969. Regiments will be furnished with field music on the requisitions of their commanders, made, from time to time, direct on the general superintendent; and when requested by regimental commanders the superintendents will endeavor to have suitable men selected from the recruits, or enlisted, for the regimental bands.

970. At every depot pains will be taken to form from the permanent party a body of competent cooks, some of whom will be sent with every large draft of recruits ordered to regiments.

971. To give encouragement to the recruits and hold out inducements to good conduct the commanding officer of the depot may promote such of them as exhibit the requisite qualifications to be lance corporals and lance sergeants, not exceeding the proper proportion to the number of recruits at the depot. These appointments will be announced in orders in the usual way, and will be continued in force until they join their regiments, unless sooner revoked. No allowance of pay or emolumappointments; they are only to be considered as recommendations to the captains of companies and colonels of regiments for the places in which the recruits may have acted; but such non-commissioned officers are to be treated with all the respect and to have all the authority which may belong to the stations of sergeant and corporal.

972. Permanent parties at depots and recruiting parties and recruits will be mustered, inspected, and paid in the same manner as other soldiers.

973. When recruits are received at a garrisoned post the commanding officer will place them under the charge of a commissioned officer.

974. Recruits are not to be put to any labor or work which would interfere with their instruction, nor are they to be employed otherwise than as soldiers, in the regular duties of garrison and camp.

975. The Rules and Articles of War are to be read to the recruits every month, after the inspection; and so much thereof as relates to the duties of non-commissioned officers and soldiers will be read to them every week.

INSPECTION OF RECRUITS AT DEPOTS AND POSTS.

976. The superintendent or commanding officer will cause a minute and critical inspection to be made of every recruit received at a depot two days after his arrival; and should any recruit be found unfit for service, or to have been enlisted contrary to law or regulations, he shall assemble a board of inspectors to examine into the case. A board may also be assembled in a special case, when a concealed defect may become manifest in a recruit, at any time during his detention at the depot.

977. Every draft of recruits ordered from a depot to any regiment or post shall, immediately preceding its departure, be critically inspected by the superintendent, or commanding officer and surgeon, and, when necessary, a board of inspectors will be convened.

978. Recruits received at a military post or station shall be carefully inspected by the commanding officer and surgeon on the third day after their arrival; and if, on such inspection, any recruit, in their opinion, be unsound or otherwise defective in such degree as to disqualify him for the duties of a soldier, then a board of inspectors will be assembled to examine into and report on the case. (See paragraphs 979, 980, 981.)