3. Former soldiers over 40 years of age who were last discharged as privates and have failed to reenlist within three months thereafter. In such cases the applications must show that the enlistments will be for the interest of the service.

4. Former soldiers who can not pass the required examination in all respects. Applications of this nature should show that any existing defects will not prevent the performance by the applicant of full military duty.

872. An applicant will be subjected to the required examination before application is made for special authority for his enlistment or reenlistment. The result of the examination will be stated in the application. Commanding officers forwarding applications from men of their commands for permission to reenlist for some other organization will report in each case whether the applicant is married or single, what character will be given him on discharge, and whether or not he can pass the required examination.

873. Enlisted men of good character and faithful service who, at the expiration of their terms, are undergoing treatment for injuries incurred or disease contracted in the line of duty, may be reenlisted if they so elect, and if the disability prove to be permanent, they will subsequently be discharged on certificates of disability. An enlisted man not under treatment, but who has contracted in the line of duty infirmities that may raise a question of physical eligibility to reenlistment, but not such as to prevent his performing the duties of a soldier, may be reenlisted by authority of the War Department on application made through the surgeon and proper military channel in time to receive a decision before the date of discharge.

MEDICAL EXAMINATION.

874. The physical examination of applicants for enlistment will be conducted in accordance with the authorized manual for the examination of recruits. The enlistment paper of each recruit must show what indelible or permanent marks were found on his person.

875. An applicant for enlistment at a garrisoned post, camp, or arsenal, where there is no medical officer or contract surgeon, will be physically examined before enlistment by the civilian physician employed by the Medical Department, who will immediately vaccinate the man if he is accepted.

876. Every applicant for enlistment who is accepted at a general recruiting station will be immediately vaccinated at the station, either by the hospital corps man on duty with the recruiting party, or, if there is no hospital corps man with the party, by a civilian physician employed for the purpose, provided that the services of such a physician can be obtained at the price fixed by paragraph 1501. Vaccine virus is supplied by the Surgeon-General. As soon as the recruit joins any organization, depot, post, or station he will be examined by the surgeon to ascertain whether vaccination is required. In all cases where there is not unmistakable evidence of successful vaccination within a reasonable period the operation will be performed immediately.

877. Upon the arrival at a recruiting depot of an accepted applicant for enlistment he will be examined and enlisted or rejected with the least practicable delay.

If in the opinion of the surgeon or the commanding officer the disqualification in the case of any rejected applicant is of such a character that it should have been discovered by the recruiting officer who accepted and forwarded the applicant to the depot, the commanding officer will convene a board of three officers, one of whom shall be a medical officer if such officer is available, to examine into the case and report whether the disqualification existed prior to acceptance, when, where, and by whom the applicant was accepted, and whether in the opin

ion of the board the disqualification should have been discovered by the recruiting officer. If the board is of the opinion that the recruiting officer was at fault in accepting and forwarding the applicant, it will, before making its report, communicate with him and give him an opportunity to be heard in the case, but if he fails to respond with reasonable promptness, the board will proceed with the case and render its report without further delay. In those cases in which the board finds that the recruiting officer was at fault the record of the proceedings of the board, together with the report of the surgeon and the original form for examining a recruit, will be forwarded directly to The Adjutant-General of the Army with the recommendation of the commanding officer; but if the board finds that the recruiting officer was not at fault, it will so advise him, and no further action will be taken. If in the opinion of both the surgeon and the commanding officer the disqualification is not of such a character that it should have been discovered by the recruiting officer at the time of acceptance of the applicant, the case will not be referred to a board of officers. All military posts to which applicants for enlistment may be sent from general recruiting stations without previous medical examination will be regarded as depots within the meaning of this regulation.

Accepted applicants for enlistment who are found unfit for service on final examination at recruiting depots will be regarded as remaining under military observation until they have been returned to the recruiting stations at which they were accepted, or until they should have arrived at those stations after having been forwarded for them.

878. Every detachment of recruits ordered from a recruiting depot to any organization or post will, immediately preceding its departure, be critically inspected by the post commander and the senior medical officer present, and any sick or otherwise disabled will be held at depot. A recruit deemed unfit for continuance in the service will not be sent to an organization, but the necessary action will be taken by the commanding officer of the depot or depot post with a view to the discharge of the recruit on a surgeon's certificate of disability or otherwise as the case may require.

879. Before recruits are forwarded from a depot to organizations the post commander will cause the character of each recruit to be entered upon the descriptive and assignment card; also the date and result of last vaccination. Officers in charge of detachments, if called upon, will exhibit the entries relative to vaccination to authorized inspectors of State boards of health.

880. Upon arrival at a post each recruit who has not undergone examination by a medical officer, contract surgeon, or civilian physician will be examined, and defects will be recorded by the medical officer, with his opinion as to whether they existed prior to enlistment. A certificate of disability will be submitted if the recruit is disqualified for the service. If the certificate be submitted, the post commander will carefully scan the answers made by the recruit on the "Form for the physical examination of a recruit," and if his answers show that fraud was practiced to secure his enlistment, the post commander will make full report of the facts to The Adjutant-General of the Army, and forward therewith the certificate and the examination form.

881. A monthly report of the medical examination of applicants for enlistment will be made for each garrisoned post or recruiting depot. This report will contain a record of all applicants examined during the preceding month and will be forwarded, not later than the sixth day of every month, to The AdjutantGeneral of the Army, who will furnish blanks for the purpose. Where an applicant fails for any cause to complete his enlistment a notation to that effect will be made in the column for remarks. A copy of the report will be retained at the post or depot for which it is made.

RECRUITS SENT TO ORGANIZATIONS.

882. Recruits will be assigned to regiments and other organizations by The Adjutant-General of the Army, under the direction of the Secretary of War, from recruit depots and depot posts. Recruits designated for assignment will be borne on the rolls and returns of the depots and depot posts until the date of departure therefrom, when the assignment will take effect; prior to that date they will not be taken up on the rolls of companies, regiments, or other organizations.

Correspondence between officers or enlisted men of the general recruiting service and other officers or enlisted men of the Army with a view to furnishing or obtaining recruits for particular organizations, either by the acceptance of applicants at general recruiting stations or by the assignment of recruits from recruit depots or depot posts, is prohibited.

883. When recruits are sent to any organization, a descriptive and assignment card for each man will be given to the officer or noncommissioned officer assigned to conduct them, or if no officer or noncommissioned officer be so assigned the cards will be sent to the proper commmanding officer by the first mail after the departure of the men.

884. When recruits are sent to organizations from depots or posts, the descriptive and assignment cards will be made by the adjutant; when applicants for enlistment are forwarded from recruiting stations to depots or depot posts the cards will be made by the recruiting officer.

885. An officer intrusted with the command of recruits ordered to regiments or other organizations will, on arriving at destination, forward the following papers:

1. To The Adjutant-General of the Army, a report of date of arrival at the post, the strength and condition of the party when turned over to the commanding officer, and all circumstances worthy of remark which occurred on the journey.

2. To the commanding officer of the post or organization, the descriptive and assignment cards furnished him with the recruits, properly completed by noting in the column for remarks time and place of death, desertion, or other casualty that may have occurred.

886. The descriptive and assignment card of every recruit sent to a regiment or other organization, with remarks showing final disposition of the recruit, and number of regiment and letter or number of company to which he has been assigned, will be forwarded to The Adjutant-General of the Army by the officer who makes the assignment.

887. Soldiers enlisted by special authority for particular organizations will be sent to their proper stations without delay. An applicant will be subjected to the required examination before application is made for special authority for his enlistment.

ARTICLE LXVIII.

INSPECTOR-GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT.

GENERAL PROVISIONS.

888. The sphere of inquiry of the Inspector-General's Department includes every branch of military affairs except when specially limited in these regulations or in orders. Inspectors-general and acting inspectors-general will exercise a comprehensive and general observation within the command to which they may be respectively assigned over all that pertains to the efficiency

of the Army, the condition and state of supplies of all kinds, of arms and equipments, of the expenditure of public property and moneys, and the condition of accounts of all disbursing officers of every branch of the service, of the conduct, discipline, and efficiency of officers and troops, and report with strict impartiality in regard to all irregularities that may be discovered. From time to time they will make such suggestions as may appear to them practicable for the correction of any defect that may come under their observation. 889. Inspectors-general or acting inspectors-general assigned to a military command are under the immediate direction of its commanding general; when not so assigned, they are under the orders of the War Department. They will make the general and such special inspections as the commanding general may direct within the limits of his command, and will each be allowed the necessary clerks and one messenger, who will be assigned by the Secretary of War.

890. Inspectors-general and acting inspectors-general will report by letter on arriving at their stations to the Inspector-General of the Army. Thereafter they will furnish to him copies of all orders and written instructions received for tours of inspection or for investigations, giving the nature of the duty they are going to perform, the probable time they will be at each place to be visited during their tour, and the probable date they will return to their stations.

At the close of each fiscal year the inspector-general assigned to a military command will submit to its commanding general a report covering the operations of the Inspector-General's Department within the command during the preceding year, together with such recommendations for the improvement of the service as he may deem fit, and will forward a copy thereof, through military channels, to The Adjutant-General of the Army, who will transmit it to the Inspector-General of the Army.

891. Inspectors-general or acting inspectors-general will make known their orders or instructions to commanding and other officers whose troops and affairs they are directed to inspect, and these officers will see that every facility and assistance, including clerical aid, if requested, is afforded. When making inspections within the territorial limits of the command of an officer subordinate to the officer ordering the inspections, they will, prior to the inspections, furnish to the subordinate commander a copy of their orders and an itinerary of their route in so far as they relate to the inspection of parts of his command.

892. An inspector-general or acting inspector-general will not give orders unless specially authorized to do so, and then only in the name of the superior giving such authority. He will report with strict impartiality all irregularities. He should refrain from informal conversation or comment upon subjects under investigation.

893. An inspector-general or acting inspector-general will exercise the greatest care that he does no injustice to organizations or individuals. When investigating accusations prejudicial to the character of an officer, he will make known to the officer their nature, and give him an opportunity to make his own statement in writing, which will be appended to the report. Copies or extracts from an inspection report reflecting upon or commending the character or efficiency of an officer may be furnished him by the commander to whom the report is submitted.

894. An inspector-general or acting inspector-general detailed to investigate alleged attempts to defraud the Government, or any irregularity or misconduct of any officer or agent of the United States, has authority to administer oaths to witnesses.

SPECIAL DUTIES.

895. Inspectors-general will, from time to time, designate the articles which, in their opinion, should be procured and kept for sale by the Subsistence Department to officers and enlisted men while in garrison or permanent camps and while in temporary camps or on active campaign. These recommendations will be submitted to the Secretary of War for his action.

STATED INSPECTIONS.

896. Special inspections and investigations within the limits of a command (territorial or tactical) may be made under orders of the commander thereof; but in all cases involving travel his selection of officers to perform such duty shall be restricted to inspectors-general, acting inspectors-general, or officers of the General Staff Corps on duty as such, at his headquarters under War Department assignment.

897. The annual inspection of the Soldiers' Home in the District of Columbia will be made by the Inspector-General of the Army, in person, as required by law; and that of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, its records, disbursements, management, discipline, and condition, will be made by an officer of the Inspector-General's Department under the provisions of the act of Congress approved August 18, 1894, who will report in writing, through the Inspector-General of the Army, to the Secretary of War, the results of such inspection.

898. All military commands, garrisoned posts, and camps shall be inspected at least once in each fiscal year by the inspector-general of the division or department or his assistants. Ungarrisoned posts will be inspected at such times as the division or department commander may direct, ordinarily once in two years. Just prior to the departure of an army transport from a terminal port, and immediately upon its arrival at such a port, it will be minutely inspected by an officer of the Inspector-General's Department, or, if no officer of that department is available, by the officer in charge of water transportation. In making this inspection all irregularities and deficiencies found by the inspector or mentioned in the report of the commanding officer of the troops, required by paragraph 227, Army Transport Service Regulations, will be investigated.

899. All armories, arsenals, depots, general hospitals, general recruiting stations, the proving ground at Sandy Hook, N. J., and the military prisoners in the United States Penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kans., will be inspected annually and all national cemeteries once in two years. These inspections and the inspections of accounts of officers disbursing funds under the Secretary of War, and such special inspections of posts and commands as may be deemed advisable, will be directed by the Secretary of War to be made by officers recommended by the Inspector-General of the Army, with a view to their special fitness for the work enjoined.

900. Inspections of the military departments and business methods of the Military Academy and of the service schools will be made annually by the Inspector-General or officers recommended by him under specific instructions of the War Department.

901. The inspection of disbursements and money accounts of disbursing officers required by act of April 20, 1874, will be made by officers of the InspectorGeneral's Department or by others detailed for that purpose, and, as far as practicable, at irregular intervals, but no officer so detailed shall be in any way connected with the corps or staff department making the disbursement. The frequency of these inspections will be regulated by the Secretary of War.