CIVIL WAR MEDICAL SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC UNION ARMY HOSPITAL ORDER 1864
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An original Union Army War Department General Order issued at Washington, DC, March 16, 1864 to all command: All soldiers discharged from smallpox hospitals are to be issued a complete new uniform at no cost to the soldier and their infected clothing is to be burned, by Order of the Secretary of War. This original printing is 1p 8 x 5″ printed. 2 punch holes in left margin, edge stains, Overall VG. Smallpox outbreaks were so widespread during the Civil War that the War Department was forced to issue this General Order to prevent reissue of infected uniforms to healthy soldiers.

General & Special Orders were issued to communicate commands and information to the Army. Each order, issued in writing by a command, was then printed for distribution to each unit, either at an army department headquarter or by commanders at local headquarters, sometimes in the field on portable printing presses. The orders were then issued to regiments, often to be read aloud to the troops.

General Orders were printed as issued with date & location; at the end of a year the regimental adjutant might retain them loose or simply string bind them by punching holes and stringing on ¼” red cloth string tape (the source of the old expression “government red tape”). Sometimes an officer or HQ clerk might take a group of orders to a local print shop or bookbinder and have an accumulation bound with leather or cloth covers.

Usually, American Military Orders of the 19th century including Civil War era were printed on an 8 x 5″ sheet of quality rag paper.