The National tribune., 1885-07-02
IN THE EARLY DAYS.
How Soldiers Fared and We're Paid Seventy Tears
Ago.


Ago.
To THE EDITOR: We frequently hear it said
that the soldiers of the Revolution and of the
War of 16l2-14 were more patriotic and received
less Tor their services, besides enduring greater
hardships, than the soldiers of the late war.
That this is a mistaken notion it is the purpose
of this article to show, taking as basis the
ancient town records OF Hanover, Mass, which
town was presumably neither more nor less
patriotic than other towns. The town voted
as follows:
Oct. /, 1776-Fiye mea engaged for the expe.
dition to Ticonderoga and f13 bounty per man
paid March, 1777, the town voted ETA bounty
to each soldier April 6. 177e, f200 were voted
to supply the soldiers families. March 8, 1850,
voted to give the five men that went to Rhode
Island last Fall for two months f1S9 each.
June 26, voted to give the soldiers 80 silver dol
lars per month and the Continentals' pay. June
81, $1,000 hard money voted to pay the six
months men with. July 3, voted to give the
three months men one silver dollar per day.
July 21 t500 in silver raised to pay the soldiers
with. Oct so, f3 160 voted to supply the SOL
diers families. Jan. 8, 17S1, voted 500 in hard
money to each man that shall enlist. July 8,
voted to raise two men for Rhode Island for
five months and bounty of five shillings each
per day, and like allowance for every 20 miles
travel home when discharged, to be paid in sill
yer money.
AS bearing on this subject it may be well to
note prices paid for commodities and labor
taken from same records. 1777-Act to pre-
vent mOnopolies. The following scale of prices
were fixed this year: Day labor, reaping and
moving IS. 3D.; from April to last of Septem-
ber, Is. Sd; for the three Winter months 2s.
cd. Good wheat per bushel, Is. 3d.; rye IS.
i'd; corn, 3s. 3d.; potatoes, Is. i'd good mems
shoes, Is. Sd; veal, mutton and lamb, 3d.;
yoke of oxen per day, Is. 4d.; turkeys, ducks
aud 1f,o fD1xvlc
per quart; good hay, IS. per hundred; good
boards, 40s. per M. at the mill turnips, Is. i'd.
per bushel; cider at the mill, 3D. per barrel
use of plow, Is. Cd. per day; tobacco, IS. per
pound; making mems Shoes 2s. Cd; oak wood,
S. per cord an ox-cart and wheels, Is. 4d.
per day, and all other tools, labor and business
according to former wages and customs.
June 2, 1912, the town voted to make up SIS
per month, with what the Government paid,
when called upon for actual service; also, voted
to give them 81 per day for every day they are
called out of town for duty. In 1914 voted
to make up the soldiers pay to $50 per month
until Oct. l, and those that have been called out
before, and the non-commissioned officers, to
receive the same pay.
From the above copy of records it appears
that the soldiers of the earlier wars in Pc
cuniary sense, Jared quite well as the soldiers
of the late war. True, the Continental paper
money was greatly deprecated; but this was
largely made up by local payments of silver
coin, at that time the standard money of the
civilized world. In addition to this supplies
were furnished their families equivalent to
the State aid rendered by some States during
the late war. 1t should be remembered that
excepting the first three months men no SOL
diers of the late war received coin payments,
either local or general. They did, however,
receive deprecated greenbacks, worth at one
time only 80 cents on the dollar. That the
soldiers of the Revolution and War of 1872 suf-
fered terribly we will not undertake to deny,
but we fail to see how they could possibly have
suffered more than was endured by the inmates
of rebel prisons AS for patriotism, there might
have been instances in the late war where it
was wanting; that there were such in the
Revolutionary war may be inferred from the
following bit of history taken from the I" En-
cyclopedia of American History: June 81
1888, mutinous soldiers besieged the doors of
the State House in Philadelphia where Con-
gress was in session, demanding immediate pay
ment for service The difficulties of the situa-
tion had delay in the issue of notes for the
last three months. Congress was forced to ad-
.journ to Princeton, where the members were
received by the college,"
The measure of offering bounty to soldiers
was adopted at the urgent solicitations of Wash
ington, and was deemed by him of great i'm
portance to encourage enlistments. See Mar
shall's Life of Washington" Vol. /, page LOG.
-" SOLDIER" Bryantville, Mass.