Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office, 
Richmond, May 2‘J, 18G3. 
GENERAL ORDERS, \ 
No. 70. ) 
I. The following; Act of Congress, and Regulations adopted by the 
Department in pursuance thereof, are published for the information of all 
: 
An Act to abolish Supernumerary Officers in the Commissary 
and Quartermaster’s Departments. 
The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the 
cfficc of regimental commissary be and the same is hereby abolished, and 
the duties heretofore devolved by law upon said commissary shall be per- 
formed by the regimental quartermaster; provided, that said quartermas- 
ter shall, if required by the Secretary of War, execute a new bond, with 
,*uch additional penalty as he may require. 
“ Sec. 2. That the commanding officer of a regiment or battalion shall, 
when the good of the set vice in his opinion requires it, detail a non-com- 
niissioned officer or private as commissary sergeant, who shall be assigned 
to the regimental quartermaster to perform the duties now performed by 
commissary sergeants; and the non-commissioned officer or private so 
detailed shall receive, as extra pay, twenty dollars per month. 
“ SEC. 3. That the regimental quartermasters acting as commissaries, 
ehall draw supplies for their respective regiments on Provision Returns, 
Form 14, and not in bulk; and when detached from their brigades, so 
-that it is impracticable to draw supplies from the brigade commissary, it 
-shall be the duty of the nearest brigade or post commissary to supply his 
regiment on Provision Return 14. 
“ Sec. 4. Sales to officers shall be made by the brigade commissaries 
to which such officers are attached. 
“ Sec. 5. That quartermasters and commissaries, assistant quartermas- 
ters and assistant commissaries, who become permanently detached from 
.divisions, brigades or regiments to which they are originally appointed 
und assigned, respectively, whether by resignation or otherwise, shall 
cease to be officers of the army, and their names shall be dropped from 
the rolls of the army, unless reassigned by a special order of the Secre- 
tary of War. 
“ Sec. 6. That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of War to issue 2 
the necessary orders for the earliest practicable enforcement of the provi- 
sions of this law; and that he shall communicate to the chiefs of the sub- 
sistence and quartermaster’s bureaux the names of the commissaries and 
assistant commissaries, quartermasters and assistant quartermasters re- 
tained and dropped from the rolls under this act. 
“Sec.J. That all laws and parts of laws contravening the provisions 
of this act, be and the same are hereby repealed.” [Approved May 1, 
1863.] 
1. After ibis date no appointment will be made of regimental or bat- 
talion commissaries in the provisional anny. Departmental commanders 
will direct the transfer, by regimental commissaries, of all money, effect I 
and property in their hands to the proper regimental quartermasters, who 
will thereafter discharge the duties of the former, in accordance with the 
provisions of this act. Until such transfer is perfected, regimental com- 
missaries will continue in the performance of their usual duties; but after 
the 31st day of July next all quartermasters and commissaries, assistant 
quartermasters and assistant commissaries, who have not been or may 
not be, prior to July 31st, specially detailed or assigned to duty, w ill cease 
to be officers in the confederate service. 
If. Regulations, 
2 Sales to officers will, after the 31st of July next, be made by the 
brigade commissary, as required in (he 4th section of the net; and to en- 
able him to do so, the brigade commander will select stud report to the 
War Department, through the usual channel, the best qualified regimental 
commissary of his brigade, for assignment to duty with the brigade com- 
missary. It shall be the special duty of the commissary thus assigned, 
to receive supplies in bulk, and to make the usually required sales to of- 
ficers of the army. He will be under the immediate direction of the 
brigade commissary; will receipt to him for all property received, ajnd 
make through him the proper reports and returns of his transactions. 
3. In cavalry regiments, a lieutenant of cavalry or other competent 
officer may be detailed, when necessary, to aid the regimental quarter- 
master }n the discharge of such additional duties as may bo devolved 
upon him under the operation of this law. 
4. Additional bonds will not be required of regimental quartermasters 
charged with commissary duties, except where directed by the Sect clary 
of War. 
order. 
Adjutant and Jnsjjcclur General. 
S. COOPER,