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A. A. HOLCOMBE. 
tion of this table no change of any importance was made regard¬ 
ing the Veterinary Department; but in 1866 the following was 
enacted by Congress: “ An act to increase and fix the military 
peace establishment of the U. S. Army,” approved July 28,1866, 
and published in General Order No. 56, Adjutant General’s Office, 
of the same year. .“Sec. 3. Four regiments of cavalry shall be 
added to the six already existing (two of which are to be colored), 
and to have the same organization as is now provided by law for 
cavalry regiments, with the addition of one veterinary surgeon to 
each regiment, whose compensation shall be $100 per month.” 
This law, as will be seen, gave these four regiments two veteri¬ 
nary surgeons apiece, so that in the division of the various com¬ 
panies to different posts one surgeon remains at headquarters 
while the other is assigned to the battalion of next importance. 
Seniority of rank of the veterinary surgeons serving in these regi¬ 
ments is determined by the dates of their warrants from the Sec¬ 
retary of War. 
In 1868 the Government takes steps toward securing reliable 
medicines for the use of the Veterinary Department, for General 
Order No. 4 of that year says: “ To insure a greater degree of 
purity and excellence of medicines and articles required for the 
veterinary service of the army, the Secretary of War directs that 
the Quartermaster’s Department hereafter purchase such supplies 
from the Medical Department. 
“ In special cases, where such medicines as are not furnished 
by the present supply table are required, the Quartermaster's 
Department is authorized to issue the same in small quantities 
upon requisitions approved by the post commander.” 
At a later date in this year appeared an order which will 
speak for itself—General Order No. 73, August 21, 1868 : “ The 
following order has been received from the War Department, 
and is published for the information of all concerned: ‘ Mr. 
Alexander Dunbar, V. S., has been employed by the War Depart¬ 
ment to give instruction to the farriers, veterinary surgeons and 
officers of the army under the following joint resolution of Con¬ 
gress, approved July 28, 1866 : “ That the Secretary of War be 
authorized and directed to contract, on such terms as he may 
