REGULATIONS FOR THE NAVY OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES, 1862.

 

CHAPTER 4.

 

 APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS.

 

 ARTICLE 1.

 

Appointment of a person not holding a commission or warrant to perform the duty of a commission or warrant officer.   Officer on leave or furlough.

 

No officer whatever shall, when within the jurisdiction of the Confederate States, unless authorized by the Secretary of the Navy, appoint any person not holding a commission or warrant in the navy to perform the duties of a commissioned or warrant officer, nor give to any commissioned or warrant officer an acting appointment for any higher grade than that for which he may be commissioned or warranted.   Nor shall he at any time order any officer into service or upon duty who is on leave of absence or furlough, or make any change in the distribution or arrangement of officers as established by the Secretary of the Navy, except in cases of emergency; and in such cases he shall report his acts to the department without delay.

 

ARTICLE 2.

 

When vessels may proceed to sea with smaller numbers than those designated in the table of complements.

 

If the Secretary of the Navy shall deem it expedient to direct any vessel to proceed on service with a smaller number of officers than is designated in the table of complements for vessels, no acting appointment is to be made or order given to supply any such deficiency without his previous authority or sanction; nor shall any commander of a vessel which may be separated from the commander of the fleet or squadron to which such vessel belongs make any acting appointment, or give any order to fill vacancies which existed and could have been reported to the commander of the fleet or squadron before such separation occurred.

 

ARTICLE 3.

 

Acting appointment, when and how to be made.

 

When a vacancy shall occur in the complements of commission or warrant officers, as above explained and limited, in any vessel without the jurisdiction of the Confederate States, and which cannot be supplied from the supernumerary officers of the same rank in other vessels of the fleet or squadron, the commander-in-chief of the fleet or squadron may, if the vacancies shall have been occasioned by death, or by order or authority from the Secretary of the Navy, give a written acting appointment to some other commission or warrant officer who may be subject to his orders to fill such vacancy,  until such appointment be revoked by the commander-in-chief of the fleet or squadron for the time being, or by order of the Secretary of the Navy.

 

ARTICLE 4.

 

Acting appointments to be reported to the department, with reasons for the same.

 

All officers who may have occasion to make acting appointments, or to give orders to fill vacancies, shall conform to these regulations as respects qualifications, whenever it shall be practicable; they shall give the earliest information to the department of all such orders or appointments which may be made by them, with the reasons for the same, and forward a complete list of all such orders or appointments to the Secretary of the Navy immediately on their arrival in the Confederate States.

 

ARTICLE 5.

 

An officer who has received an appointment to act in a higher grade than his commission, not to be reduced.

 

When an officer on foreign service shall have received an appointment to act in a higher grade than that of his commission or warrant, and shall have served in such grade, he shall not be reduced to his previous grade except by sentence of a court martial, but shall be retained as a supernumerary, or sent to the Confederate States, and his appointment shall cease from the date of his order to return to the Confederate States.

 

ARTICLE 6.

 

Vacancies by sickness, absence, &c., how to be filled.

 

When a vacancy shall have been occasioned by leave granted to any officer to return to the Confederate States from the commander of a squadron or vessel, in consequence of ill health or for other cause, or any rank or class of officers present and fit for duty, shall be temporarily reduced below the complement and the number which may be deemed necessary for the proper performance of the duties of the vessel, in consequence of the continued indisposition of officers, or their absence in prizes or upon other public service, the commander-in-chief of the fleet or squadron, or the senior officer present, may direct other officers of the vessel or squadron, by a written order, to perform the duties of such absent or sick officers until their return or restoration to health, or until the further orders of the commander of the fleet or squadron, or of the Secretary of Navy, be received.

 

ARTICLE 7.

 

Boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers, may be selected; when and how.

 

Vacancies in the situations of boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers may be filled by selection from the petty officers, or other persons not warranted, by order of the officers authorized by these regulations to give such order.

 

ARTICLE 8.

 

Officers receiving acting appointments to wear uniform and annex official signature.

 

When an officer shall receive an acting appointment from the Secretary of the Navy, or from the commander-in-chief of the fleet, or other commanding officer, in conformity with these regulations, such officer may assume the uniform and annex his acting rank to his official signature; but when he shall perform the duties of a higher station by order, he is not to change his uniform or official designation.   But in both cases he will be entitled to the compensation of the grade of the officer whose duties he may be directed to perform.

 

ARTICLE 9.

 

Commanders-in-chief without the Confederate States may appoint boards to examine candidates for higher appointments.

 

Commanders-in-chief, without the jurisdiction of the Confederate States, may direct three captains, commanders, or other proper officers as the case may require, to examine candidates for higher appointments, when it shall be necessary for selecting persons who have not been examined to fill vacancies; and the certificates of qualification shall be immediately forwarded to the Secretary of the Navy.

 

ARTICLE 10.

 

Commanders of vessels in certain cases to fill vacancies.

 

If an officer shall succeed to the command of a vessel without the jurisdiction of the Confederate States in consequence of the death or captivity of the commander, he may give the necessary orders to supply vacancies to act until he brings the vessel into port, meets with a superior officer on duty, or receives the instructions of his commander-in-chief or of the Secretary of the Navy.

 

ARTICLE 11.

 

Commanders to rate petty officers from crew, except.

 

When a crew shall be transferred from a receiving vessel to a vessel of the navy intended for sea service, the officer who may be ordered to her command shall select and rate from such crew the different petty officers allowed by the complement table to vessels of the class to which she belongs, excepting the ship’s steward and surgeon’s steward.   The former will be rated on the nomination of the paymaster, and the latter on the nomination of the surgeon or senior medical officer attached to the vessel, if approved by the commanding officer.

 

ARTICLE 12.

 

Petty officer so rated to be transferred in no higher grade than that in which he shipped.

 

No petty officer so rated shall be transferred as such to any other station or hospital, and in no higher grade than that in which he was received on board such vessel.

 

ARTICLE 13.

 

Commanders may change the rates of petty officers.

 

A captain or other commanding officer of a vessel may change the rates of petty officers and others of inferior ratings allowed to the vessel under his command, having due regard to the law and to their conduct and qualifications, reporting quarterly to the commanding officers of the squadron to which he belongs all the alterations which he may have made in such ratings since his last report.

 

ARTICLE 14.

 

Officers entitled to a secretary or clerk may appoint and discharge the same.

 

Every officer entitled to a secretary may appoint and discharge the same; and every commanding officer may appoint and discharge his own clerk.

 

ARTICLE 15.

 

Paymasters may appoint and discharge their clerks with captain’s assent.

 

Paymasters entitled to clerks may appoint them or request their discharge, and the captain will assent to such appointment and discharge, unless he has good reason for refusing it, which he will state in writing.

 

ARTICLE 16.

 

Ages prescribed for secretaries and clerks, and rules for their appointment.

 

No person shall be appointed secretary who is under twenty-one years of age, nor a clerk under eighteen years of age; and no secretary or clerk shall be entered upon the muster-book of any vessel, or be entitled to any pay, until he shall have accepted his appointment by letter in duplicate, and is ready for duty, and in such acceptance shall expressly bind himself to be subject to the laws and instructions for the government of the navy, so long as he shall hold such appointment; one of which letters of acceptance shall, in all cases, be immediately transmitted to the department by the officers making the appointment, and the other be preserved by him.

 

ARTICLE 17.

 

Boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sailmakers may receive warrants, when.

 

No person is to receive an appointment as boatswain, gunner, carpenter, or sailmaker, until he shall have passed such examination as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy to ascertain his qualifications; nor will a warrant be given to him until he shall have performed at least one year’s sea service in the navy, and shall produce testimonials of good conduct from the commanding officer under whom he shall have served.

 

ARTICLE 18.

 

Age of second masters and masters’ mates, and rules for their appointment.

 

Should second masters or masters’ mates be hereafter appointed from civil life, no one will receive such appointment except from the Secretary of the Navy, nor unless he shall be over twenty years of age, and have passed such examination, by a board of navy officers, in seamanship, navigation and mathematics, as the Secretary of the Navy may direct, and shall produce satisfactory testimonials of general good character and conduct.

 

ARTICLE 19.

 

Second masters or masters’ mates not to be warranted until they have seen one year’s sea service.

 

Second masters or masters’ mates will not receive warrants until they shall have acted as such for at least one year in vessels of the navy at sea, and shall produce satisfactory testimonials of good character and conduct from their commanders.

 

ARTICLE 20.

 

Admission, continuance and examination of midshipmen.

 

The admission, continuance and examination of midshipmen for promotion, shall be according to such rules as are or may be established by the Navy Department, in connexion with the Naval Academy.

 

ARTICLE 21.

 

Chaplains.   Qualifications required for their appointment.

 

No person will be appointed a chaplain in the navy who shall not be a regularly ordained or licensed clergyman of unimpeached moral character, nor when he is more than thirty years of age.

 

ARTICLE 22.

 

Assistant paymasters.   Qualifications required for their appointment.

 

Assistant paymasters will not be appointed except between twenty-one and thirty years of age, nor until they shall have been examined by three paymasters and found fully competent to keep a set of ship’s books, and produce satisfactory testimonials of good moral character.

 

ARTICLE 23.

 

Commanding officer of a squadron may appoint a fleet surgeon when a vacancy occurs.

 

The commanding officer of a squadron, in case of a vacancy occurring on a foreign station, may order the senior surgeon of the squadron to perform the duties of surgeon of the fleet, unless from disability or other good cause it be found necessary to select one of the same or of lower grade.

 

ARTICLE 24.

 

No person to be appointed in the engineer corps without testimonials.

 

No person shall be appointed in the engineer corps of the navy unless he shall produce satisfactory testimonials of good moral character and correct habits.

 

ARTICLE 25.

 

Candidates for promotion in the engineer corps must produce testimonials.

 

Candidates for promotion in said corps must produce, in addition, similar testimonials from the commanding officers and the senior engineer or engineers with whom they may have served; and all candidates, whether for admission or promotion, must pass such examinations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy.

 

ARTICLE 26.

 

Qualifications required for the appointment and promotions of engineers.

 

Third assistants must, in addition to the foregoing conditions, have served at least two years in the management of steam engines of the navy in actual service; second assistants must have so served at least three years; the first assistants must have so served at least two years, unless in cases of necessity; and in such extreme cases the same qualifications and restrictions as respects examinations, conduct, character, health, and length of service with steam engines in vessel of some kind, will be required for the several grades.   No person shall in such extreme cases be so appointed under the age of twenty-one years; nor a second assistant who shall be over twenty-five years of age; nor first assistant over thirty years of age; nor any chief engineer over thirty-five years of age.

 

ARTICLE 27.

 

Engineers, which shall be preferred when qualifications are equal.

 

When other qualifications are equal, candidates who possess superior skill and practical knowledge of the fabrication and repair of the different parts of steam engines and their dependencies, will have preference over others.

 

ARTICLE 28.

 

Definition of sea service.

 

The time which an officer may be doing duty afloat, except on receiving ships, will be considered as sea service within the meaning of these regulations.

 

ARTICLE 29.

 

Boards of officers for examination to give certificates.

 

Boards of officers who may be appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to examine persons for appointment or promotion, shall grant certificates to such as in their opinion prove themselves qualified, and shall number such certificates according to the relative qualifications of the different individuals who present themselves at the same time, or who belong to the same class, giving number one to the best qualified, and the other numbers in regular order.

 

ARTICLE 30.

 

Officers who may be prevented from being present at a first examination, how to proceed.

 

Any officer, other than a midshipman, who may be prevented by the action of his superior officers from attending an examination to which he may be entitled by law or these regulations, and shall present himself at the first opportunity in his power and pass a satisfactory examination, shall have a position assigned to him in the class to which he belonged, as if he had been examined in due course.

 

ARTICLE 31.

 

In case of an officer failing to pass a first examination, his class and position if he passes a second examination.

 

In case an officer shall fail to pass an examination, and an opportunity shall, for any special reason, be granted him to present himself a second time, the board by which he may be examined shall designate the class and position in which they recommend him to be placed, which shall be subject to the final decision of the Secretary of the Navy.

 

ARTICLE 32.

 

Officers found unqualified on second examination to be dropped.

 

Any officer who shall not be found qualified for promotion upon a second examination shall be dropped from the navy list.

 

ARTICLE 33.

 

Officers appointed to shore stations to continue two years, unless.

 

Officers appointed to navy yards and other duties on shore, or to receiving ships, will, as a general rule, be continued on those duties for two years, but subject to exceptions which the wants of other branches of the service may require.

 

ARTICLE 34.

 

A lieutenant allowed to a commander-in-chief as aid.

 

Every captain who shall be appointed to the command of a fleet or squadron, may be allowed a lieutenant, in addition to the complement of the vessel, as an “aid” to assist him in performing his duties.

 

ARTICLE 35.

 

Limits of a command to be specified.

 

Whenever an officer shall be appointed to the command-in-chief of a fleet or squadron, the geographical limits of his command will be particularly specified in his instructions.

 

ARTICLE 36.

 

No person to receive an original appointment unless physically qualified.

 

No person shall receive an original commission, warrant or appointment in the naval service of the Confederate States, or in the marine corps, unless he be found physically qualified, on examination by one or more naval surgeons.

 

---------------------