GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DISTRICT OF THE BORDER,

No. 16.
Kansas City, Mo., October 2, 1863.

I. It is the special duty of commanders of stations in and adjacent to the border counties of Missouri to protect loyal persons, now or recently residents of those counties, from needles sacrifice of their property. They will give escort and assistance whenever practicable to all such persons in removing their stock and other personal property to such stations or out of those counties. They will assist and protect such persons in guarding their farms from prairie fires, and allow them to go there carrying public arms for self-defense as often as may be necessary, subject to such condition as may be prescribed by such commanders.

II. Beyond such travel as may be necessary for the purposes named in the foregoing paragraph, all civilians are prohibited until further orders travelling without written permit from a station commander in this district or from the general commanding the District of Central Missouri, in that part of those counties outside of station limits, and east of the Big Blue, and south of the road from Westport to Independence. Permits will be given only by commanders of stations in Missouri or on the line, and to persons of good character, who shall be named in such permits, and who are going on legitimate business. Soldiers serving in Kansas will not go into Missouri unless accompanied, or in writing ordered, by a commissioned officer. All persons found in those counties in violation of this order will be arrested and summarily punished.

III. All forage, and all cattle, hogs, and sheep fit for butchering, and all horses fit for service, taken up as abandoned or captured from the enemy, will be taken possession of by commanders of stations, who will deliver the same to the acting quartermaster or acting commissary (as may be proper) at such station, giving duplicate invoices, and taking duplicate receipts for said property as captured; one copy of which receipts will be retained by such station commander, and one sent to these headquarters. Such cattle, hogs and sheep will be slaughtered by the acting commissaries at such stations and issued to the troops; and the forage will be issued by the acting quartermaster. The horses fit for service will be appraised by a board of officers appointed by the commanding officer of such station, and will be branded with the letters "U. S." by such acting quartermaster, who will issue them as public animals, stating in his invoices the appraised value of each. All such property so appropriated to public use will be duly accounted for on the returns of such officers as captured property. All stock taken up as abandoned or captured which shall be found unfit for such use or service will be sent by commanders of stations to the district provost-marshal at these headquarters. Commanders of stations in Missouri and on the border will send, on the 1st and 15th days of each month, to these headquarters a statement of the number of horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs, and the amount of forage turned over by them at such stations, with one copy of the receipt given to them therefor, and with names of owners if practicable; and also a statement of the amount of stock sent to the district provost-marshal, with names of owners. Care will be taken to dispose of no stock in the manner herein directed, except that of persons of known disloyalty. While all practicable aid will be given to known loyalists in selling or taking care of their stock and other property of other persons late residents of those counties. Farming utensils, furniture, and other abandoned personal property (except forage and stock) must be left untouched by the soldierly. It is the duty of the civil, not of the military, authorities to confiscate such property.