series, will be made under the rules set forth in General Orders, Numbers 163. The consolidated receipt rolls, referred to in the said order, will be certified to by the commissary or assistant commissary of musters charged with the remuster of the veteran volunteers into service. The payments on discharge and those due on remuster will be made at the same time, and in full, immediately after the men are remustered into the service.

II. Commanders of armies and departments are hereby charged with the faithful execution of this order, and will issue such instructions under it as in their opinion will best secure the object in view. Troops to be discharged and remustered as veterans will be reported by the proper commanders, through army or department headquarters, to the Paymaster-General. The reports will be made at a date such as will avoid delay in the payments being made.

By order of the Secretary of War:

E. D. TOWNSEND,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

WAR DEPT., PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL'S OFFICE,

Washington, D. C., November 6, 1863.

Colonel JAMES B. FRY,

Provost-Marshal-General:

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the bureau of your office under my immediate charge:

On the 28th day of April, 1863, General Orders, Numbers 105, was issued by the Secretary of War, authorizing the formation of an Invalid Corps.

Pursuant to this order boards were appointed in May and June to examine and report on the condition of all men in hospitals and convalescent camps, with a view of, first, sending all men fit for active service to the field; second, selecting such as were not able for field duty and transferring them to the Invalid Corps; third, recommending such as were totally disabled for discharge.

The following, selected from the reports of two of these boards, will serve to exhibit, in part, the results of their operations:

Board. Transferr Returned Returned Recommend Total

ed to the to their to ed for number

Invalid regiments hospitals discharge examined

Corps. . . . .

Doctor 3,366 2,458 1,754 149 7,727

Coolidge

's

Captain 2,783 1,805 129 324 5,041

Peterson

's

Total 6,149 4,263 1,883 473 12,768

These returns represent partial operations only in the Army of the Potomac (by Doctor Coolidge's board) and in the Army of the Cumberland (Captain Peterson's board).

In addition to the operations of these boards a general order was issued authorizing corps commanders to have examined and transferred to the Invalid Corps all men of their commands who should be