Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

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[65] fifteen dollars for the enlistment of a veteran volunteer, and ten dollars for the enlistment of any other volunteer. That twenty millions of dollars be appropriated in payment of the bounties. That from the first day of January, 1864, the pay per month of non-commissioned officers and privates in the regular army and volunteer forces should be as follows, namely, sergeant-majors of cavalry, artillery, and infantry, twenty-three dollars; quartermaster-sergeants of cavalry and artillery, twenty-three dollars; of infantry, twenty dollars; first sergeants of cavalry, artillery, and infantry, twenty-three dollars; sergeants of cavalry, artillery, and infantry, nineteen dollars; sergeants of ordnance, sappers and miners and pontoniers, thirty-four dollars; corporals of ordnance, sappers and miners, and pontoniers, twenty dollars; privates, first class, eighteen dollars; second class, sixteen dollars; corporals of cavalry, artillery, and infantry, seventeen dollars; chief buglers of cavalry, twenty-three dollars; buglers, fifteen dollars; farriers, and blacksmiths of cavalry, and artificers of artillery, eighteen dollars; privates of cavalry, artillery, and infantry, sixteen dollars; principal musicians of artillery and infantry, twenty-two dollars; musicians of artillery and infantry, and musicians of sappers and miners and pontoniers, fourteen dollars. That all enlisted persons of African descent should have the same uniform, clothing, arms, equipments, camp equipage, rations, medical and hospital attendance, and pay, as soldiers of the regular or volunteer forces of the United States, of like arm of the service. That whenever the President should call upon the several States for men, the quota of each ward of a city, town, or township, or of a county, where the county was not divided into wards, towns, or townships, should be, as nearly as possible, in proportion to the number of men therein liable to render military service, taking into account the number which had been previously furnished, and the number of men that had entered or might enter the naval service. That chaplains, when absent from duty by reason of wounds or sickness, should be allowed full pay without rations, and half pay with rations during absence on leave occasioned by other causes; and chaplains who had been absent from duty by reason of wounds or sickness should be entitled to receive full pay without rations.

On the twenty-first of December, the bill was taken up, debated by Mr. Harris, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Grimes, Mr. Fessenden, Mr. Howe, Mr. Hendricks, Mr. Lane, of Indiana, Mr. Collamer, Mr. Cowan, Mr. Hicks, and Mr. Howard, and slightly amended. On the ninth of February, it was again taken up, and, on motion of Mr. Wilson, laid on the table, and not again called up.

In the Senate, on the eighth of January, 1864, Mr. Wilson introduced a bill to promote enlistments into the army, and for other purposes, which was read twice, and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. On the eighteenth, Mr. Wilson reported it back with amendments. The Senate, on the twenty-first, proceeded to its consideration. It consisted of seven sections, and provided: That enlistments thereafter made in the regular army should be for the term of three years. That all persons of African descent who had been or might be mustered into the military service, should receive the same uniform, clothing, rations, medical and hospital attendance, pay and emoluments, as other soldiers of the regular or volunteer forces; and that every such person thereafter mustered into service should receive two months pay in advance. That, when any man of African descent owing service or labor in any State under its laws, should be mustered into the military or naval service of the United States, he, and his mother, wife, and children, should be for ever free. Full pay, without rations, to chaplains theretofore or thereafter absent by reason of wounds or sickness; half pay, with rations, during absence on leave occasioned by other causes. The amendments, which were reported by the Committee, were concurred in.

On the twenty-seventh, the Senate resumed the consideration of the bill, and on motion of Mr. Grimes, it was amended by striking out the words, “two months pay in advance,” to colored volunteers, and inserting the words, “such sums in bounty as the President shall order in different States and parts of the United States, not exceeding the sum of one hundred dollars.”

On the third of February, Mr. Wilson, from the Military Committee, reported a joint resolution to equalize the pay of soldiers. It provided that all persons of color who had been or who might be mustered into the military service, should receive the same pay and emoluments, other than bounty, as other soldiers; and that every person of color who should thereafter be mustered into the service, should receive such sums in bounty as the President should order, not exceeding one hundred dollars. On the fourth, the Senate proceeded to the consideration of the joint resolution, and it was debated on that day, the tenth, the thirteenth, the sixteenth, the twenty-third, and the twenty-ninth, by Mr. Fessenden, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Ten Eyck, Mr. Lane, of Kansas, Mr. Conness, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Sumner, Mr. Foster, Mr. Lane, of Indiana, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Grimes, Mr. Cowan, Mr. Collamer, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Salisbury, Mr. Davis, Mr. Foot, Mr. Clark, Mr. Wilkinson, and Mr. Howard. Several amendments were moved, discussed, and acted upon, and the joint resolution, on motion of Mr. Grimes, recommitted to the Committee on Military Affairs.

In the Senate, on the second of March, Mr. Wilson reported a bill to equalize the pay of soldiers, in lieu of the joint resolution recommitted to the Committee. It provided: That all persons of color who had been or might be mustered into the military service, should receive the same uniform, clothing, rations, medical and hospital attendance, pay and emoluments, other than bounty, as other soldiers of the regular or volunteer forces, from the first day of January, 1864; and that every person of color who should thereafter be mustered into the service, should receive such