§ 24 — Bureau of war records; completion and preservation of the records and relics; free inspection of the same and quarters in the capitol

§ 24. Bureau of war records; completion and preservation of the\nrecords and relics; free inspection of the same and quarters in the\ncapitol. 1. The adjutant general shall cause the chief of staff of the\nstate to establish and maintain as part of his office, a bureau of war\nrecords, in which all records in his office relating to the wars in\nwhich the state participated, and relics shall be kept. The chief of\nstaff of the state shall be the custodian of all such records, relics,\ncolors, standards and battle flags of New York troops now the property\nof the state or in its possession, or which the state may hereafter\nacquire or become possessed of. The adjutant general, upon\nrecommendation of the chief of staff, shall appoint a chief of this\nbureau, who shall hold office under his direction for six years.\n 2. The chief of staff of the state by all reasonable ways and means,\nshall complete such records and gather from every available source such\ncolors, standards and battle flags as were borne by New York state\ntroops in the wars in which the state participated, and such statistics\nand historical information and relics as may serve to perpetuate the\nmemory and heroic deeds of the soldiers of the state, and keep and\ncarefully preserve the same in such bureau.\n 3. He is authorized to request and accept from incorporated\nassociations of veterans of the different regiments, statements and\ninformation duly authenticated by them, descriptive of their colors,\nstandards and battle flags, together with the number and class of arms\nof the regiment, the date and place of muster into the service of the\nstate and also into the service of the United States, the period of\nservice, and the date and place of muster-out, the date of departure for\nthe seat of war, and the various battles and engagements and places of\nservice, including garrison duty, the time of joining brigades, corps\nand armies, with the time and nature of the service, and the names of\ncolonels of such regiments, the names of those killed in action,\nincluding those who died of wounds, and the names of those who died of\ndisease during their period of service. He is further authorized to ask\nthe cooperation and assistance of the adjutant-general of the United\nStates, and of the city, county and town authorities and officials, and\nof the Grand Army of the Republic, the Military Order of the Loyal\nLegion, the United Spanish War Veterans, the American Legion, the\nVeterans of Foreign Wars, the Jewish War Veterans of the United States,\nInc., the Catholic War Veterans, Inc., the Italian American War Veterans\nof the United States, Incorporated, the Polish Legion of American\nVeterans, Inc., Vietnam Veterans of America and of other organizations\nand persons in the state of New York and elsewhere in the collection of\nsuch other information, relics, memorials and battle flags as is\ncontemplated by this article, in order to make as complete as possible\nthe records, history and statistics of the patriotic service of the\nsoldiers of the state during the wars in which the state participated.\n 4. The chief of staff of the state is directed to cause to be\ntranscribed and kept in books of record in such bureau the historical\nfacts, information and statistics as provided above; and is authorized\nto determine a convenient size for the volumes in which such statistics\nand historical data may be bound, and to request veteran associations\nand others proposing to supply such historical data and information to\nfurnish the same on printed or manuscript sheets of a uniform size to\ncorrespond with the size of such volumes.\n 5. He is further authorized to provide locked and sealed cases with\nglass fronts, as nearly air-tight as practicable, in which shall be kept\nand displayed the colors, standards and battle flags above mentioned,\nand receive placards in duplicate, which incorporated in regimental\nveteran associations are privileged and empowered to furnish and upon\nwhich shall be inscribed synopses of the historical information and\nstatistics herein provided to be furnished to such bureau by regimental\nveteran associations, or failing to receive such data and information\nfrom such veteran associations, for the preparation of such placards, he\nmay utilize the authentic information which he may obtain from other\nsources, as herein provided, which placards shall be uniform in size and\ncolor and shall be attached to or conspicuously placed in proximity to\nthe colors, standards and battle flags to which they refer. If any\nplacard or inscription shall be lost, destroyed or removed, the chief of\nstaff of the state shall at once replace it by duplicate of the original\non file.\n The legislature shall annually make suitable appropriations to enable\nthe adjutant general of the state to carry out the provisions of this\nsection.\n 6. a. The books, records, relics and other property in such bureau\nshall be open for inspection and use, except the use of the colors,\nstandards and battle flags, at such reasonable hours and under such\nregulations as the chief of staff of the state may determine.\n b. No property placed in such bureau for the purposes of this section\nshall be removed therefrom, or from the immediate custody and control of\nthe chief of staff of the state, except as follows:\n (1) colors, standards, battle flags and guidons received from the\nUnited States may be turned over by the chief of staff, with the\napproval of the governor, under such conditions as the governor may\nprescribe, to active organizations of the New York national guard and\nNew York naval militia, representing the organizations which carried\nsuch colors, standards, battle flags and guidons while in the active\nmilitary service of the United States;\n (2) the chief of staff of the state, subject to the approval of the\nadjutant general, may lend any of the property placed in such bureau for\nthe purposes of this section to a public corporation or agency thereof;\nstate institution or other state agency; educational corporation or\ninstitution; museum; or historical society under such conditions as the\nchief of staff may prescribe;\n (3) notwithstanding any other provision of law, the chief of staff of\nthe state, subject to the approval of the adjutant general, may destroy,\nsell or otherwise permanently dispose of any property in such bureau,\nexcept books and records, provided he:\n (a) advises the state historian of the nature of the property;\n (b) certifies to the state historian that such property no longer has\nsufficient administrative, historical or military value to warrant its\nretention; and\n (c) receives the consent of the state historian to the destruction,\nsale or other permanent disposition of the property;\n (4) books and records in such bureau shall be disposed of or destroyed\nin accordance with the provisions of subdivision eleven of section 57.05\nof the arts and cultural affairs law.\n 7. The commissioner of general services is authorized and directed to\nprovide suitable and convenient quarters in the capitol for the bureau\nof war records whenever the adjutant general shall require and make\ndemand therefor, and to properly fit up and prepare the same for the\nsafe-keeping of such records, books and property, and for the display of\nsuch colors, standards, battle flags and relics which shall be known and\nmaintained as the hall of military records. The several municipalities\nof the state may deposit their record books and papers relating to the\nwars in which the state participated in the archives of the hall for\nsafe-keeping, and transcripts therefrom shall be furnished on\napplication by the chief officer of the municipality without cost to it.\nOfficers or soldiers may deposit therein their discharge papers,\ndescriptive lists, muster rolls or company or regimental books and\npapers for safe-keeping.\n