Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1884 — SOLDIERS. [ARTICLE]

SOLDIERS.

The Number Who Served in the Late War and the Bounties Paid Them. The Secretary of War recently sent to the Senate of the United States, in reply to a resolution offered by Mr. Voorhees calling for information as to the number of soldiers who served one, two, and three years, respectively, in the Union army in the late war, the amount of bounty paid each class, and the approximate amount to be required to equalize the bounties of those who served in that war, a communication from the Adjutant General giving the information asked for, and copies of letters to Congress in former years by the Paymaster General of the Army setting forth the estimates of the. amount to be required for the equalization of bounties. The Adjutant General’s report gives the number of enlisted men who enlisted for the various periods as follows: Three years. ...2,030,804 Six months 20,439 Two years 44,400 Four months 42 One year 391,752 One hundred days 85,507 Nlnemonths... 875,881 Three months.... 108,416 Eight months.. 373 Sixty days 2,045 With respect to the information asked for in regard to bounties paid or the sum necessary to equalize the bounties of those who served, the Adjutant General says it cannot be compiled from the records of his office. He calls attention, however, to the estimates submitted to Congress by the Paymaster General of the army in 1872, 1874, 1876, 1878, and 1880. In the estimate submitted April 22, 1876, the Paymaster General states that up to that date there had been paid In bounties to enlisted men $385,917,682, and the Adjutant General states that since then there have rbeen paid in bounties $2,292,567, making the total bounties paid to the date of the communication $388,210,249. The first estimate of the amount required for the equalization of bounties made by the Paymaster General is dated Jan. 15, 1872. It is based on the provision of the bill then pending In Congress to give each enlisted man, or If dead to give to his heirs, a bounty at the rate of $8.33)4 per month for his term of service. The Paymaster General estimated the cost at $137,275,105. He divides the enlisted men into three classes, as follows: First Class—Enlisted men In the regular army who entered the service between April 12, 1861, and April 19, 1865, and were honorably discharged, 46,379; average duration of service, twenty-nine months. Second Class—Enlisted men of all classes who volunteered, Including those recognized for completing the pefenses of Washington and the slaves who enlisted or were dratted between April 12, 1861, and April 19, 1865, 2,234,421; deducting substitutes, 123,110, and enlisted men from captured prisoners of war, 1,592, leaves a total of 2,109,689; average duration of service, 28.7 months. Third Class—Enlisted men who entered for not less than three years and were discharged on account of wounds or while in the line of duty, 59,500; average duration of service, 7.3 months. Estimated cost of equalizing bounties of the first class, $11,208,258; second class, $504,505,828; third class, $3,619,583; total, $519,388,169. This sum, less the amount of bounties paid and then payable under the existing laws, equaling $382,108,004, was $137,275,105.