Non-engagement OBD points shall be awarded each month in the following manner for each of the following categories: Administrative, Conduct and Commendation Awards. The responsibility for determining eligibility and entering the OBD points is as follows:

• General-in-Chief - Responsible for Theater Commanders, U.A. Chief of Staff, U.S.A. Cabinet Secretaries, Superintendent of the Union Military Academy, and the Union Army Library Curator.
• Theater Commanders - Responsible for Theater Chief of Staff and Army Commanders within their command.
• Army Commanders - Responsible for Field Army Chief of Staff, Corps and Division Commanders within their command.
• UMA Superintendent - Responsible for Assistant Superintendent, Staff Instructors, and Commandant of Cadets.

    Administrative OBD Points - As set forth in the Club Rule 4.2.2, all commanders of Union Army divisions and above may receive discretionary Administrative Points up to the maximums listed for their service, the number of such points deemed subjective in worth for the service rendered.

    Conduct OBD Points - Under the auspices of Club Rule 4.2.3, the Union Army shall have 500 available Conduct Points to be awarded each month, in addition to the Administrative Points mentioned above. ACs are each granted 100 points to award within their commands at their discretion. The remaining 100 points are held by the General-in-Chief and available for the Headquarters Staff and Union Military Academy, or for other use by request from any commander. Unused Conduct Points can not be carried forward, except in special circumstances as determined by the General-in-Chief.

    Award OBD Points - The Union Army has several specific Commendation Awards that have OBD amounts tied to them. The approval level of these awards also constitutes the responsibility for entering the OBD associated with the award - i.e., the General-in-Chief will enter the OBD associated with the Medal of Honor, the Theater Commander will enter OBD for a Campaign Medal, etc. These points are assigned from the available, discretionary Conduct Points.

    OBD points of each type should be reported in the normal Monthly Reports to the respective chain-of-command and properly entered within the Department of Records. The OBD point DoR system entry should utilize a brief description, consistent with the award, such as; "Admin for Corps Command January 2006," "Conduct Points January 2006," "Campaign Medal - Corinth," etc.

    Promotion into the general officer ranks requires the approval of the ACWGC Cabinet upon recommendation by the General-in-Chief

    Promotion Requirements - In addition to achieving the required OBD points, an officer must have held a command or staff position commensurate with that General Officer rank as per Club Rule 4.1 for at least six months.

    Promotion Process - When a Union officer has met the conditions for promotion to a General Officer rank, his immediate commander shall write a brief recommendation to the General-in-Chief. This recommendation should include the officer's OBD points, current position, and past leadership history. It should be a brief paragraph in length.

    Upon receipt of the recommendation, the General-in-Chief shall forward his final recommendations to the Cabinet for their voting. This will happen on a monthly basis, on or about the 15th of each month. If the Cabinet has voted approval on the recommendations, the General-in-Chief or his Chief of Staff will notify the Union Command Staff (Theater Commanders, Army Commanders, UMA Superintendent, Union Army Library Curator) and make a post at the Mason Dixon Tavern to congratulate all newly promoted officers. The commander who orginated the recommendation will notify that officer of his promotion, and make appropriate posts in their respective Field Army Taverns.

    Academy Graduation - Graduates from the Union Military Academy will be assigned to a field army by the General-in-Chief. Every consideration will be given to a graduate's specific request for assignment, if he volunteers one; otherwise the GinC will endeavor to make the assignment in the most balanced fashion possible. The Field Army Commander will subsequently place the graduate into a Brigade Command, assuming the responsibility for accommodating the new officer into his field army (see AC Field Order No. 1)

    The graduate's assignment orders, in both instances, shall be Cc'd to all of the commanders involved within that particular chain-of-command, providing them with a timely notification of the events. Upon such notification the Theater Commander, in the first instance, will make the appropriate DoR OOB adjustments, while the AC will complete the adjustments in the second instance. The assignment orders to the graduate shall also include notes of personal congratulations and welcome as well as initial statements of expectations. All Cc'd officers at both levels are invited to make similar congratulatory and welcome statements as they may wish to do, fostering the elements of unity of command and organization.

    Re-instatement from Retirement or After a Discharge - When a retired or discharged officer desires to return to active service, that officer should make a request to the General-inChief as provided for in Club Rule 2.6.5. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the General-in-Chief shall either re-instate the officer with his rank and points as of the time of his retirement or discharge, or require him to start over.

    If the officer is re-instated, the General-in-Chief, if possible, will assign him to his original field army, noting such at the Department of Records. The Army Commander will then assign the returning officer to a Brigade Command, noting such in turn at the Department of Records, make appropriate posts at the Mason Dixon and army taverns, and notify the Union Army Library Curator of the member's return. The Union Army Library Curator, or his designee, will send a Welcome Letter to the returning officer.

    If the officer has to start over, he may elect to go through the UMA again or to be assigned to a field army with the rank of Second Lieutenant.

    Appointment to Command and Staff Positions - As per Club Rule 3.1.2.9.d, all appointments to command and staff positions in the Union Army are made by the General-in-Chief. The General-in-Chief shall duly consider the recommendation of the respective superior commander, wherever the position shall be created or the vacancy to be filled shall occur. To solicit the General-in-Chief's approval, the respective commander should discuss their candidates with him informally prior to submitting a formal recommendation.

    Appointments to all command roles will be structured for an initial, one-year commitment. After the completion of the first year in command, the appointee may continue in command for as long as he wishes and deemed appropriate by the appointing officer. The command appointment dates of Command Staff officers shall be noted on the Command Staff Tenure page at Union Army HQ, while those of all others will be kept on file within the office of the appointing officer.

    Union Army Command Staff Composition - The Union Command Staff shall consist of the Chief of the Armies/General-in-Chief (CoA/GinC), the Union Army Secretaries, the Theater Commanders, the UMA Superintendent and the Field Army Commanders.

    The UACS shall be complimented by an Advisory Group, which, at a minimum, shall consist of the Union Army Chief-of-Staff (UA CoS), the UMA Assistant Superintendent, the Theater and Field Army Chiefs of Staff and the Union Army Library Curator, when such positions are occupied. The serving CoA/GinC may elect to expand his scope of ready advice within the Advisory Group with volunteer officers of his choice, otherwise serving simultaneously in other lessor commands and consenting to sit in upon select UACS conferences. However, only the designated UACS officers may vote upon any specific UASO changes.

    The officers identified below shall provide monthly reports on the viability, status and activities of their individual commands, making note of all personnel changes and/or organizational changes.

    The reports can be written in a narrative format, or purely a data presentation.

    The Field Army Commander's report (see AC Field Order No. 3) should be completed within the first fifteen days of the month and sent to the respective Theater Commander.

    The Theater Commander shall then forward the reports of the ACs to the General-in-Chief in a timely manner with any comments and endorsements he feels necessary.

    The Superintendent of the Union Military Academy shall also send a report to the General-in-Chief within the same time period specified above, detailing the number of recruits entering the academy for the month, the number graduated and the number currently in training.

    The Curator of the union Army Library shall furnish a report to the General-in-Chief within the same time period specified above, detailing new articles, new intelligence reports, and any other pertinent information for that institution.

    The General-in-Chief will then provide an army wide summary based upon the reports received for the Cabinet and the Union Command Staff, on or about the 20th of the month, but not later than the end of the month.

    The status of an officer is subject to his continued contact with his chain of command, and may be defined as one of five possibilities.

    Good Standing - An officer is considered to be in "good standing" if he is in contact with his chain-of-command. He maintains his rank, awards, OBD Points, command billet and field army assignment, as well as all voting privileges.

    OOC - An officer is considered Out-of-Contact (OOC) if he has not answered his Muster in any given month. He maintains his rank, awards, OBD Points, command billet and field army assignment, as well as all voting privileges. The AC, or his designated subordinate, shall be responsible for attempting to contact the OOC officer at least once each month during this period, the contact to take at a minimum the form of a courteous e-mail, all such attempts retained within the AC's records for documentation. If such an officer is not heard from for a consecutive, three-month period, he will be moved to that field army's Hospital.

    Hospitalized - After an officer has remained OOC from his command for three, consecutive months he will be considered hospitalized. Once hospitalized, he will be temporarily removed from his command billet by his field Army Commander (AC), but retains his rank, awards and OBD Points. While hospitalized, this officer has three, additional months to re-establish contact with his command. His AC, or designated subordinate, is responsible for monthly, courteous attempts by e-mail to contact this officer. All attempted contact documentation will be retained within the AC's records. If the said officer has not regained contact during his consecutive, three-month hospitalization, he will be referred by his AC through his Theater Commander (TC) to the CoA for final disposition.

    Discharged - An officer may be discharged from the club at the end of his third, consecutive, hospitalized month by the CoA/GinC, if his AC has properly recommended him through the chain of command for such. A discharged officer is removed from the active rolls of his Military Group, forfeiting all forum and voting privileges, and is subject to Club Rule 2.6.5 and UA General Order, No. 3 for any subsequent re-instatement. A discharged officer's rank, field army assignment, game and OBD Point record will be preserved within the DoR. An officer may also be subject to discharge from the Club by the Cabinet as per Club Rules, Section 2.6.

    Retired - An officer is considered retired, if he has received the approval of the CoA/GinC through the chain of command for such, having first requested it through his AC, or, in the case of a UACS officer, directly to the CoA/GinC. A retirement request may be denied if it is found that the officer involved has either submitted his request as a result of previous dishonorable conduct or has conducted himself in a manner unbecoming to the good order of the ACWGC. (For the procedure of returning to active status, see General Order No. 3.)

    Union Army Awards - The Union Army shall maintain a register of commonly approved commendation and battle awards based upon specific qualification criteria. The awards register shall be composed of a central web site which graphically displays all of the specific Union Army medals, ribbons, and other such devices as may be approved and added. The battle ribbon awards shall be properly identified and cross-referenced with the game scenario lists maintained by the ACWGC Department of Records. The register shall not oversee or administer any field army-specific/longevity awards, nor those devised for various tournaments; but may display such for historical information purposes.

    Union Military Group - The Union Military Group shall include the Theater and Field Army commands (separately approved by the ACWGC Cabinet), the Union Military Academy, an Awards Department, the Union Army Library and the various administrative and command headquarters staff, forums and websites created in their support. The Union Army Command Staff shall insure that no theater, field army, corps, division or brigade be designated as a special or elite unit of any kind, and that every Union officer is held to the same membership responsibilities and accorded the same, basic courtesy and respect.

    Union Theater Commands - The Union Theater Commands may consist of two or more theaters as approved by the ACWGC Cabinet. Each theater shall be composed of two or more field armies as approved by the ACWGC Cabinet. The Union Army Command Staff bears the responsibility of proposing the dissolution or activation of Union theater commands for approval by the ACWGC Cabinet.

    Union Field Armies - The Union field armies may consist of three or more infantry corps and one cavalry corps organization, loosely paralleling the historical pattern of a Civil War-era field army. The distinction between an infantry and cavalry corps is provided for flavor and variety, and in what may be termed the historically correct ratios and proportions. The Union Army Command Staff bears the responsibility of proposing the dissolution or activation of Union field armies for approval by the ACWGC Cabinet.

    Union Army Corps - A Union Army corps is to consist of two or more divisions, although it may initially be composed of only one division for the purpose of establishment. A standard ACWGC UA infantry corps will initially target three, full divisions, with open provision for a fourth and beyond, if required and deemed acceptable by the Union Army Command Staff. However, to validate the ultimate existence of a separate cavalry corps, an infantry corps may initially incorporate a cavalry division within its OOB until such time as the cavalry division may be re-assigned to a separate cavalry corps within the same field army.

    Union Army Division - A Union Army division, be it infantry or cavalry, shall consisit of a Division Commander and up to seven Brigade Commanders. The first five brigades will always be numbered one through five, with the sixth brigade designated as the Artillery Brigade. The seventh brigade will always be designated as the "Reserve Brigade." The field AC will make final determination as to the activation or de-activation of a division within his command, but at no time shall an active division of only three officers be permitted to stand.

    Union Army Brigade - A Union Army brigade shall consist of a single club member and be designated as infantry, artillery or cavalry, dependent upon the type of parent division.

    The seventh "Reserve Brigade" will be used by the AC to temporarily accommodate newly arrived officers until such time as they may be properly deemed acclimated and/or trained to assume a regular assignment. The brigades may also be utilized to hold regularly assigned officers scheduled for transfers into new organizations.

    Union Army Designations - The designations of the theaters, field armies and various infantry and cavalry corps shall be chosen to reflect as nearly as possible, within the broad spectrum of the American Civil War, the historical organizations.

    The corps designations selected for each field army must be approved and validated by the Union Army Command Staff, who shall make all such corps designations as close and as accurate to the historical record as possible. The infantry corps and all of its component infantry and artillery units will be visually identified by a unique corps symbol or badge, whether historically accurate or imaginary.

    An ACWGC UA field army, corps, division or brigade will be visually identified by the display of their historical or near-historical designation flags in a manner as practicable and authentic as possible. In these matters the Union Army Command Staff and field army personnel shall be guided by the following references:

• Flags of the Army of the United States Carried During the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, To Designate the Headquarters of the Different Armies, Army Corps, Divisions and Brigades, Compiled under direction of the Quartermaster General, U. S. Army, 1887; and
• Hard Tack and Coffee, John Billings, 1887.

    Excluding those unique designating flags flown by a historical corps, the divisions of a corps will most generally be identified in the following manner: First Division, red symbol on a white field; Second Division, white symbol on a blue field; and Third Division, blue symbol on a white field. A green symbol, and sometimes yellow, was historically used on occasion to represent a Fourth Division.

    The first three brigades of a division will always adopt the historical designating flag patterns in the three elements of color, design and shape. The flags of the fourth, fifth, artillery and reserve brigades of a division will adopt those designs provided and approved by the Union Army Command Staff which best exemplify the historical or imaginary continuation of the base system.

    Any Brigade Commander may also "fly" a personal command pennant or shield of his own choosing, as long as such design does not reflect derogatory, offensive or demeaning content to the Union Army Military Group. The UACS and Advisory Group shall constitute the final authority in all such determinations.

    The Army Commander (AC), either directly or through the efforts of his appointed staff, will be responsible for the continued implementation of the following Field Orders for the duration of his assignment. These orders are in respect to, and in some cases in addition to, the duties outlined in the Club Rule 3.1.2.4. Subordinate and senior commanders are expected and directed to support their field Army Commander in the implementation of these Field Orders.

    Recruit Patronage - The Army Commander shall provide for the proper assignment, orientation and continued training of all new recruits entering his command.

    Leadership Patronage - The AC shall make a strong commitment to encourage, nurture and promote talents from the ranks by finding employment for them or recommending them for employment external to the army. Simultaneously, the AC shall be responsible for the continued good leadership and performance of those officers assigned to both his staff and command positions within the army, making provision to relieve those officers should that be required.

    The Army Commander shall be responsible for the establishment and/or maintenance of an Army Wesite and an Army Forum.

    Army Website - The website shall display at a minimum an accurate OOB, complete with current ranks, e-mail addresses, insignia, decorations, standing orders, and links, all to be updated as required at least once each month. These standards are considered inherent to Club Rule 3.1.2.5.d, the maintenance of a web site for the army.

    Army Forum - The army communication forum will consist of a suitable host site wherein may be posted notices of promotion, awards, Army Reports on a monthly basis and information relating to the good order and camaraderie of the organization.

    The AC and his staff shall exert a personal effort to maintain an active, regular presence within the Army Forum and the Mason Dixon Tavern.

    Each Army Commander shall report the following information on a monthly basis, on or about the 15th of each month or sooner, but not later than the 20th. The reports should go to the respective Army Theater Commander, with a copy to the Union Army General-in-Chief.

    The basics of the AC's report shall include the following at a minimum:

• Number of officers assigned
• Number of officers present or active
• Number of games started
• Number of games ended
• Win/Loss results for the games ended
• Promotions
• Awards

    This information can be within a narrative format, or purely a data presentation.

    Muster - Muster of all assigned, field army personnel is a requirement of the Army Commander. Each AC is directed at a minimum to conduct a monthly poll of their assigned officers to ensure they remain active and in contact within the Club. This muster can be delegated to corps and division commanders, with results being collated at the army level, if it is desired. The muster may be undertaken via any of the following methods:

• E-mail from the Army, Corps or Division Commander.
• Reply to a Muster post at the Army tavern.
• Automated web forms.