486. They receive the same pay and allowances as stewards of general hospitals, and are appointed by the commanding officer of the regiment, on the recommendation of the senior surgeon on duty in the regiment. When thus appointed, they can be reduced like other non-commissioned officers.

487. The legal organization of the old regiments does not allow of hospital stewards; but the new regiment of artillery is allowed one, and the new regiments of infantry are each entitled to three, called Battalion Hospital Stewards; whilst the regiments of artillery and infantry in the volunteer service are each allowed one, and the cavalry regiments of volunteers and regulars are each allowed two.

488. Hospital stewards in the volunteer service, when originally mustered in as such, cannot be reduced to the ranks, but may be dishonorably discharged. If promoted from the ranks, they may be reduced like other non-commissioned officers.

489. Those regiments of the old army that are not allowed hospital stewards by law can have them assigned from the Surgeon-General’s Office. 

490. In garrison there is little difference between the duties of a regimental steward, and those of a steward of a general or post hospital; but in the field his labors are materially varied, his attention being divided between the care and transportation of the sick and that of the hospital property and medicines.

491. The hospitals in the field are more or less temporary, where the seriously sick and wounded are taken care of until they can be sent to the general hospitals; and slight cases only are treated for recovery. The means and material are necessarily limited: often it is only a tent or vacant building, and, in time of battle, the shade of trees, a ravine, or the shelter of a friendly wall.

492. The Hospital Department supplies a few stretchers, and the quartermaster a few ambulances and wagons, in which are a tent or two, medicines and instruments, and a mess-chest; and with these the attendants, and, in emergencies, the musicians, under the direction of the hospital steward, must do the best they can.

493. In tents the patients should be provided with bunks, and raised from the ground, as soon as possible. This may be done in numerous ways, particularly in a timbered country, and is advisable even for the most temporary hospitals. Much attention is required to keep the property of a field hospital in order, to protect it against great wear and tear. 

494. Here the steward’s agency is particularly required, and upon him depend that system and order that are so necessary to efficiency. He should see that every thing is in its place, properly stowed away and in a condition for immediate use, and that deficiencies are made good at the earliest possible moment.

495. THERE are two kinds of commissary sergeants, — regimental and company. The battalion commissary sergeants allowed to the new regiments of infantry have similar duties to those of regimental commissary sergeant.

496. The old regiments of artillery and infantry are not allowed commissary sergeants in their legal organization; and the duty is performed either by the quartermaster sergeant, or a sergeant detailed on extra duty for the purpose. All other regiments are allowed a commissary sergeant each.

497. He is appointed by the commanding officer of the regiment, on the recommendation of the  regimental commissary, and receives the same pay as the quartermaster sergeant, twenty-two dollars per month, with an allowance of clothing and one ration. He is mustered and paid on the field and staff roll, and is under the direction of the regimental commissary, from whom he gets his instructions.

498. He has the immediate control of the commissary store-house, and receives and superintends the issues to the companies. He assists the clerks in making up the returns, or may do the duties of clerk himself where the issues are not numerous. 

499. Where the issues are frequent and large, he has more the duties of a foreman to perform, as he will have a great number of men under his direction. Where the beef is butchered by the commissary, the care of the cattle and the slaughtering involves an increased force that will also be under his direction.

500. The duty is a responsible one. Much property of a kind calculated to tempt the cupidity of a dishonest man is placed in his charge; and, even where the sergeant himself is strictly honest in the discharge of his duties, he is under the necessity of watching the employees, who frequently take opportunities of disposing of provisions for money or appropriating articles which they are not allowed to their own use. Frequent inspections are, therefore, necessary, to see that no deficiencies occur in this way.

501. Those men who have charge of particular issues should be held responsible for all deficiencies and be required to account for losses. Consequently, when a man is placed in charge of stores, a memorandum should be made of the amount, so that at any time that an inspection is made it may be correctly ascertained what should be on hand.

502. The commissary sergeant should keep an account of all receipts and issues daily. Then, if the stores are systematically stored, there is no difficulty in making an inventory of them at any time, and correcting or discovering any delinquencies. Unless great vigilance is kept up, and a correct system pursued, deficiencies are sure to occur 

503. Some complication arises in returning for subsistence stores which are temporarily left in the commissary store, — as where companies leave their savings. In such cases, memorandum receipts should be given, and also an account of it should be kept; but at the end of each month every account should be squared up.

504. Issues are usually made to companies for ten days in garrisons or permanent camps, and for five days or less on the march. Consolidated returns should be made, as they save a multiplicity of papers. Each company renders a return, and they are consolidated in the adjutant’s office and signed by the commanding officer.

The annexed miscellaneous items and tables are taken from the Regulations, and introduced to facilitate the duties and to assist in making issues and computations.

At short intervals of time the stores and packages shall he carefully examined, and, when necessary, separated for inspection, early issue, repacking, rebrining, &c., as circumstances may require.

2. When there is no flooring under stores, they must be placed on skids, or be otherwise properly dunnaged.

4. Salt meats in pickle are not safe from injury unless there is undissolved salt in the barrel. The barrels should he rolled over monthly, and never be exposed to a hot sun.

5. Most subsistence stores being readily perishable, unremitting care is indispensable to their preservation.

6. The second chime-hoop on all barrels of pickled meats should be of iron. Two iron hoops on a barrel (one on each end) will generally be sufficient.

7. Vinegar-kegs should be panted, and the bungs capped with tin.

8. Liquid measures and scoops should be made of treble X tin:

9. The size, form, strength, &c. of packages designed to hold subsistence stores will be determined by the purchasing commissary, who will be governed in these particulars by the kind of transportation offered, by the size of the wagons used, by the convenience of handling the packages, &c. -10.

11. A box 26 x 17 x 11 inches, exterior measure, is an average box for pilot bread, under the usual circumstances of land transportation. The ends of a box of this size should be made of inch, and the remainder of five-eighths, stuff, the package well strapped with green hickory or other suitable wood.

14. A box, 4 x 4 inches square, and 3.6 inches deep, will contain one quart, or 57.75 cubic inches. 

15. A box, 5 x 5 inches square, and 4.6 inches deep, will contain a half-gallon, or 115.5 cubic inches.

16. A box, 24 x 16 inches square, and 28 inches deep, will contain one barrel (large whisky barrel), or 10,752 cubic inches.

17. A box, 8 x 8.4 inches square, and 8 inches deep, will contain one peck, or 537.6 cubic inches. 

18. A box, 16 x 16.8 inches square, and 8 inches deep, will contain one bushel, or 2150 cubic inches.

506. There is little difference between the field and garrison duties of a commissary sergeant. In the field, he has the stores in charge the same as in garrison, receives and issues them, but has a more limited means of taking care of them, and, consequently, rarely has more on hand than is absolutely necessary.

507. The commissary department furnishes scales, weights, and measures, which he should always keep on hand; for without them he will be unable to give satisfaction to the troops without running the risk of exceeding the authorized issues.

508. As the quartermaster takes charge of the transportation of the stores, they are necessarily, whilst in his charge and in transit, out of the control of the commissary department for the time-being; but it is the sergeant’s duty to note the amount he turns over for transportation, to give invoices and take transportation receipts.

509. These should be signed by the quartermaster and commissary. In regiments where the quartermaster is also commissary, this is not necessary, and he simply co-operates with the quartermaster sergeant, the latter attending immediately to the teams or means of transport, and the former looking after the stores.

510. THIS office is of recent date, and is authorized only in the mounted regiments and the new artillery regiment. The same pay and allowances are authorized as for company quartermaster sergeants. He is, however, only a part of the company organization, and under the direction of the company commander 

511. His duty is to make out the provision return, attend to drawing the rations for the company, and superintend their cooking and distribution to the men. He takes care of the company savings, and keeps the account with the commissary.

512. He is required to know the drill, and attends the exercises the same as other non-commissioned officers, except where they would interfere with the performance of his legitimate duties. He should also be familiar with all that has been prescribed for the duty-sergeants of the company.

513. The utmost impartiality should be exercised by the sergeant in the distribution of the provisions, to prevent discontent among the men. They should all be served alike, as far as it is possible. Close attention is necessary in the care of the stores; and none of the men should be permitted to help themselves. No one except the cooks should have access to the provisions, and these only when the sergeant is present.

514. The provisions for one meal only should be issued to them at one time to be cooked; and when they are ready for issue, the sergeant should be present, and see that they are equitably distributed and that the proper allowance is saved for those who are necessarily absent, that the prisoners are supplied, and also all others who are entitled to rations from the company.

515. A REGIMENTAL quartermaster sergeant is allowed to each regiment or battalion in the army. A quartermaster sergeant is also allowed to each company in the cavalry and in the Fifth Artillery. The former belongs to the non-commissioned staff and the latter is mustered on the company rolls next below the first sergeant. They both receive the same pay and allowances, — regimental and company quartermaster sergeants,— viz.: twenty-two dollars per month, an allowance of clothing, and one ration. 

516. The quartermaster sergeant of the regiment is appointed by the regimental commander, on the recommendation of the quartermaster of the regiment, and should be exclusively under the orders of the latter; and all orders the sergeant has to execute should properly be transmitted through his chief. Should he receive orders from any other officer, he should report the orders to his chief, who will either approve or assume the responsibility of disobeying the orders. 

517. The duties of this sergeant are to take the immediate charge of the property for which the regimental quartermaster is responsible, and direct the employees and the details sent to work for the quartermaster department. He receives and takes note of the stores received, and makes the issues authorized by the quartermaster It is a responsible duty, and requires great industry, energy and activity, but above all integrity; as there is much temptation to misapply public property.

518. The duties are more extensive and responsible than those of the commissary sergeant, he has more men under his direction, usually, and a greater amount and variety of property in charge; and, as the property is generally in use and scattered in every direction throughout the regiment, the utmost attention is necessary to prevent loss.

519. It is difficult to lay down detailed instructions on the duties of sergeants, where each quartermaster has his own way of requiring the duty to be done. In a regiment, however, some uniformity of practice might be established that would be a guide for all.

520. In the evening, between retreat and tattoo, the sergeant should report to the quartermaster how he has succeeded in the performance of the duties of the day, and receive his instructions for the morrow. He, being the foreman of all the workmen, teamsters, laborers, &c., employed by the quartermaster in the regiment, should receive all the orders, and, if necessary, have assistants to aid him.

521. He generally has a wagon-master in charge of the regimental train under his direction. When details report for work, there is usually a non-commissioned officer in charge of them, to whom he can look for assistance in carrying out orders. Regimental quartermasters rarely are authorized to employ citizens: all the aid he requires is usually furnished from the companies of the regiment, on proper application, and the labors of these men are usually under the direction of the quartermaster sergeant.

522. The attention of the sergeant is more important on some matters of property than others. Clothing, camp and garrison equipage, being only for issue to the troops, require the utmost care as each particular article is invoiced, and must be accounted for, or else paid for by the quartermaster.  Deficiencies in this kind of property are difficult to account for; and it is necessary to be absolutely accurate in keeping the account of it.

523. All property must be accounted for; but losses and deficiencies of other property are more easily explained away than with clothing, camp and garrison equipage. Articles worn out and unserviceable should be carefully preserved until they have been inspected, condemned, and ordered to be dropped.

524. When property is lost or destroyed, the sergeant should be careful to get the certificates of officers, or the affidavit of citizens or soldiers, giving the circumstances of the loss. 

525. Property transferred should be invoiced at once, and receipts obtained. In this respect the utmost promptness is necessary; and it should never be put off until to-morrow if it can possibly be done to-day.

526. In all matters in the quartermasters department, but particularly in the papers, there should be no postponement of any thing, if it can be done at once; otherwise, besides accumulating a mountain of unfinished labor, much of it never can be done, because the opportunity has been permitted to pass when it might have been done.

527. Thus, if an officer does not give his receipt at the proper time to the quartermaster, it will be impossible to tell whether he will ever get it; for he may be ordered away, he may get killed in the morrow’s fight, be discharged or dismissed from service, or the same may happen to the quartermaster

528. In cavalry and artillery regiments, the procuring and distribution of forage is the heaviest item of the quartermaster sergeant’s duties, and requires great attention; and the wants of the troops should always be anticipated. 

529. In the field, where the forage is obtained from the surrounding country, the sergeant or other person in charge of forage-parties should give receipts to the person furnishing the forage, instructing him to present the receipt to the quartermaster as soon as possible and obtain his pay or a certified voucher; for, if the troops move, the man may have great difficulty in getting his pay.

530. Regiments of infantry also require a certain amount of forage for the regimental teams and the field-officers’ horses, that is procured in the same way. The accounts of all issues of forage should be faithfully kept, particularly when, as is the case on the march, the issues are made daily The requisitions and receipts for forage should be promptly collected at the end of each month.

531. Providing fuel for the troops, especially in the winter season, is also an important duty generally entrusted to the quartermaster sergeant, and requires the same attention and punctuality as forage.

532. THE quartermaster sergeant of the company performs the same duties with reference to the company that the regimental sergeant does towards the regiment. He is under the direction of the company commander and first sergeant.

533. He receives the fuel and forage for the company from the quartermaster sergeant, and keeps the account. He takes charge of the wagon assigned to the company, and all the company property in it. In garrison he has the immediate charge of the company store-room.

534. He attends to receiving the clothing, camp and garrison equipage, and assists the first sergeant in its distribution. He also receives all other quartermaster’s property turned over to the company, and sees that it is properly cared for, and must be able to account for it to his company commander.

535. On the march, he attends to the loading and unloading of the wagons, and superintends the erection of tents, putting up the picket-line, &c. He sees that the forage is properly distributed and that the public animals are fed.

536. He should be able to identify all the animals belonging to the company; he reports their wants and necessities to the company commander; he sees that they are properly cared for by the men, and that the sick horses are reported to the veterinary surgeon for treatment.

537. He procures the fuel for the company, makes out the requisitions for the company commander to sign, and draws the fuel from the quartermaster sergeant. 

538. Straw for bedding for men and horses is procured in the same way.

539. He keeps the register of the camp and garrison equipage issued to the men of the company, and such other quartermaster’s property as may be entrusted to them.

540. Like the commissary sergeant of the company, he should be familiar with the drill and other duties of the company sergeants, and, when necessary, may be required in the ranks to perform his part in times of danger Usually, however, at such times his presence is more necessary to look out for the safety of the company property.