Recruiting Irregulars

The Confederate Congress passed the Partisan Ranger Act on April 21^st 1862 to encourage the recruitment of irregulars.

The Confederate Congress on April 21^st 1862 voted to pass the Partisan Ranger Act.  The leadership would come to oppose the use of irregulars, as they became alarmed by a lack of discipline and rivalry between groups.  With insistence from Robert E Lee and other Confederate Army leaders the Act was repealed February 17^th 1864.  There were two partisan groups which were exempted and allowed to remain in force until the end of the Civil War.  These two ranger groups were Mosby’s Raiders and McNeill’s Rangers.

The Partisan Ranger Act read as follows:

Section 1. The congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the president be, and he is hereby authorized to commission such officers as he may deem proper with authority to form bands of partisan rangers, in companies, battalions, or regiments, to be composed of such members as the President may approve.

Section 2. Be it further enacted, that such partisan rangers, after being regularly received in the service, shall be entitled to the same pay, rations, and quarters during the term of service, and be subject to the same regulations as other soldiers.

Section 3. Be its further enacted, That for any arms and munitions of war captured from the enemy by any body of partisan rangers and delivered to any quartermaster at such place or places may be designated by a commanding general, the rangers shall be paid their full value in such manner as the Secretary of War may prescribe.