said to have joined him. Reports from Alexandria state that 30,000 new troops are to be sent to him.

May I ask you to report these circumstances to the Secretary of War for his information?

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

R. E. LEE,

General.

SPECIAL ORDERS, ADJT. AND INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Numbers 122.
Richmond, Va., May 22, 1863.

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XX. Brigadier General George H. Steuart, Provisional Army Confederate States, will proceed without delay to Fredericksburg, Va., and report to General R. E. Lee for assignment to duty.

* * * *

By command of the Secretary of War:

JNO. WITHERS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

GENERAL ORDERS, ADJT. AND INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Numbers 66.
Richmond, May 22, 1863.

I. The act of Congress "to provide and organize engineer troops to serve during the war," approved March 20, 1863, and the accompanying rules and regulations for the selection and organization of the same, are published for the information and direction of all concerned:

SECTION 1. The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That there shall be selected, in such manner as the Secretary of Was may direct, from each division of infantry in service, one company of engineer troops, to consist of 100 men, chosen with a view to their mechanical skill and physical fitness, and that the men assigned to such company shall be required to serve in the same only during the balance of their term of service respectively.*

SEC. 2. That each company shall consist of 8 sergeants, 7 corporals, 40 artificers, and 45 laborers, and that 2 musicians may be added.

SEC. 3. That the commissioned officers of each company shall consist of 1 captain, 1 first lieutenant, and 2 second lieutenant, and that the original vacancies in these companies shall be filled by the transfer of officers of corresponding grade from the Engineer Corps, if practicable, and where not, them from the other corps or from the line or staff of the army,, reference being always had to their qualification as engineers, or by selection; but no one shall be selected who is not now serving in or with the army, unless he is a military or civil engineer.

SEC. 4. That the companies shall be organized into regiments of ten companies each, and that the field and staff officers shall consist of 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant-colonel, 1 major, 1 adjutant, with the rank of first lieutenant, 1 quartermaster-sergeant, and I sergeant-major, and that the original vacancies in the regiments shall be filled in the manner provided for filling the same in the companies by the third section of this act,and that the sergeant-major and the quartermaster-sergeant shall be selected from the enlisted men of the army.

SEC.5. That in each regiment two of the companies shall be assigned to duty as pontoniers, and each be furnished with a bridge train complete.

SEC. 6. That the officer in charge of the Engineer Bureau, subject to the approval of the Secretary of War, shall prescribe the number, form, and dimensions of the wagons, pontoons, trestles, tools, implements, arms, and other necessaries for all the troops organized by this act.

SEC. 7. That vacancies in the established regiments, to and including the rank of colonel, shall be filled by promotion, regimentally, according to seniority, except in case of disability or other incompetency.

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*Organization of engineer troops under this act suspended in Army of Northern Virginia by General Lee's order of July 17, 1863. See Series I, Vol. XXVII, Part III, p. 1020.

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52 R R-Vol XXV, PT II