General Orders, Army of the Potomac, No. 10, February 7, 1863
GENERAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC,
No. 10.
Camp near Falmouth, Va., February 7, 1863.
I Corps commanders may grant leaves of absence to officers and furloughs to enlisted men, observing strictly the provisions of General Orders, No. 3, from these headquarters, January 30, 1863, except that leaves to staff officers, other than aides, will be granted only upon the recommendation of the chiefs of their respective departments, in division and corps, approved by the chiefs of their departments at these headquarters, and not more than one staff officer of each department will be permitted to be absent from a division at the same time.
II. The following instructions from the General-in-Chief are published for the information of all concerned:
All leaves to officers to visit Washington without the consent of the War Department are deemed null and void, and hereafter all general officers who visit Washington on leaves not properly granted will be dismissed. The mere passage through the city, when this is the shortest or only line of travel, is not considered visiting.
III. No officer or soldier leave this army under orders, unless such orders are given through the proper military channel.
IV. Corps commanders, under Paragraph 1647, Army Regulations, may accept resignations of regimental officers of the volunteer service when accompanied by surgeons' certificates of disability, approved by medical directors of divisions and corps, and in cases where it plainly appears that the officer is unfit for his station and can be replaced by one better qualified to discharge his duties. Resignations of medical officers will only be accepted upon the approval of the medical director of this army.
V. Corps commanders will be held responsible for the proper position and strength of their picket-lines, and their proper connection on the right and left.
VI. A full register of all officers and men absent on leave, furlough, or on account of sickness, will be kept at the headquarters of each regiment, with the dates of departure and return. These registers will be carefully examined by officers inspecting the regiments, and abstracts will be sent to corps headquarters every Saturday. Corps commanders will carefully examine the same, and report to these headquarters all cases of authorized absence. A register of deserters will also be kept at regimental headquarters, and an abstract of the same transmitted weekly to corps commanders.
VII. General officers of the day, and staff officers at corps headquarters, will, as occasion requires, investigate the complaints of citizens living in the vicinity of the cavalry and infantry pickets. Proper measures must be taken to prevent depredations and pillage, and such offenses will be promptly punished.
VIII. The following regulations with respect to passes will be strictly observed by all concerned:
1. No passes to any person to go without the lines of this army will be respected unless signed by the major-general commanding, the chief of his staff, the assistant adjutant-general at these headquarters, or the provost-marshal-general.
2. Commanders of army corps, by their assistant adjutants-general, may give passes between Washington and places within the lines of this army to such officers and soldiers of their respective commands as are duly authorized to be absent from their stations, and to no other persons.
3. A register will be kept by the provost-marshal at the headquarters of each corps, embracing the names of-
(A) All sutlers, regularly appointed, and their employes; also the number of wagons, horses, and mules employed by each.
(B) All purveyors, caterers, or messengers for officers' messes, &c., naming the headquarters to which they respectively belong.
(C) All newsboys, news agents, &c., and their location.
A copy of this register shall be furnished to the provost-marshal-general, who will give to the person therein named the proper passes for themselves, and permits for transporting or landing their stores on presentation of lists approved by their respective division or corps commanders.
Passes for the persons mentioned in class B will be limited to two for each division, and soldiers will not be employed for the purposes indicated in that class.
Passes for newsboys will be limited to one for each division.
4. All persons not above enumerated requiring passes to travel, or permits to do business within the lines of this army, will apply at the office of the provost-marshal-general for the necessary authority, and any person doing business within the lines of this army without such permit is liable to arrest and the confiscation of his property.
IX. All officers, enlisted men, and other a persons not entitled to use or draw forage are forbidden to have horses or mules in their possession, and such unauthorized persons as now have them will immediately turn them over to the quartermaster's department. Quartermasters will receipt for them, and take them up on their returns.
X. No soldier, servant, teamster, or other person will be allowed to use a Government animal, except on duty, under the order of some officer competent to allow it.
XI. Cruel or careless treatment of animals must be punished.
XII. The flag designating the headquarters of army corps will be as follows: A blue swallow-tail flag, with white Maltese cross in center of field; the numerical designation of the corps in red figures in the center of the cross.
The chief quartermaster will furnish the flags, on proper requisition, to commanders of army corps.
XIII. Corps commanders will be held responsible for the faithful and prompt execution of all orders within their respective commands.
By command of Major-General Hooker:
S. WILLIAMS,
Assistant Adjutant-General.