Henry Billings Brown

“ It is true that the constitution provides that 'the president shall be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States.' Nothing is said in this connection of volunteers ”

“ It provides, in substance, that in estimating the length of service for the payment of longevity rations, he shall be credited both for his service as an officer of the regular army, or since the 19th day of April, 1861, as an officer in the volunteer service. The object of the act was evidently-First, to extend to such volunteer officers as had served in the army since the breaking out of the Civil War the same privilege with respect to longevity rations as had, by the act of 1838, been already secured to officers of the regular army ”