Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office, 
GENERAL ORDERS, ? 
No. 85. 5 
Richmond, June 16, 1863. 
I. The following Act of Congress, and the Regulations adopted by the 
Department in pursuance thereof, are published for the information of all 
concerned: 
an act to establish a nitre and mining bureau. 
“ SECT. 1. The Congress of the Confederate States do enact, That the 
officers authorized and appointed under the act entitled an act for the or- 
ganization of a corps of officers for the working of nitre caves, &c., passed 
April 11,1862, together with such additional officers as are authorized by 
the provisions of this act, shall constitute an independent bureau of the 
War Department, to be entitled ‘ The Nitre and Mining Bureau.’ 
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That said bureau shall have charge of 
all the duties prescribed in the second section of said act, and shall be- 
sides be charged with all duties and expenditures connected with the 
mining of iron, copper, lead, coal, &c., so far as it shall be deemed ne- 
cessary to supply the military necessities of the country; and the super- 
intendent thereof shall, under the Secretary of War, have full power to 
make such leases of real estate and purchases of fixtures as are necessary 
or appurtenant to any mines it may be deemed expedient to open or work 
on government account; and may also contract, subject to the approval 
of the Secretary of War, for such supplies, by purchase or otherwise, of 
all copper, lead, iron, coal, zinc, and such other minerals as may be re- 
quired for the prosecution of the war. 
SEC. 3. Be it further enacted, That said bureau shall consist of one 
Lieutenant Colonel as superintendent; three Majors as assistant superin- 
tendents; six Captains and ten Lieutenants, in which shall bo included 
the officers of the present nitre corps, who shall have the same pay and 
allowances prescribed for officers of cavalry of the same grades.” [Ap- 
proved April 22, 1863. ] 
II The Secretary of War is of opinion that it is necessary to accu- 
mulate supplies of iron, in the various military departments, for the repair 
of rail roads, the manufacture of arms, munitions and materials of war, 
and for the operations of the quartermaster’s, ordnance and engineer de- 2 
partments, and that experience has shown that the necessary supply can- 
not be obtained by purchase. Impressment, therefore, according to the 
act of Congress relating to impressments, has become necessary to se- 
cure a supply. It is ordered that all impressments that may be made of 
iron for this purpose, shall be conducted by the chiefs of the quartermas- 
ter’s, ordnance, engineer and nitre and mining bureaux, or by officers de- 
signated by them, who shall in every instance communicate to the owner 
the necessity that exists for the use of the property, the disposition of the 
officers to purchase the same, and an offer to purchase it at a price to be 
ascertained, in accordance with the act relating to impressments, if the 
parties cannot agree upon the same. 
111. And whereas the existing necessity for iron in the departments 
aforesaid, and for the good of the public service is such, that all practica- 
ble measures must be taken to secure an adequate supply, it is further 
ordered, that whenever it may become necessary to secure the full product 
of any mine or manufactory, that the same shall be worked for the sole 
benefit of the government of the Confederate States. It shall be compe- 
tent to the chief of either of the departments aforesaid to lease or purchase 
the same; and in case that the lease or purchase is impracticable, then 
they are authorized to impress the same for the use of the Confederate 
States during the war, or while such necessity shall continue. 
IV. That proceedings under these orders will be conducted under the 
4th section pf the act concerning impressments, and in pursuance of the 
directions contained in paragraph I. 
order. 
Adjutant and Inspector General, 
S. COOPEE,