The National tribune., 1891-09-10
"LAsT CALL. MIG BOUNTY MEN"

large proportion Of the surviving veterans
belonged 10 this class When a soldier
hater speaks Of this class he thinks he has
summed up the whole matter Of The wrong
and injustice Of the pension list He would
have it appear that they were amply paid
for all that they did-he will not admit that
they did anything-and that it is a crying
shame that their claims are considered at all
IN the allowance Of pensions. lie ignores
the fact that these so-called big bounties
were paid in 4 deprecated currency that
was not worth at the time more than 40
cents on the dollar. A man who got so much
as $1,000 bounty for enlisting in 1864 really
received IN actual value less than $500
which was very small inducement for leav-
ing the high wages then offered TO encounter
horrors that every one knew only too well
1T was very meager provision to make for
the wife and children, or the helpless mother
he must leave bshind, with small hope Of
ever seeing them again. We have spoken Of
$1,000 but this was far above what the
average bounty paid in lsGf Now, let
as see what some OF the regiments which
came out in 1864, and presumably received
/ good-sized bounties, went through:
The 3lst Me- was organized as late as
April, 1864 with 939 men, and marched d.
rectly into the he'll Of TIE fighting in The
Wilderness. 1t behaved with the greatest
gallantry, was cOmplimented in General
Orders, and before il had been three months
from the State it had left over half lis num-
Der killed or wounded on the battlefield.
Six months after leaving Maine il had but
60 men left for duty out Of the $50 who had
marched with il from the State. Altogether
it had 15s killed and SIC wounded, OF GA in
all Thirty-iour died in Andersonyille. How
far did the bounty 20 toward caring for the
widows and orphans of those who were
slaughtered so meIcilessly?
The I7lh VT left the State April IS 1864
and two weeks later was charging the rebel
breastwoTzs at Spottsylyania. From that
time its fighting was almost continuous
until it was in the front line 10 the final
charge on Petersburg. 1t took ,l3l men
from the State Of whom one in every II
was killed, and one in every four wounded.
IT lost 147 killed, 229 wounded, and % died
in rebel prisons, aud 50 OF disease, making
total loss Of 493, or nearly every other
man in the regiment
The Seth Mass. left the State March 81,
1864, and May 8 began fighting in the Viii
derness. IT took out ] ,0i7 men, Of whom it
lost in a few weeks 12G killed. in g.
32l wounded, and 100 died Of disease,
making a total loss OF more than one-half
Its original strength.
The 57th Mass. left the State April 81
1854, with 1862 men. Three weeks later
245 Of these lay dead or wounded in the
Wilderness Another week, and - more
were gone; the next day, II more; month
later, a. were lost in brilliant bayonet
charge on the works Of Petersburg; aud
when it quit fighting after the fall OF Peters
burg, its killed, wounded, and died reacsed
the CHASTITY figure Of 8O2, or Jopr ont Of
erory fire IL had brought from the state. Of
these, POI, OF one-flih Of its total enrolment,
had been killed outright on the field Of
battle, and SIS, or one-half its total enroll
menb severely wounded. That was the
kind Of late-coming, big-bcunty men they
were.
The 5Sth Mass. got into the field little
later, MOI leaving the State until April 90,
1864, but it went rs promptly into the fight,
aud before the year was up il had lost, out
Of the 1852 men enrolled, l39 killed, BOP
wounded, s. had died IN prison, aud G. Of
diseases, making Gi7 altogether, or two
thirds Of the original enrolment.
The l4.h y. Y. H. A. left the State April
%, 1864, with 2.53G men, Of whom it lost
i20 killed, 6il wounded, "a died in prison,
and 2l7 Of disease, making ,l72 altogether,
OF nearly one-hali It's strength.
The lsslh Pa. was not organized until
April, 1854, and Immediately took the field
with about 800 men. In The II months
between tie fight at Proctor's Church and
the fall Of Richmond il lost l24 killed, 1923
wounded, and 6 died, or 52f in all.
The 2O3d ia. was not organized until
September, 1864 yet it lost "a killed and y
/ By death.
The 3Glh Wis. did not leave the State
until May TO- 1864, when 1914 men fol-
lowed It's coloss Before the following May
l57 Of these bad been killed, 421 wounded
lO2 had died in prison, and s3 Of disease,
making GIG H. all or lhree-dfths Of its en-
tire enrolment.
The 9Th Wis. left the State in April,
1864, with Ito men. in The year follow
ing il lost l5G Of these killed, 4Ol wounded.
and 81 died, making 6lS altogether, or more
than three-fflhs lis total strength.