GENERAL ORDERS, 
NO. 39. 
WAR DEPARTMENT, 
Adjutant General's Office. 
Washington, March 15, 1865. 
Order concerning Embalmers. 
Hereafter no persons will be permitted to embalm or remove the bodies 
of deceased officers or soldiers, unless acting under the special license 
of the Provost Marshal of the Army, Department, or District in which 
the bodies may be. 
Provost Marshals will restrict disinterments to seasons when they 
can be made without endangering the health of the troops. They will 
grant licenses only to such persons as furnish proof of skill and ability 
as embalmers, and will require bonds for the faithful performance of 
the orders given them. They will also establish a scale of prices by 
which embalmers are to be governed, with such other regulations as 
will protect the interests of the friends and relatives of deceased soldiers. 
Applicants for license will apply direct to the Provost Marshal of the 
Army or Department in which they may desire to pursue their business, 
submitting in distinct terms the process adopted by them, material 
used, length of time its preservative effects can be relied on, and such 
other information as may be necessary to establish their proficiency and 
success. Medical Directors will give such assistance in the examina- 
tion of these applications as may be required by Provost Marshals. 
order of the Secretary of War: 
E. D. TOWNSEND, 
Assistant Adjutant General. 
Official : 
Assistant Adjutant General.