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Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records
This collection contains the records of the Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee, including administrative papers and enlistment and bounty records of men who qualified for bounties under the system. The records are divided into two series: Series I contains the administrative records of the committ...
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|---|---|
| Collection: | Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee Records |
| Collection Number: | 1558 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects and Genres: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
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| LEADER | 05346ntc a2200301 u 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | ead-1558 | ||
| 008 | 131007i18611887xx eng d | ||
| 040 | |e dacs | ||
| 041 | 0 | |a eng | |
| 099 | |a 1558 | ||
| 110 | 2 | |a Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee |e creator | |
| 245 | 1 | |a Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records |f 1861-1887, undated |g 1862 - 1863 | |
| 300 | |a 9.8 Linear feet |f 22 boxes, 13 volumes | ||
| 351 | |b This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Administration, 1861-1887, 3 linear feet Series II. Bounties, premiums, 1862-1864, 6.8 linear feet | ||
| 506 | |a This collection is open for research. | ||
| 520 | |a This collection contains the records of the Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee, including administrative papers and enlistment and bounty records of men who qualified for bounties under the system. The records are divided into two series: Series I contains the administrative records of the committee; Series II consists of the enlistment forms, muster records, and other tracking of bounties and premiums paid by the committee. Series I contains resolutions, committee reports, minutes, and assorted financial records, including statements, settled checks, cash books, donation notebooks, subscription lists, and a small number of bills and receipts. This series also includes committee correspondence, much of which relates to bounty claims, and a letter book from dispersing agent Michael V. Baker. Series II contains enlistment forms, enlistment affidavits, muster forms, muster rolls, bounty certificates, and lists and statements of bounties and premiums paid. Both series are arranged chronologically, with volumes arranged by size within each series. | ||
| 520 | |a The Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records relate to an effort in Philadelphia in 1862 to encourage Union enlistments through the payments of bounties and premiums. The records include the administrative papers of the committee, as well as the enlistment and bounty records of the men who qualified for bounties under the system. Administrative papers include resolutions, committee reports, minutes, and assorted financial papers. The bulk of the collection is volunteer enlistment forms, enlistment affidavits, bounty certificates, muster forms, muster rolls, and lists and statements of bounties and premiums paid. | ||
| 524 | 8 | |a Cite as: [Indicate cited item or series here], Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee records (Collection 1558), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. | |
| 545 | |a During the summer of 1862, President Abraham Lincoln called for another 300,000 Union troops, after the Army of the Potomac failed to take Richmond, Virginia. The War Department gave each state a quota to fill, but recruitment was slow. Concerned about a possible draft, Philadelphia Mayor Alexander Henry (1823-1883) led a public meeting on July 24, 1862 to discuss how best to increase enlistment. Meeting attendees decided to create a bounty fund so that volunteers could be paid for enlisting, a tactic that other cities were using. The attendees at the meeting donated $40,000 to create the bounty fund, and two days later, Philadelphia City Council voted to allocate $500,000 to the fund. A large number of private citizens met at Independence Hall to donate another $160,000 to the fund. The Citizens' Bounty Fund was administered by a committee of private individuals from the city's elite, with Mayor Henry serving as chair of the committee and Thomas Webster serving as vice chair. Lorin Blodget (1823-1901) served as secretary, and Singleton A. Mercer served as treasurer. Dispersing agents included Michael V. Baker (died circa 1866), George Whitney (1819-1885) and Mercer. Philadelphia City Council approved giving $50 bounties to "each volunteer for new regiments for three years or the war." City Council also approved paying $6 to volunteers for existing regiments, in addition to the $25 bounty offered by the United States, plus another $50 when the new enlisted man joined the regiment. Captains organizing their own companies qualified for $5 per man to help repay their expenses. Philadelphia filled its enlistment quota without needing to turn to a draft, but the Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee concluded in early 1863 that the bounty system was a waste of money (see Box 3, Folder 3). Worse, they concluded that the bounties encouraged desertion. A committee resolution indicates the committee planned to turn over the remaining bounty fund assets to a "Soldiers' Claim Association of Philadelphia," which would provide aid to soldiers and their families. | ||
| 555 | |a Finding Aid Available Online: | ||
| 561 | 1 | |a The majority of the collection was a gift of the Lorin Blodget estate, 1911. A small number of papers were moved from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection of Civil War Papers (Collection 1546). | |
| 600 | 1 | 7 | |a Baker, Michael V. |2 Local Sources |
| 600 | 1 | 7 | |a Blodget, Lorin |d 1823-1901. |2 NACO Authority File |
| 610 | 2 | 7 | |a Citizens' Committee on Bounty Fund |2 Local Sources |
| 650 | 0 | |a United States. Army--Recruiting, enlistment, etc. | |
| 651 | 0 | |a United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865. | |
| 852 | |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania |b Citizens' Bounty Fund Committee Records |l 1558 | ||
| 856 | 4 | 2 | |y Link to finding aid |u http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/BountyFund1558.html |