Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-12-27
FRIDAY, DEC. 10.

.Survir;ag Revolutionary Officers
The House having resolved itself into
a committee of the whole on the bill con-
corning the surviving soldiers of the re-
volutlonary war
MIR. Linn, of y. J. moved TO strike out
the word " scar" in the bill, which makes
the provisions of the bill applicable to all
persons who served foranv time in the re-
evolutionary war, and to insert, in lieu
thereof army of the United States"-so
as to contine the bill to the surviving of
ticers and soldiers ofthe revolutionary ar
my. AS the bill at present stood, Mr.. l..
said, nearly every person in the United
States OF sufficient age, and In state OF
indulgence, would be embraced in II for
few oithem but had been in some grade,
and at some time or other, i'll the SER
vice.
AT the suggestion of Mr.. Bloomfield, of
n. J. this motion was withdrawn for the
present.
Mr.. Bioomfeld delivered his impressions
III respect 10 the operation and scope of
this bill. He made q statement to show
what were his views of the probable mum
Der of applicants under this bill, lift should
pass, and the annual amount Of the ex-
penditurc il would occasion. The Jersey
brigade, he said, consisted, during the
war, of four regiments; there were forty
officers TO each regiment, making in the
whole l60. On the 4th Of July last, as
he was enabled from personal knowledge
to state, there were living but % of those
officers, being precisely one-eighih of the
whole number. Taking this fact for his
guide, as the proportion of survivors, he
said, there were in The continental army,
So battalions, of whom about II, 900 meu
were killed or died in service and al the
close Of the war, il was well known fact,
the battalions did not average more in
each than $50; making in the whole
1000 men-of whom, say about one
tenth (being geHerally not Of as regular
habits as the officers) were living that is
1900. Estimating the proportion OF APP
plicauts for the pension at oue-siXth, would
make $40. The full pay Of the revolution,
six and two-thirds dollars per month, TO
each of these, would amount to 50, 205 per
month. Ofthe officers, tile whole origi-
nal number he estimated at 2,72O; OF
whom, supposing one-eighth To have sur
vived, as in the instance Of the Jersey
brigade, there were now living ABOUT 1910.
OF this number, he supposed oGe-tenfh of
| the whole would become applicants for
pensions-say thirty -four; at the full sub
| alterR revolutionary pay OF IL dollars per
month, their pensions would amount to
! $40 dollars per month. The monthly pen
sion for both officers and soldiers, on this
estimate, would be 2,s73 dollars, and the
annual amount only S4,376-an amount
which must daily decrease. But instead
| of fuil-paN passion, the bill as IL now
stood, provided only for half pay. Woulc
| this House be satisfied, Mr.. 3 asked
with giving TO fhese men, horne dowr
with age aud service, pension Of three
and a third dollars = monih, during IN,
small remainderof their lives, whilst they
had given flie soldiers of the late war (nC
disparagement to them) eight dollars pc
month He hoped not and therefor
moved TO amend the bill, so as that the a
mount Of pension should be ior every Off
Ger W dollars per month and ios ever,
soldier &
Mr.. Tucksr, DIVA. moved to amend ~
snrud cIeut, so - 10 make tie pension
20 aud -