GENERAL ORDERS,
WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 86.
Washington, July 23, 1862.

I. Descriptive lists and accounts of the pay, clothing, &c., of soldiers will never, where it can be avoided, by given into their own hands. Such papers should be intrusted only to the officer or non-commissioned officer in charge of the party with which they are.

II. Except in such cases as that of an ordnance sergeant, specially assigned to duty at a post where there are no troops, and where he cannot be regularly mustered, no soldier must be paid on a mere descriptive list and account of pay and clothing, but only upon the muster and pay roll of his company, detachment, or party, or on that of a general hospital, if h be there sick or on duty. No payments will therefore be made to enlisted men on furlough.

III. The giving in duplicate by any officer of the Army of certificates of discharge or final statements is peremptorily forbidden. (See paragraph 165 of the Revised Regulations.) Not even if such papers are lost or destroyed is any officer of the Army authorized to replace them.

IV. The proper course to be pursued in such cases will be found indicated in paragraph 1341 of the Revised Regulations, and is bustantially as follows:

Application for payment in these cases must be made through the Paymaster-General of the Army to the Second Comptroller of the Treasury. The application must be accompanied by the soldier's statement, under oath, that his final statements and certificate of discharge are lost, destroyed, or have never been received by him; that he has made diligent search or application for them; that they cannot be recovered or obtained, and that he has not received pay on them, nor assigned them to any other person.

All the circumstances of the case must be fully set forth in the affidavit, and this again must be accompanied by all the evidence in corroboration of his statement which the soldier can procure.

On receipt of this the Second Comptroller will audit the account, and if satisfied with the evidence will order payment to the soldier of the amount found justly due to him.

V. The attention of all officers of the Army, and particularly of all company, regimental, and post commanders, surgeons in charge of general hospitals, and paymasters, and of all soldiers discharged from the service, who, from the want of their final statements and certificates of discharge, are unable to procure a settlement of their accounts with the Government, is specially directed to this order.

By order of the Secretary of War:

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington City, D. C., July 23, 1862.

GOVERNORS OF LOYAL STATES:

SIRS: There is no doubt a large number of soldiers absent from the Army on sick-leave who are abundantly able to rejoin their regiments, but who are neglecting their duty and spending their time at home among their friends.

The penalty of being considered deserters, prescribed in General Orders, Numbers 65, is in many cases insufficient to induce these men to