Military
Pay
ARMY
In theory, the soldiers of both the Confederate
and the Union armies were supposed to be paid every
two months. In practice, they usually weren't so lucky
because the military paymaster had to keep up with
the troops who moved swiftly over long distances.
When the paymaster did arrive with the current and
back pay, it was a happy day in camp. The following
figures compare the income per month of the soldiers
of each rank.
ARMY PAY PER MONTH
|
Confederate |
Union |
| Private |
$11 |
$13 |
| Corporal |
$13 |
$13 |
| Sergeant |
$17 |
$17 |
| First Sergeant |
$20 |
$20 |
| Quartermaster Sergeant |
$21 |
$21 |
| Sergeant Major |
$21 |
$21 |
| Second Lieutenant |
$80 |
$105.50 |
| First Lieutenant |
$90 |
$105.50 |
| Captain |
$130 |
$115.50 |
| Major |
$150 |
$169 |
| Lieutenant Colonel |
$170 |
$181 |
| Colonel |
$195 |
$212 |
| Brigadier General |
$301 |
$315 |
| Major General |
$301 |
$457 |
| Lieutenant General |
$301 |
$758 |
| General |
$301 |
|
NOTES
Officer Allowances: When you notice the discrepancy
between the enlisted ranks and the officer ranks,
remember that the officer pay included certain allowances,
such as additional rations, forage, and fuel allowances.
So, for instance, the Union infantry colonel's pay
included the cash value for six human and three horse
rations a day, which came to $78 a month.
Confederate General Salaries: The Confederate
generals' salaries do not reflect allowances. All
ranks of Confederate generals received the same base
pay because the Confederate army regulations recognized
only one grade above colonel. Generals holding different
commands, however, earned additional allowances for
additional rations, fodder, fuel, quarters, and seniority.
In addition, generals commanding an army in the field
received $100. Therefore, in 1864 Robert E. Lee's
monthly salary totaled $604 a month. This amount included
$301 base pay, $108 rations (for 12 rations a day),
$32 fodder allowance (for four horse rations a day),
$63 seniority pay (for $9 per month for each five
years in the service, including those years he served
in the United States Army), and $100 as an army commander.
Colored Troops: Colored Troops received $10
a month for most of the war, of which $3 was deducted
for clothing allowance. This deduction was abolished
in September, 1864.
NAVY
Seamen's pay was comparable to those of the soldiers.
The following lists Union enlisted ranks' monthly
pay.
NAVY PAY PER MONTH
|
Union |
| Recruit seamen |
$12 |
| Ordinary seamen |
$14 |
| Able seamen |
$18 |
| Third class petty officer |
$20 |
| Senior petty officer |
$45 |
NOTES
Seagoing enlisted men over 21 also received a half
pint or wine or a quarter pint of grog each day. This
practice was abolised in September 1862, when the
ration was replaced by a cash payment of $1.50 a month.
REFERENCE:
Nofi, Albert A., A Civil War Treasury, Da Capo Press,
1995. Orig. 1992. Pages 381-383.
|
