GENERAL ORDERS. 
No. 174. 
WAR DEPARTMENT, 
Adjutant General's Office, 
Washington, December 28, 1865. 
To reduce the number of Civil Employees. 
General Orders, No. 169, from the Adjutant General's Office, dated 
the 11th instant, is hereby revoked, and the following is substituted: 
Military Division and Department Commanders will reduce the 
civilian employees in the several Corps and Staff Departments of the 
Army, within their respective commands, to the lowest possible number. 
At all posts, stations, and places where troops are on duty in sufficient 
numbers to furnish details to take the places of civilian employees, 
without injuriously affecting the efficiency of the troops for the strictly 
military duty required of them, the civilian employees (except clerks) 
will be discharged and extra-duty men substituted for them. When 
civilians are retained, preference will be given to persons who have 
been honorably discharged from the military service-those disabled 
by wounds being first preferred. All civilian employees who have 
not been in the military service will be discharged as fast as they can 
be replaced by those to whom preference is given in this order. 
Department Commanders will see that no unusual or unnecessary 
number are retained, and that every facility is given for properly and 
efficiently guarding and protecting the public property. 
COMMAND OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL GRANT: 
E. D. TOWNSEND, 
Assistant Adjutant General. 
Official : 
Assistant Adjutant General.