PART V.

Enlistments for the naval service and Marine Corps.

On the 3rd of May, 1861, the President issued a call, in which be directed the enlistment of 18,000 seamen.

Section 8 of the act approved July 4, 1864, required that all persons in the naval service of the United States who entered said service during the present rebellion, and who were not credited to the quota of any town, district, ward, or State, by reason of their being in said service and not enrolled prior to February 24, 1864, should be enrolled and credited to the quota of the town, ward, district, or State in which they respectively resided, upon satisfactory proof of their residence made to the Secretary of State.

In carrying into effect this law of Congress the Secretary of War decided that men enlisted in the Navy should be credited to the State in which they enlisted, unless it was proved that they properly belonged elsewhere; and for the purpose of determining what credits the several States were entitled to, under the law given above, the Secretary of War appointed commissioners, consisting of the Governor of the State and an officer of the Army. The aggregate of credits allowed by the commissioners for enlistments in the Navy from April 15, 1861, to February 24, 1864, was 67,334. The distribution among the different States appears in a table presented on the following page.

Section 9 of the act approved February 24, 1864, and section 3 of the act approved July 1, 1864, required that credits should be given for enlistments into the Naval service or Marine Corps, in the same manner as for enlistments in the Army.

Under these acts credits were allowed as follows, viz:

For men enlisted into the naval service between February 24, 1864, and June 30, 1865.....................................35,073

For men enlisted into the Marine Corps between February 24, 1864, and June 30, 1865..................................... 2,536

Total.................................37,609

On the 24th 4, a joint resolution was passed by Congress, entitled "A resolution relative to the transfer of persons in the military service to the naval service." This resolution provided-

First. "That the Provost-Marshal-General be, and he is hereby, directed to enlist such persons as may desire to enter the naval service of the United States," &c.; and

Second. "That the President of the United States may direct the transfer of persons in the military service to the naval service," &c.

In accordance with the first branch of this resolution, a circular was issued from this office directing provost- marshals, in addition to their other duties, to recruit for the naval service and Marine Corps, and establishing rules for this purpose.

This resolution was repealed by act approved June 3, 1864, and instructions were issued accordingly.

From this date enlistments were made and credits given as required by section 9 of the act approved February 24, 1864, and section 3 of the act approved July 1, 1864, nothing further being required of this Bureau than to credit on the quotas assigned for draft the enlistments reported by the Navy Department as having been made by it for that branch of the service. The fact that the recruitment for the two