William S. Rosecrans to J. P. Garesche, November 17, 1862

No. 17. Nashville, Tenn., November 17, 1862.

The following regulations are prescribed for foraging parties in this department, and must be strictly observed and enforced :

J. All officers, soldiers, or employés of the Government are, with the exception provided for in Paragraph V of this order, prohibited from foraging for supplies, without written authority from division headquarters, or from the commanding officer of a post or detached brigade or regiment.

Il. Foraging parties will, in all cases, be sent out in charge of a commissioned officer, who will be held responsible for the conduct of the guards, teamsters, and others accompanying the train, and will see that no depredations are committed, and that no property is taken, not specified in the permit, and, above all, that no straggling from the command is allowed, straggling being the great source of all marauding.

III. Permits will be furnished in duplicate to the officer procuring the supplies, one copy to be left with the party of whom the supplies are procured, and one copy to be returned at once to the officer with whom settlement therefor is to be made; both copies to be properly filled out with quantity and description of the articles taken, and to be signed by the officer procuring the supplies.

GENERAL be warit HpQRs. FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS,

I. V. Settlements for supplies procured by foraging parties will, when practicable, be made by the division quartermaster, the quartermaster procuring the supplies accounting to him therefor.

V. When trains or detachments are separated from the division to which they belong, they must in all cases be in charge of, or accompanied by, a quartermaster specially authorized by the general commanding to give certificates in proper form for forage and other supplies procured. Permits for foraging parties will in this case be issued by the commanding officer of the detachment or escort, and settlement for forage procured be made by the quartermaster in charge.

V. I. All supplies procured by foraging parties, whether settlement therefor has been made with the owner or not, will be taken up and accounted for on the monthly and quarterly returns in the same manner as other Government property. °

VII. When the owner of property, taken for the use of the army by proper authority, is known to be disloyal, or when there is a reasonable doubt as to his loyalty, the following note will be made on the face of the certificate given therefor: ”To be settled hereafter in such manner as the Government may direct.” When the party of whom supplies are procured is known to be a loyal citizen, payment will be made, or a certificate given in the proper form, without making the above note.

VIII. Officers signing, as well as those using, foraging permits will be held strictly accountable for the enforcement of these regulations.

Any officer who, through neglect, inattention, or inefficiency, permits pillaging, or the entering of private residences by the persons belonging to the foraging parties under his command, or who, having sent out a foraging party, and hearing of the commission of such acts, does not promptly bring the offender to punishment, will, on satisfactory proof thereof, be mustered out of service in disgrace, under General Orders, No. 4, from these headquarters. :

By command of Major-General Rosecrans :