sitions of regimental surgeons or mates on the apothecary general or his assistants, inspect the hospitals under his direction, correct abuses, and report delinquencies. It is his duty to make quarterly reports to the physician and surgeon general of the sick and wounded in the hospital to which he is attached, and of the medicines, instruments, and hospital stores, received, expended, on hand, and wanted, on the 1st of January, April, July, and October, of each year. He must also keep a diary of the weather, together with an account of the medical topography of the country in which he serves, and report to the commanding officer every circumstance tending to restore or preserve the health of the troops. It is the duty of hospital surgeons, or others acting in that capacity, to superintend every thing that relates to the hospital, as to its construction, its government, and its police. To order the steward to furnish whatever may be necessary or convenient for the sick. To visit the sick and wounded in the hospital every morning, and in the evening require from the resident mate a report of all alterations that may have occurred since the morning prescriptions. To prescribe on a blotter for the instruction and convenience of the mate. To have the police rules of the hospital printed or written in a legible hand, and hung up in each ward, and to assign appropriate wards to the patients, according to their respective diseases. To keep a register of all patients admitted into the hospital, wherein shall be specified the name, rank, regiment, company, disease, dates of admission, discharge, desertion, or death; and also to keep a case book, in which shall be recorded the history of every important or interesting case of disease. The general result or outlines of the case book, as well as an account of medicines, instruments, hospital stores, furniture, &c. received, on hand, and wanted, must be reported monthly. It is the duty of the mates to attend at the hour appointed by the surgeon, to visit the patients with him, and note his prescriptions. Each mate must keep a case book similar to the one prescribed for the surgeon. They must also attend to the administering the prescriptions of the surgeon, dress all wounds and ulcers, enforce the established discipline of the hospital, and report to the proper officers all delinquencies. One of the mates, at least, must remain constantly within call of the hospital. The medicine and instruments are under the immediate care of the mates. It is the duty of the steward, under the direction of the surgeon, to provide for the hospital, to receive and take charge of all hospital stores, furniture, utensils, &c. to keep an accurate account of all issues, and specify not only for whom, but by whom, ordered; the surgeon's certificate to be his voucher. The steward is responsible to the apothecary general, or his assistant, for the faithful discharge of his office. The ward master is under the direction of the steward. He receives the arms, accoutrements, and clothing of every patient admitted into the hospital. He sees that the clothes are immediately washed, numbered, and labelled with the name, regiment, and company of the patient, and put away in a place provided for that purpose; and if the arms and accoutrements are not brought with the patient, he must so report. He is responsible for the cleanliness of the patients and the wards, and must call the roll every morning and evening, and report all absentees. He must be particularly careful in the proper construction of the close stools, and see that they have always a proper quantity of water or charcoal in them, and that they are cleansed at least three times a day. He must see that the beds and bed-clothes are properly aired and exposed every fair day to the sun, that the straw in each bed-sack is changed at least once in every month, and that each patient is washed and his hair combed every morning. When a patient has died, or been discharged, he must see that the bed and bed-clothes are properly cleaned, and the straw burned, and that the nurses and attendants are kind and attentive to the sick and wounded. All the attendants are under his immediate direction, and he is responsible for the faithful performance of the duties assigned them*. $18. IX. The judge advocates and the chaplains. A judge advocate to each division, of which there are eight, and a chaplain to each brigade, of which there are sixteen in the army. 19. The engineer corps was first instituted in 1802. This corps constitutes a military academy, which is stationed at West Point, in the state of New York; but all the members of the corps are subject, at all times, to do duty in such places, and on such service, as the president of the United States shall direct. The corps, when complete, consists of a colonel, a lieutenantcolonel, 2 majors, 6 captains, 6 first and 6 second lieutenants, a paymaster, 4 serjeants, 4 corporals, a teacher of music and 8 musicians, 20 artificers, and 80 bombardiers, making an aggregate of 140 men. The number of cadets or pupils authorized is 250. The number on the first of June, 1814, was 164. * Besides the general hospitals, there is attached to each regiment a regimental hospital, or infirmary, which is under the care of the regimental surgeon and his mates, who are empowered to send the wounded and chronic cases to the general hospital, and all the sick, in the event of their being ordered to be left, behind on a march. It must be observed that the above statement of the regular military establishment of the United States is the authorized, and not the real existing force. Such is the facility of earning a subsistence in this country, that the ranks of the army are but slowly filling up, notwithstanding the very great inducements held out to recruits. 20. The rank of the regiments in the service of the United States is as follows: 1st. The light artillery. 6th. The volunteers in the 7th. The militia drafts. According to the numbers of the regiments respectively. According to the numbers given to them respectively by the general commanding the district. This regulation however is confined to parades. On all other occasions, regiments are drawn up in the way which may be directed by the general, or other commanding officer. § 21. The following are the principles which govern the decision of rank among the officers: 1st. Rank in actual service, when appointed. 2d. Former rank and service in the army, or marine corps, of the United States. 3d. Lottery-among such as have not before been in the military service of the United States. In all cases in which command shall not have been specially given, the eldest officer, whether of cavalry, of artillery, or of infantry, commands. Where a controversy concerning rank arises from the sameness of date in commissions, it is determined by reference to former commissions in the regular service; and if none such should have been held, by former commissions in the militia. Brevet rank gives no precedence nor command, except on detachments; nor can persons having such rank only, be included in the roster of officers for any duty other than that performed by detachments, and to which they shall be specially assigned. Officers of the regular army of the same grade with those of the volunteers and militia, have precedence of these, whatever may be the dates of their respective commissions. There is no precedence between staff departments. The officers assigned to these, take rank, 1st, from the brevets they hold, and 2d, from the rank they respectively have in the line. § 22. The rules with regard to promotion are, that original vacancies are supplied by selection; accidental vacancies by seniority, excepting in extraordinary cases. Promotions to the rank of captain are made regimentally; to that of field appointments by line; the light artillery, dragoons, artillery, infantry, and riflemen, being kept always distinct. 23. The following table exhibits the pay, subsistence, and forage of the military establishment: |
