Letter from G. J. Rains to Commandant of Conscripts; May 19, 1863

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Letter from G. J. Rains to Commandant of Conscripts; May 19, 1863

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Each transcribed document contains links that connect it to other documents on the same topic in the collection.

People

Clark, M. R.Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889 Rains, G. J.

Events

Confederate States of America--Draft Confederate States of America--Draft. Evasion Legislation. Confederate States of America. Congress Legislation. Confederate States of America. Congress. Twenty Negro Law (1862)Military Events--Military service exemption

Military Units

Confederate States of America--Military Service (Branch Unspecified)

Organizations

Confederate States of America--Army Adjutant and Inspector-General's Office Confederate States of America--Bureau of Conscription Confederate States of America--Congress Plantations

Occupations

Conscript Officers Law Enforcement Law Enforcement--Police Plantation Overseers

Places

Virginia--Independent City. Richmond

Social Identifiers

African Americans African Americans--Enslaved People

Page 1

Confederate States of America
Bureau of the Conscription
Richmond, Va. May 19^th,, 1863

To Commandants of Conscripts
By an act of Congress May 1, 1863 (copies of which will be furnished for distribution so soon as printed) the general exemption of overseers as a class for the hither to prescribed purpose "to secure the proper police of the country ceases to be obligatory, and the obligatory exemptions is confined to certain enumerated classes of plantations.

In a seperate section of the same Act, however, the president is intrusted with a general discretion to allow exemptions in any class of the community in cases of justice or necessity.

In construing this legislation as a whole, it is to be presumed that congress, in view of the difficulty of fixing a general rule of equally just application in the various parts of the country, intended to leave the necessary rules of exemption in enumerated classes to be fixed by Executive discretion.

A violent and most injurious change would probably result from the

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immediate withdrawal of all exemptions formerly provided by the police clause and not now expressly authorized. It is therefore necessary to proceed with deliberation and discretion.

The Commandants of Conscripts for the several States will make reports of such cases or classes of cases in which the necessities of the community appear manifestly to require the exemptions of any portion of the overseers in whose hands now rests the supervision and police of our negro labor. Temporary indulgence will meantime be extended in such cases until executive pleasure be known. The [pressaba-tory?] enrollment to bring into service those newly rendered liable will however be actively prosecuted. In no case will the Bureau entertain applications for exemptions proposed on grounds of necessity unless a reasonable amount of sworn testimony be forwarded.

This rule is imperative, to avoid error growing out of deception by petitions or mistaking judgement by forwarding officers

G. J. Rains
Brig Genl.
Supt.

Official.
M. R. Clark, Maj &A Ag.
Comidt Con: State Miss.