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Office A., Ass't Provost Marshal Gen'l and Supt. Vol. Rect'g Service, Ill. Springfield, February 1, 1864
[Circular to all Provost Marshals, Recruiting Offices, and Mustering and Disbursing Officers in Illinois:]
I have received the following order from the Provost Marshal General of the United States, dated January 29th, 1864, viz:
"Direct your officers not to forward, pay, or give credit for recruits whose youth or old age, in their judgment, unfits them for service. Hold all such men, and forward full report of them here for orders."
The object of this order is to keep all boys and old men out of the army. The Government wants none but strong, able-bodied, serviceable men. Great evil has resulted from want of care on this point, and greater caution must be observed in future. Every unserviceable man sent to the field is a positive loss and injury to the Union cause.
In all cases where you are satisfied that a recruit presented to you would not make an effective soldier, by reason either of youthful immaturity or of advanced age, you will peremptorily refuse to enlist him, or to muster him into service, or to forward him to the Geaeral Rendezvous.
Should recruits of this description elude the vigilance of Recruiting officers, and be forwarded to the Rendezvous, Mustering and Disbursing officers are forbidden to muster them into service, or pay them. No District, County or Town will received credit for such recruit.
If such unserviceable persons should escape the scrutiny of all other officers, and be enlisted, mustered and paid, I shall hold them and report the facts to the Provost Marshal General, for his instructions, as directed. In such cases, if the men are discharged by reason of disabilities existing prior to enlistment, and which might have been, and with proper care would have been discovered in time, the expenses will be charged against the recruiting officer by whose neglect the improper enlistments or musters were made.
James Oakes Lt. Col. 4th U. S. Cav., and Supt. Vol. R.S., Ill