General Order of General Darius Couch, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, June 12, 1863

Department of the Susquehanna, Chambersburg, June 12th, 1863. 

 

The undersigned assumes command of this department. In view of the danger of the invasion now threatening the State of Pennsylvania by the enemies of the Government, a new military department has been made by direction of the War Department, embracing all the territory of Pennsylvania east of Johnstown and Laurel Hill range of mountains; headquarters at Chambersburg.

To prevent serious raids by the enemy, it is deemed necessary to call upon the citizens of Pennsylvania to furnish promptly all the men necessary to organize an army corps of volunteer infantry, artillery, and cavalry, to be designated the "Army Corps of the Susquehanna." They will all be enrolled and organized in accordance with the regulations of the United States service, for the protection and defence of the public and private property within the department, and will be mustered into the service of the United States to serve during the pleasure of the President or the continuance of the war. The company and field officers of the departmental corps will be provisionally commissioned by the President upon the recommendation of the General Commanding. They will be armed, uniformed, and equipped, and, while in active service, subsisted and supplied as active troops of the United States. When not required for active service to defend the department, they will be returned to their homes subject to the coll of the Commanding General. Cavalry volunteers may furnish their own horses, to be turned over to the United States at their appraised value, or allowance will be made for the time of actual service, at the rate authorized by law. All able-bodied volunteers between the ages of eighteen and sixty will be enrolled and received into this corps. The volunteers for the State defence will receive no bounty, but will be paid the same as like service in the army of the United States, for the time they may be in actual service, as soon as Congress may make an appropriation for that purpose.

If volunteers belonging to this army corps desire, they can be transferred to the volunteer service for three years or during the war, when they will be entitled to all the bounties and privileges granted by the acts of Congress.

The General Commanding, in accordance with the foregoing general authority, calls upon all citizens within his department to come forward promptly to perfect the company organizations under United States regulations, to wit: one captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, sixty-four privates as the minimum and eighty-two as the maximum standard of each company.

The General Commanding specially desires that citizens of this district recently in the army should volunteer for duty in this army corps; thereby, from their experience, adding greatly to the efficiency of the force for immediate defensive operations; each company organization to he perfected as soon as possible, and report the name of the officers in command, the number of men, and the place of its headquarters, in order that they may be promptly furnished with transportation to the general rendezvous, which will be at Harrisburg. Any person who will furnish forty or more men who will be enrolled, if otherwise unobjectionable, will be entitled to a captaincy. Any person who will bring twenty-five or more men, under the above conditions, will be entitled to a first lieutenancy, and every person who will bring fifteen or more men, under the same conditions, to a second lieutenancy. On their arrival at the place of rendezvous they will be formed into regiments. So far as practicable, and as may be found consistent with the interests of the public service, companies from the same locality will be put together in the regimental organizations.

For the present all communications will be addressed to Harrisburg. The chiefs of the respective organizations will report accordingly.

 

DARIUS N. COUCH, 

Major-Gen'l Commanding.