The Daily Dispatch: December 11, 1861., [Electronic resource]

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Confed'te States of America,
Quartermaster Gen's Department,
Richmond, November, 1861.

Circular.--The following additional instructions, in reference to impressments of private property for military purposes, are issued for the information and guidance of officers and agents of this Department:

1. An officer appointing agents to make impressments will, in all cases, furnish to such agents written evidence of their authority to act; and agents, whenever required by parties interested, will exhibit the orders or authority under which they are acting.

2. Agents who make impressments will, in all cases, give to the owner of the property impressed, or his agent, a certificate stating the character and value thereof; and they will, moreover, return to the officer of this Department, from whom they derive their authority, a statement of all property impressed by them, with the names of the owners. An abstract of these statements will be forwarded to this office by the officer to whom they are returned.

3. Impressments must not be resorted to except when absolutely demanded by the public necessities, and their burden must be apportioned among the community, so far as may be possible, equally and impartially, having due regard to the means and ability of owners of property.

4. When teams and other property, including slave teamsters, are impressed into the service of the Confederate States, the owners thereof may be compensated by officers of the Quartermaster's Department, at the usual rates of hire.

5. When the owners of any property impressed into the public service, slaves excepted, are willing to relinquish the same to the Government, the officers of the Quartermaster's Department may pay the fair appraised value thereof, and take up the property on their returns, to be accounted for as other public property.

6. When private property has been duly impressed by order of the commanding officer, and it shall appear by satisfactory evidence to have been expended in the public service, officers of the Quartermaster's Department may pay the fair appraised value thereof, although the property may not have been regularly received and issued by any Quartermaster.