An Original Civil War General Order, issued at Folly Island, South Carolina "HQ Dept of the South "In the Field", June 2, 1864 announcing a Courtmartial presided over by Colonel Erasmus Duryea, 6th Connecticut Volunteers, charging Lt Robert P Quinn of the 47th New York with disturbances in camp at Hilton Head, SC causing "a ruckus in the camp, and visiting " the Negro Quarters after Taps , where he was arrested 'in a state of Intoxication ". The Court finds him guilty on all counts and sentenced to be dismissed from the Army by Order of Major General Q.A. Gillmore. It had been not uncommon practice for white officers to visit freedmen camps and harass & sometimes assault black women. Over 400 such cases came to trial, likely a fraction of the actual instances. This prohibition of white men entering negro camp was likely in order to curd such assaults. Th 2pp 8 x 5" ptd Order has age stains, a fold and 2 small slits for loose binding on the left edge.( General orders were often bound loosely with red cloth tape, hence the expression 'Army Red Tape" . Comes w service info- Quinn had served as sergeant in the 47th NY, and was just recently promoted to officer's rank. Women of Color were hired to clean, cook an sew, and were kept segregated from white troop camps. Over 600 Union soldiers were courtmartialed for this crime against women but likely many more were not arrested or prosecuted for rape.
General & Special Orders were issued tocommunicate commands and information to the Army. Each order, issued in writingby a command, was then printed for distribution to each unit, either at an armydepartment headquarter or by commanders at local headquarters in the field onportable printing presses operated by soldiers. The orders were then issued toregiments, 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 retainthem loose or simply string bind them by punching holes or cut slits in theleft margin and stringing on ¼” red cloth string tape (the source of the oldexpression "government red tape"). Sometimes an officer or HQ clerkmight take a group of orders to a local print shop or bookbinder and have anaccumulation bound with leather or cloth covers. Usually, American Military Orders of the 19thcentury including Civil War era were printed on an 8 x 5” sheet of quality ragpaper. Ref Source 2018 Mike Brackin Civil War Americana
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