The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-05-01
d + f &c AL.
Department of the Interior.
Pension OFFICE, March 90 1851


ai.d regulations heretofore prescribed etiier
niisinterpreted or disrcgarded, the following
instructions, approved 10y The Secretary If
the Interior, are issued for The benefit of ali
persons interested:
! L. The act OF February II, 1871, having
restricted land bounty for service in ,b,,
/ Mexican war 10 the non commissioned Off
GERS, musicians, and priyaies Of the regular
army, the clains Of commissioned officers j.,
that service are for the first time recognized
by the act Of 2Sth September, 1850. Itw
not the intention ef that act to i,estow bonn
ty land on he ,choic Army Of The Cniifsg
States tchereUer located, but only on those
( whose service was connected with, or had
a direct reference 10 that war; nor can the
act be properly construed TO embrace the
| officers and employees attached TO the War
Department in Washington, their service
not being of Thar kind which was coutem-
plated. 1t is not necessary that officers
should have been actunlIy within the limits
Of Mexico, or on the borders thereof, pro-
vided they were actively engaged in The war
and directly connected with its operations.
! 9. In the war of 1912, troops were IRE
quently called out by the State authority AMI
not Immediately mustered in the service &C
the United States If the Federal Govern
'nent paid such troops from the time ofther
enrolment, and before they were actuaily
mustered IN the service of the United Staies,
that payment is equivalent TO "A recognition
vt their service from the date Of the enroll
,nent. The time for which they were paid
Ivy The United States furnishes convenient
and practical standard for estimating the
period of servire.
8. The conflicts " i;h The Greek indians.
which commenced about 9Th Of May, 1884,
and ended S0th September, 1887, are con-
si1ered as embraced by the act of 1850;
large bodies of troops having been mustered
in the United States service, and several
engagements having occurred, attended by
the loss of many lives in battle, within that
period. The disturbances on the south
western frontier in 1886; in the Cherokee
country in 1886 and 1887; aid the New
York Disturbances in 1888 and 1889, are rot
considered as embraced 10y the provisions
of the act of September, 1850.
A. IL has been settled thar Indians who
were regularly mustered into the service Of
the United States, aud formed a component
part of the line Of the army, were entitled
to the benz fit of the act. In the case Of the
Cheruknes who have an organized govern
ment and Il judicial system IN operation, the
affidavit in support of an application far
land bounty mus, he made before one Of
their Judges. whose official character shall
he certified Ivy their principal Chief. The
Creeks having no Judicial! officers, the Uni
tel States agent in that nation is authorized
to administer the necessary oaihs.
5. Ii has been heretofore stated that
"teanSters and artIficers were not entitled
to land bounty;" but this is no, to be 80 un-
dcrstood, if such teainsiers or artifirers be-
longcd to the line Of the army, and were
regularly detailed for that particular kind Of
service.
6. Surgeons employed Ivy 4 commanding
officer at II stipulated rate of compensation,
but not commissioned or belonging to thn
hue vi the army, are not entitled to land
bounty.
!. IL has been decided hy The Depart.
nent that the substitute performing The nil
itary service, and not the employer, is en-
tI,lei to the Land bounty; but when The en-
.ageneEt is partly performed by both, eacl,
is entitled to his share accordin. to the pc
Rod OF service.
5. Where The declaration of the claim
ant on oath. supported by regular and at
thenic discharge, Is in conflict with The mil
itary rolls. the former, a, general rule,
viii be preferred. And where The rolls are
altogether silent as To the claimant, the pos
tive testimony OF officers and soldiers VIII;
whom he served and whose names are found
or toe rolls will lie received rs evidence.
9. The act of September, 1850, exrluc.
all persons who have received, or are en-
titled to receive, land bounty under any aet
of Congress, heretofore passed. In all 7p-
plicatlons hereafter presented, (rcasonab.e
lime being allowed for these inst. uctiuns 10
circulate,) II will be required that the clan,-
ant shall slate IN his declaration that he has
not received nor is entitled 20 receive su.A
bounty.
10. The Department, has decided ,ha,
widows are entitled tn the land bounty f
deceased soldiers, if they were widows At
the passage oftie act Of September IS, 1880.
This Is the law in its general application
But the widow of an officer or soldier k,li-d
IN battle is entitled TO the narimune allow
ance of che hundred and sixty acres, with
out reference to the period of her husband,
service. And, although married woulan
at the passage of The act, If unmarried q!
the date Of her application, her claim is val
i'd
IL. The death Of an officer or sol,lier
may he proved Ivy satisfactory evidences. aid
II such officer or soldier should die after he.
declaration filed at the Pension Office, i,,,,
before the !ssuIas OF the warrant, il shali L..
competent for the widow. or if there b. no
widow, for the minor children to apply ior
the said warrant and receive the same or
filing the necessary proofs of title.
Considerable auxiely prevails in sou!e
quarters in regard to the execution of hi,
law, and much Impatiencc is manifested a
to whether applications forwarded hayc
been received ant! when the warrants are
likely 10 he issued. A few explanations
will probably suffice. Upto the time v hen
the present commissioner entered upon he
discharge of Ills duties, Che LIST Decen5et,
1850 between thirty and forty Thousand
applications were received, but, as the force
employed had been engaged upon other
branches OF the business, no special ac-
acknowledgements had been made 10 claimants.
Early in December a printed circular was
prepared and dispatched by every mail sc-
knomledging the receipt OF clains; but IS Il
was impossible, for obvious reasons, inat
this circular could be forwarded to previous
applicants, 1t was necessarily confined to he
future.
Hundreds, without a knowledge Of these
facts, have been surprised that their own APP