Tag Archives: soldiers’ pay

The greenbacks are coming!

Last year I wondered how a local newspaper could know very accurately how much money was being sent home by Union volunteers. Apparently much of the money was funneled through a soldier’s captain, and the captain told the press. From … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, Military Matters, Northern Society | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Death of an Irish woman

I’m not sure how much of a mystery the death turned out to be, but this story would seem to indicate that Union troops were finally getting paid and sending remittances back to their loved ones. From a Seneca County, … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Military Matters, Northern Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fiat: we’ll pay the troops

President Lincoln agreed with Congress that Union soldiers and sailors had to be paid, even if that required printing up to $100 million in new currency. From THE PAPERS AND WRITINGS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN (VOLUME SIX) : PRINTING MONEY MESSAGE … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Lincoln Administration, Military Matters, Northern Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Debt for our debts

Apparently the strongly pro-Democrat newspaper in Seneca County wasn’t exaggerating too much when it complained that troops and their families were suffering because the federal government was way behind in paying its soldiers. From The New-York Times January 13, 1863: … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Military Matters, Northern Politics During War, Northern Society | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“destitution, insult and wrong”

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in January 1863: Our Suffering Soldiers. It is a fact that can no longer be denied, that suffering of the most aggravated character exists among the soldiers, from the neglect of Government. In … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, Military Matters, Northern Politics During War, Northern Society | Tagged , | Leave a comment

the greenbacks are in the mail

What do you tell the “butcher and baker, and kerosene seller”? It is said that pay in the Union army was usually behind schedule. Here a soldier’s wife explains the issue on the home-front and shows that the army would … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Military Matters, Northern Society | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Government Stimulus

Talk about Big Sibling … here a newspaper seems to have a real good idea of exactly how much money is being sent home by local soldiers in the 33rd New York Volunteers. From a Seneca Falls, New York newspaper … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Military Matters, Northern Society | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment