Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-03-04
jumping THE BOUNTY"
AN ARMY OFFICER TELLS TALES
OF WAR TINES.
ReXul,r Organized Bureau OF
'.3ouuty Jumpers" - They Worked
the Gams for All There Was in
It Lin coln's X ndness.

now. Mistress Maloney?"
Sure. It's gov'ment employ he ia
in now. and n foine job he has, in
dade Every wake or two he comes
home wild la,hin's of greenbacks and
batthers down the dure with new
gold watch"
Faith an it is a nate job entirely.
and phwat do they call ftp"
'lndade. l disrememoer the exact
name. but think they call it 'leppin'
the bounty"
Phelim's experience in 1868 was
that OF n good many thousands during
the hardest days Of the rebellion says
the Springfield Republican. The
drafts ordered by the pre- 'ident were
being rigidly enforced. A man whose
n anne was on tho fated list OF con-
scripts had but one alternative-the
ranks or providing q substitute
BY the provisions of the act of con-
gress authorizing the draft. $500 was
the allowance for those substitutes.
But as the war progressed and every
bOdy's name was on the provost
marshars books that is every citizen
name who had ever voted or was an
eligible voter-the price rose in pro.
portion to tho scarcity OF available
material for substitutes. till in some
of the smaller state, IN New England
and in many Western neighborhoods,
large sums from 81. 200 to 50, 900
even, were paid by those who were
drafted. and tho quotas OF each county
and town being duly apportioned, the
citi ems thereof voted county and town
bounties, and these sums, added 10
the state and national bounties, made
up very respectable inducem mt to
young men to enlist
This state OF affairs held out every
temptation to unprincipled men to en-
list for the sake OF tho bounty. Many
such enlistments were made by for
eiguers and not few Americans. most
OF them with no family ties and no re-
gard for thom If they had did the
same thing. They enlisted for the
money. pure and simple and little
perjury here and there was small
matter to such elastic consciences.
The substitute was in a strange part
of the country. and sworn to the fact
that he was an alien. or at any rate
had never voted, and enlisted only for
bounty meant to desert when he could.
Another class was composed OF men
recruited to fill up regiments already
in the field. They received similar
large bounties, had no more intention
of fighting than the substitutes had.
and were in great part especially in
cities, graduates OF jails and penlten-
tiaries good enough food for powder
if their teeth were strong enough to
bite hard tack"
When these men had passed their
medical examination signed their en-
listment papers and duly perjured
themselves according to law, they
were put into United States uniforms
furnished with blanket knapsack. hav-
ersack and canteen and sent. under
guard. to some receiving depot where
they remained till they were forward
ed to the several regiments to which
they were accredited. In these TEN.
porary depots. especially in large cit.
les like New York Philadelphia and
Boston. there was complete reign of
terror. Strength and brutality were
uppermost. Half dozen ruffians
would attack small-sized man and
take his money from him. To COM
plain was useless; it was impossible
to identify the money or to fix the
offense, in general, upon any one indi-
viduai.
From time to time these recruiting
depots were thinned out by sending
the men to various camps until enough
were collected for any designated reg
imcnt Troops from tho East wero
sent to Camp Grant and to Camp Tay-
lor. four or five mios from Washing.
ton. tho former being only for drafted
men and the other for substitutes and
recruits newly enlisted.
| hal charge OF the latter camp
during the winter of 1868, and OF
all the ungracious work | ever had to
do in the army that was the meanes..
To start with. l had coatrol of a shift
ing. varying class OF humanity, as
'harj" a lot as ever assembled In a
peDitontiary. with none OF the re-
straints which are thrown about the
latter place, with no possibility of
maintaining more than a semblance of
discipline. ! had all the responsible
ties OF a prison warden. witho 1T his
means OF enforcing obedience and
am satisfied that year OF such work
would have brutal ell ma beyond re :
demption. AS it was. l found nv
character not trust an unoentie
one. deteriorating from day to day
under such debasing influences. and /
was truly thank -ul whea transferred
to more colgenial line OF duty.
Camp Taylor covered in all an are a
OF about fifteen acres, surrounded by
no stockade but instead with an
armed guard OF the Veteran Reserve
corps an organization OF which those
OF the present gsn grafton know no II
Ing. IL wa, compoasa OF soldiers who
had been wounded severely enough TO