the midst of war, of the power of government and the rights of property. Between these two warring camps, a group of confiscation moderates brokered a compromise bill that, unfortunately, proved mostly unworkable. These moderates were led by John Sherman of Ohio, Daniel Clark of New Hampshire, and Henry Wilson of Massachusetts in the Senate, and Republican Thomas Eliot of Massachusetts in the House. The moderates sent Trumbull's bill to a select committee, where they reworked it into a much less radical bill providing a much greater role for the judiciary than the radicals wanted. On July 17, President Lincoln signed the Second Confiscation Act into law, after first insisting that Congress pass an "explanatory resolution" to the act. This resolution reflected President Lincoln's concern that permanent property confiscation was a "corruption of blood" prohibited by the Constitution and provided that property seized from individual offenders under the act could not be seized beyond the lifetime of the offender. President Lincoln had fully intended to veto the bill if Congress did not pass his resolution, and in an effort to ensure his objections were an official part of the congressional record, after signing the bill he also sent the veto message he had prepared to Congress." Provisions The First Confiscation Act, signed into law on August 6, 1861 stated that: Weapons must be seized from all citizens with intent to rebel. Weapons are to be retrieved from the field of battle so as not to be returned to rebellious persons. The Second Confiscation Act was signed into law on July 17, 1862 and contained provisions such as: A final ruling on the permanent status of escaped slaves. While the first act did not make any determination on the final outcome of escaped slaves after the war was over, the second act stated the all slaves owned by people who supported or participated in the rebellion, and all slaves in rebel territory captured by the Union, "shall be forever free of their servitude, and not again held as slaves." The Union Army has the right to take any and all personal property from rebellious persons. Captured fugitive slaves are not to be returned to their owners, but are to be forfeit to the Union Army. The act banned all members of the military from ever returning escaped slaves, including escaped slaves from Union states. Implementation The Union Army was given primary