The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-07-03
Ninety Names per Day Are Be-
ing Dropped from the Pen.
sion Lists Because OF In
roads by Death.
DEATH LIST RUNS TO
ABOUT $4,000 A YEAR
Civil War Pensioners in 1909
Numbered 593,961 - No
Veterans of Revolution or
1912 Now Living.

Washington, July about ninety
names day are dropped from the
pension rolls. This average is equiv
alent TO about 200 deaths a month. or
about 80. 900 annually, among federal
survivors OF the civil war carried on
the pension lists.
How many survive who are not on
the pension roll is not recorded In the
, pension office or the adtutant gener-
ais office Of the war department. The
officials refer to these unrecorded sol.
diers as the unknown army" Many
of them belong to Grand Army posts
or Confederate Veteran camps, but
there are undoubtedly number who
are neither pensioners nor identified
with organizations. Every once In
while a survivor OF the war who had
been lost sight OF turns up in some
out-of.the-way corner of the world and
applies for a pension through a con.
gressman or under general statutes.
The old soldiers OF both armies are
vanishing rapidly. Just how many
survive will not be known until after
the completion of the thirteenth CEN
sus. and can only be approximated
now outside of those whose names are
carried on the pension rolls as having
served In the Union army. There Is
no such record OF the Confederates,
for they get no general pensions, and
their names and place OF residence are
not a matter OF official record. A num-
ber OF Confederate soldiers can be To-
Gated through the rolls OF the veteran
camps in the south. but these records
are not nearly SO complete as those
OF the Grand Army of the Republic.
The law providing for the taking OF
the census Of 1910 stipulated that
there should be included a tabulation
Of the number Of Union and Confed-
crate soldiers and sailors living. The
census OF 1900 contained no such tab
ulation.
Union Forces, 2,213.365.
The most generally accepted esti-
mate OF the total number of "individu-
ais" serving in the Union army and
navy during the civil war is 2.213,3
This estimate was prepared by Maj.
Gen. Ainsworth. adjutant general OF
the army. fourteen years ago. and is
the one toward which pension Off
cials and others turn for data relative
to the size Of the Union forces in the
war But It was only an estimate. The
records showed that the total number
Of enlistments from the various states
and territories during the war under
President Lincoln's various calls ag-
gregated 2,77S,3Ol. But of this number
there were 1886 enlistments of sea-
men and marines, leaving 2,672,341 en-
1istments credited to the army alone.
exclusive Of 1922 men who were serv-
ing In the regular army. II Is estimat.
ed that Of these 2.672,341. there were
5iS.393 re-enlistments, which, when
subsracted, leaves the estimate of indi-
vidual volunteer soldiers in the war
cl2S,94S. There were enough re-en.
listments In the navy to bring the ac-
tual number OF individuals In the navy
down to S4.4l7. making the number
serving In the war on the Union side
2.213.365, This is the only official es-
innate ever made. and how far it var
les from the actual number can never
be determined.
Gen. Ainsworth In his estimate OF
fourteen years ago stated that II ap-
peared that at the close of the war
hot L. - ~H1
Union army surviving. deserters ex-
cluded. He estimated that the mum.
ber OF survivors In 1890 should be L.
2s5.47l and 1,ls5.725 in 1896. while he
predicted that at the rate at which the
men were passing the army would be
reduced to about e99, 1000 survivors in
1900.
Civil War Pensioners, 5s3,s6t.
The actual number of survivors of
the civil war on the pension rolls
June 80. 1900. was 59S.961. At the
close OF the Spanish war, in 1898,
there were 72s446 civil war survivors
on the pension rolls. These figures
relate only to soldiers and sailors who
actually fought In the war and do not
include widows. children or orphans.
The number OF names OF civil war sur
vivors stricken from the pension rolls
on account OF death last year was So.
S31; In 1908. 34.s33: In 1907. S1,201:
IN 1906. 29.20S or total of 127,573
dropped from the rolls on account of
death In four years. and the fiscal year
which will close with the end of the
present month. will show about g., 600