns required to be exchanged for shelter-tents will be turned in as soon as the latter can be obtained from the Quartermaster's Department. Under no circumstances will they be allowed to be carried when the army moves.
III. The allowance of officers' baggage will be limited to blankets, a small valise or carpet-bag, and a reasonable mess kit. All officers will at once reduce their baggage to this standard. The men will carry no baggage except blankets and shelter-tents. The chief quartermaster will provide storage on the transports for the knapsacks of the men and for the officers' surplus baggage.
IV. Hospital tents must not be diverted from their legitimate use, except for offices, as authorized in paragraph II.
V. The wagons allowed to a regiment or battery must carry nothing but forage for the teams, cooking utensils for the men, hospital stores, small rations, and officers' baggage. One of the wagons allowed for a regiment will be used exclusively for hospital stores, under the direction of the regimental surgeon. The wagon for regimental headquarters will carry grain for the officers' horses. At least one and a haft of the wagons allowed to a battery or squadron will carry grain.
VI. Hospital stores, ammunition, quartermaster's stores, and subsistence stores in bulk will be transported in special trains.
VII. Commanding officers will be held responsible that the reduction above ordered, especially of officers' baggage, is carried into effect at once, and corps commanders are especially charged to see that this responsibility is enforced.
VIII. On all marches quartermasters will accompany and conduct their trains, under the orders of their commanding officers, so as never to obstruct the movement of troops.
IX. All quartermasters and commissaries of subsistence will attend in person to the receipt and issue of supplies for their commands, and will keep themselves constantly informed of the situation of the depots, roads, &c.
By command of Major-General McClellan:
S. WILLIAMS,
Assistant Adjutant-General

Thanks Greg, that's one. I still can't find the CD's.

I tried to find the other one last night but my brain wasn't focused.  So I will take a look through it again over the next couple days to see if I can find the other order.

Quote :

The men will carry no baggage except blankets and shelter-tents. The chief quartermaster will provide storage on the transports for the knapsacks of the men and for the officers' surplus baggage.

Does this mean that the entire AOP was using blanket rolls during the Peninsula Campaign?

It seems that would have caused some kind of comments in period accounts.  

--Last edited by flattop32355 on 2008-04-25 16:18:31 --