Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-08
PENSIONERS DECREASING.
Estimated That $4,000 Die Every
Year,

Year.
Dying at the rate Of $4,000 year,
says the Washington correspondent Of
| the News and Courier, the total num-
ber Of pensioners on the roll Of the
government Is expected to show big
decrease when Director Durand. Of
the census concludes his work in the
near future. There was no tabula-
ton Of pensioners In the last census
but the one now under way makes
such provision.
With $4,000 names being dropped
from the rolls every twelve months,
2,7O0 every thirty days, 1t will not
take long to entirely do away with
the present work Of the pension bu-
reau unless another war should in
tervene to cause more dependents on
the government.
How many persons survive the va
rious wars whose names do not ap-
pear on the pension rolls Is not re-
corded in the pension office or in the
office Of the adjutant general Of the
war department. The officials refer
to these unrecorded soldiers as the
unknown army" Many Of them
belong to Grand Army posts or
camps of Confederate Veterans, but
there are many who are neither PEN
sioners nor identified with these or
ganizations in any way.
More Than Two Million.
The most generally accepted esti-
mate Of the total number Of men
serving in the Union army and navy
during the War Between the States
lis 2,213,365. This estimate was pre-
pared by Gen. Ainsworth. adjutant
general of the army, about fourteen
years ago, and 1t is one upon which
pension officials and others interested
in such matters depend for data. But
this was at best only an estimate, the
record showing that the total num-
ber of enlistments from the various
states and territories under the calls
Of President Lincoln aggregated g.
77S,304. But on this number there
were 105,963 enlistments credited to
the army alone, exclusive Of 1922
men who were serving in the regular
army. 1t is estimated that Of these
2672,34 men there were 543, 393 re-
|enlistments, which, when subtracted,
leaves the estimate Of Individual SOL
diers in the war 2,12S,94S. There
were enough enlistment in the
navy to bring the total number Of in
dividuals in the navy down to 84,-
447, making the number serving In
the war on the Union side 2,213,365.
This is the only official estimate ever
made, and how far 1t varies from the
actual number can never be deter
mined.
Rapid Deduction.
Gen. Ainsworth in his estimate, said
that it appeared that at the end Of the
war there were 1927 individuals in
excluded. He thought the number Of
survivors in 1890, should be 1885,
All and 1,125,725 in 1896, while he
predicted that at the rate at which
the men were passing away the army
would be reduced to about $4,000
survivors in 1900.
The actual number Of survivors OF
the War Between the States on the
pension rolls June 80, 1909, was $685.
l.
war, in 1898, there were 1876, ,446 civil
war survivors on the pension rolls.
An interesting table just prepared
for the use Of the senate shows some
data relative to the service OF boys
which has heretofore gone unnoticed.
This table shows that Of the total
number of enlistments, aggregating
2,77S,309 for the Union army and
navy, the number Of enlistments at
fo11nuyc. IN
and under 25; IL years, 38; IL years,
225; 13 years, 800; IA years, 1,525;
Is years. 1O4,9S7; 16 years. 2S1 ,051;
II years, S44,891; Is years, 1,151, ,43S;
81 years, 2,159,79S; % years, $751;
511; 25 years, 44,626; A years, 49,
OIL.
Average Ages Of Pensioners.
This table shows that over mill
lion enlistments were OF boys less
than Is years of age. The authori-
ties, therefore, figure that the average
age of pensioners Of the War Be
tween the States Is now about 6S
years
There are no pensioners Of the Rev
oulutionary War or Of the War Of
1872 living. The last survivor Of the
War of the Revolution on the pension
rolls was Daniel F. Bakeman, who
died at Freedom, n. Y, April, 1863,
|aged 109 years.
The last surviving pension soldier
Of the War Of 1912 was Hiram Cronk
Of Ava, n. Y, who died In 1905, aged
105 years.
The last survivor Of the Revolution
on the rolls lived for eight years after
the close Of the war, and II there Is
any soldier Of the War Between the
States. who will survive an equal
length of time. his name will be car
ried on the pension rolls until 1851,
provided there Is any need for pen
sion roll or bureau at that distant
date