USA > Connecticut > New London County > Norwich > The Norwich memorial; the annals of Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, in the great rebellion of 1861-65 > Part 23
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The town action in the frequent meetings held during the progress of our civil conflict, to devise means for pro- moting enlistments and filling up the quotas, under the various calls of the President for volunteers, was remark- ably unanimous. Very little, if any, opposition was made to the liberal appropriations voted for war purposes. There was not only great unanimity of spirit, but the utmost energy and promptitude of action, so that the town was kept in advance of the calls made upon it for men. Its contributions to the national armies were of its most worthy and promising citizens, and nobly did the latter maintain the
Joseph Felden LIEGT L
317
MISCELLANEOUS.
reputation of Norwich for patriotic devotion to the coun- try's weal.
The first action of the town in reference to war matters was on July 16, 1862, when, after a spirited meeting, the following votes were passed :-
Voted, That a bounty of thirteen dollars be paid from the town's treasury of the town of Norwich to every man who shall, on or before the twentieth of August, 1862, enlist into any company enlisted in the town of Norwich. The same to be paid when he is mustered into the service of the United States.
Voted, That the same bounty of thirteen dollars be paid to those who have already enlisted into companies now enlisting in the town of Norwich.
Voted, That the sum of eight thousand dollars be, and the same is, hereby appropriated from the town treasury for the pur- pose of paying said bounty, and such necessary expenses of re- cruiting, as are not provided for by the General and State Gov- ernment, and for the purpose of aiding and encouraging, in any proper way, the enlistment of volunteers.
Voted, That the Selectmen of the town of Norwich be and are hereby instructed to raise, by loan or otherwise, and to place at the disposal of the Committee, consisting of James Lloyd Greene, Amos W. Prentice, William M. Converse, Lorenzo Black- stone, N. C. Brackenridge, and F. M. Hale, from time to time, such sums of money as said Committee shall desire, not exceed- ing the sum of eight thousand dollars, to be by said Committee expended according to their judgment in carrying into effect the preceding vote, and said Committee are authorized to pay said bounty of thirteen dollars for enlistments after said twen- tieth day of August, if, in their discretion, it is deemed desirable to do so.
These measures were carried by a unanimous vote. On the fourth of August, 1862, in accordance with the warning of the Selectmen, a town meeting was held in the Town Hall. The attendance was very large, and the proceedings
21
318
THE NORWICH MEMORIAL.
of the meeting were marked with great enthusiasm. Amos W. Prentice was called to preside, when it was -
Voted, That a bounty of thirty-seven dollars, in addition to the bounty heretofore voted by the town of Norwich, be paid from the town treasury to every resident of the town who has enlisted, or who shall, on or before the twentieth day of August, enlist into any company raised in the town of Norwich, under the recent call of the Government, and said bounty shall be payable when he is mustered into the service of the United States. And the same shall also be paid to every resident of the town of Norwich who has been enlisted by Captain William H. Tubbs and James B. Coit, for the Fourteenth Regiment.
Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized and directed to raise, by loan or otherwise, a sum not exceeding twenty thousand dol- lars, or so much of the same as may be necessary to pay the bounties provided for in the previous vote, and to pay such ex- penses of recruiting as are not provided for by the State or Gen- eral Government.
On the thirtieth of the same month (August, 1862), when the call for three hundred thousand nine months' troops was made, the town, in regular meeting convened -
Voted, That a bounty of one hundred dollars be paid to any resident of the town who has volunteered, or who shall volunteer, in any regiment of militia of this State, and who shall be ac- cepted into the service of the United States, under the recent call of the President for three hundred thousand nine months' men.
The Selectmen were further instructed to raise a sum not exceeding twenty-two thousand dollars, to be placed at the disposal of the " War Committee " for the purpose of pay- ing the first voted bounty, and defraying the general ex- penses incident to recruiting. This meeting was one of the most spirited held during the war, and after it resolved it- self into a Committee of the Whole to obtain volunteers, as
319
MISCELLANEOUS.
elsewhere described, rose to the very highest pitch of en- thusiasm.
In January, 1863, the debt of the town, incurred for " war expenses " was reported to be over forty thousand dollars, and it was voted to provide for this by the issue of town bonds, authorized by the action of the Legislature, at the December session, in 1862. These bonds bore interest at the rate of six per cent., the attached coupons being paya- ble semi-annually.
On May 29, 1863, and by virtue of more recent legisla- tive provision, the town voted to repeat this action, funding in the same way its increasing debt. The issue was lim- ited, by vote, to sixty thousand dollars, and the bonds were made payable at the expiration of twenty years' time. It should, however, be stated that this new issue of town bonds was to provide for the general indebtedness of town, and not for exclusively war expenditures.
On Wednesday, August 5, 1863, a town meeting was regularly warned, "to take action on the bounty ques- tion." There was a very large attendance, and the discus- sion showed a general interest to have those who were called into service under " the enrollment act" impartially provided for. The action taken was intended to meet any cases of distress that might occur in connection with the drafting of those who would leave their families in a depen- dent condition. The benevolence of the citizens, however, never permitted this to occur, and the town and State appropriations were always liberal enough to meet any exigency of this kind. Still, as showing the public inter- est in this matter, Judge Hovey presented the following resolution, which, after some debate, was passed with but one dissenting voice : -
" Whereas, Four hundred and thirty-five persons residing in this town, have been recently drafted for military service in the
320
THE NORWICH MEMORIAL.
army of the United States, pursuant of the act of Congress, en- titled ' An act for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes,' approved March 3, 1863 ;
"And whereas, Nearly all the persons so drafted have been found to be exempt from military duty under said act, or have furnished substitutes to take their places in the draft, or paid the sum of money required by said act for the procuration of said substitutes ;
" And whereas, Fears are entertained that a further draft may be ordered, pursuant to the provisions of said act, and that thereby individuals and families may become chargeable to the town, and otherwise greatly distressed, unless adequate measures of relief are adopted by the town ;
" And whereas, Under the warning for this meeting, it is be- lieved that such measures cannot be legally adopted ; therefore,
" Resolved, That in case a further draft from this town shall be ordered, pursuant to the said act of Congress, the Selectmen be and are hereby directed to convene, as soon as possible, a meeting of the town, for the purpose of adopting such measures for the relief of those who may be drafted, as the town shall deem adequate and proper."
At a town meeting held January 26, 1864, Mr. George Pratt, stated that the quota of the town, numbering two hun- dred and six, had been filled by the Selectmen, at a cost to the town of twenty thousand nine hundred and fifty dollars and seventy-six cents ($20,950.76). After the quota was full, the Selectmen enlisted forty-three additional recruits, at a cost of two thousand one hundred and fifty dollars, with the assurance on the part of the " War Committee " that if the town did not pay this additional sum they would. A few men enlisted at Fort Trumbull would swell the num- ber of recruits from the town on the present quota to two hundred and sixty. The following vote was then passed : -
" Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized to draw on the
321
MISCELLANEOUS.
town treasurer for a sufficient sum to reimburse the "War Committee " for actual expenses incurred by them in enlisting recruits over and above the number required to fill the quota of the town, such expenses being audited and approved by the Se- lectmen, the amount not to exceed two thousand one hundred and fifty dollars."
After some discussion as to how this money had been used, and whether it was paid to brokers or the men enlist- ing, it was shown that the latter in every instance received it, and that the cost of securing these extra recruits had not averaged over fifty dollars per man. Mr. Starkweather then offered the following vote : -
" That the Selectmen of the town of Norwich be authorized to pay to each veteran who is a resident of this town, and who has reënlisted into the service of the United States, and shall count on the quota required of this town, the sum of one hundred dollars, and the Selectmen are authorized to draw orders on the treasurer."
This developed some discussion, and sticklers for the legality of such a forehanded measure, which in after months proved of great relief to the town, when new calls for men were made, ventilated their views at some length, and then, with but one dissenting voice, the vote was passed. The wisdom of thus securing in advance recruits to count on future apportionments, under other calls likely to be issued, led to the passage of the next vote : -
" That the Selectmen of the town of Norwich be authorized to obtain recruits to apply on the present or any other quota of the town of Norwich, provided the expenses to the town shall not exceed twenty-five dollars per man, and the Selectmen are hereby authorized to draw orders on the treasurer for that purpose."
Again, under date of July 15, 1864, after the President's call for five hundred thousand troops made the town feel
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THE NORWICH MEMORIAL.
the need of prompt action to fill up its quota, it was now voted, with no dissenting voices --
"That the Selectmen of the town of Norwich be and they hereby are authorized to pay to each resident of this town, who enlists or procures a substitute or recruit, who shall count on the quota of this town, under the recent call of the President, the sum of one hundred dollars, and to draw orders on the town treasurer to pay the same. The Selectmen were also authorized to employ persons to aid them in filling up the quota of the town."
The bounty of one hundred dollars to veterans reenlist- ing and counting on this quota, was continued. At this period of the war the business of raising the men appor- tioned to the town devolved upon the Selectmen, and they, together with the most active and interested of our citi- zens, labored earnestly to secure recruits, and to keep the quota of the town full. And yet this was no easy task, for volunteering on the part of our citizens had perforce largely ceased, and good recruits were difficult to be procured. Still, their efforts were successful, and the town never failed to raise promptly its assignment of men.
On December 1, 1864, at a regularly convened town meeting, a new committee, consisting of Messrs. Samuel B. Case, Charles Crawley, John T. Brown, Henry B. Tracy, and William Peckham, was appointed to have in charge the moneys appropriated for bounties, and by vote, this committee was authorized -
" To pay to any person of this town liable to a draft, who here- after may furnish an acceptable and lawful military substitute, under the laws of the United States, to be credited to the town, such sums of money, as to such shall seem necessary and proper, provided the number of such substitutes does not exceed the number required, in the judgment of the Committee, to fill the next quota.
" Voted, That the Selectmen are authorized to borrow, from
323
MISCELLANEOUS.
time to time, on the credit of the town, such sums of money as shall be approved by the Committee, not to exceed, in the whole, the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars."
Under this liberal provision the quota of the town was again raised, and a surplus secured to apply on any future calls. At the close of the war Norwich was found to be in ad- vance of the number regularly assigned to her to be raised, and this highly creditable fact was due to the energetic action of the town officers, supported as they always were by the loyal cooperation of all the citizens. These town meetings were always well attended by our leading citizens, and though there were occasionally some sharp discussions, yet there were no war measures adopted by the town that did not receive a practically unanimous vote. It should be recorded to the honor of our citizens that, differing as they did in political views, yet, in the town assemblages to which they so often were summoned, they acted with great cor- diality, debated measures with earnestness, but uniform courtesy, and maintained the reputation of the town for loyalty to the Government, and liberality in providing for all war expenses.
TABLE OF DEBT.
United States Debt.
Connecticut Debt.
Norwich Town Debt.
July 1, 1860
$64,769,703 08
Mar. 31, 1860
$34,142 04*
Sept. 1, 1860
$113,582 28
66
1861
90,867,828 68
1861
7,709 50*
1861
107,370 05
66
1862
514,211,371 92
I862
2,030,000 00
66
1862
124,270 52
66
I863
1,098,793, 181 37
1863
3,392,300 00
66
1863
135,337 75
1864
1,740,690,439 49
1864
7,249,660 00
Sept. 15, 1864
169,918 95
1865 2,783 425,879 21
66
I865
10,523,113 74
I865
180,303 71
1
* After deducting the amount in the Treasury.
324
THE NORWICH MEMORIAL.
TOWN EXPENSES FOR WAR PURPOSES.
Amount paid to Volunteers or Substitutes $139,149 68 Amount paid families of Volunteers, additional to State allow- ance 15,000 00
All other War Expenses . 9,021 00
Total expenses for War purposes
163,170 68
Estimated amount paid for Bounties to Volunteers and Sub- stitutes
19,600 00
Estimated amount paid by individuals for Commutation
5,700 00
Present indebtedness of Town for War purposes . 84,096 00
Grand List of the Town
$10,494,035 00
STATE EXPENSES FOR WAR PURPOSES.
Expended for Bounties . . . $5,195,877 80 ·
Estimated amounts paid by individuals for Bounties, Volun-
teers, or Substitutes
1,134,762 80
Estimated amount paid by individuals for Commutation 292,940 00
Amount paid families of Volunteers 2,413,338 48
Grand list for 1864
. 276,086,457 00
ESTIMATE of the number of men to whom the United States Bounty has been paid, the amount paid each man, and the total amount paid from May 3, 1861, to the end of the War. Taken from final report of the Provost-mar- shal General of U. S., James B. Fry.
Period embraced.
Class of Men.
Term of Service.
Number of men.
Amount per man.
Total Amount p'd.
Aggregate for each Period.
May 3, 1861, 10 Oct. 17, 1863 .
Volunteers
3 yrs.
905, $69
$100
$90,586,900
$90,586,900
Oct. 17, 1863, 10 July
Veteran Vols.
158,507
400
63,402,800
-
.
11,025
100
1,102,500
July 18, 1864, to close of War, .
Drafted Men and Substi-
tutes .
3 yrs.
49,038
100
4,803,800
Volunteers
1 yr.
191,936
100
19,193,600
2 yrs.
10,606
200
2, 121,200
63,219,100
3 yrs.
139,681
300
41,904,300
Total
1,722,690
$300, 223,500
$300,223, 500
18, 1864 .
Recruits
257,028
300
77, 108, 400
₹ 146,417,500
325
MISCELLANEOUS.
CHARITIES OF THE WAR.
The data necessary for making out a tabular statement of these, are not of equal value in point of precision, in all de- partments of the inquiry. Only the charitable giving, which was public and in organized methods, can even be approxi- mately estimated. The reports of Colonel Lockwood L. Doty, Chief of the Bureau of Military Statistics for the State of New York, have been made the basis of estimating what was given in the form of benevolent contributions, while in other cases, such as the receipts of charitable agen- cies, their own returns afford the necessary information.
Contributions of the Eastern and Atlantic States
for the promotion of enlistments, and the relief
of drafted men $15,000,000
Contributions of the Western and Central States
for the same purpose 13,000,000
$28,000,000
Total amount given in aid of the families of Volunteers, includ- ing what was contributed by societies, individuals, etc. . · United States Sanitary Commission, organized, June, 1861, President, Rev. H. W. Bellows, D. D., of New York, cash received up to January 1, 1865
$4,500,000
3,471.000
Cash received from January 1, 1865, to close of war 500,000
Value of supplies received 9,000,000
Total $12,971,000
Received by branches of this Commission, which had an inde- pendent treasury, and expended in part their own income 1,000,000
Estimated amount, in money and supplies, sent to the Army be- fore the Commission was organized, and thereafter through independent Aid Societies .
Collections of the Western Sanitary Commission, in money and stores, including proceeds of Mississippi Valley Fair · Receipts of the Illinois Commissioner-general, appointed to col- lect money and stores from the people of the State · Receipts of Iowa Sanitary Commission, up to the period of its incorporation with Sanitary, and Western Sanitary Commis- sions
5,000,000
2,800,000
500,000
175,000
326 THE NORWICH MEMORIAL.
Collections of Indiana Sanitary Commission, in money and sup- plies, from 1861 to 1865 . $534,000 320,000 Collections of the Philadelphia Ladies' Aid, money and stores . Collections of the Ladies' Union Aid Society of St. Louis, money and stores 150,000 Collections of Ladies' Union Relief Association of Baltimore, money and stores 60,000
Collections of four similar Societies in Baltimore 30,000
Receipts of the New England Soldiers' Relief Association of New York - Money 40,000 Supplies 200,000
Receipts of Soldiers' Rest, New York, and such portion of the State Soldiers' Depot, due to private bounty . 25,000
Receipts of the Pennsylvania Relief Association of Philadelphia, Cash, $12,000 ; Supplies, $37,000 ; total 49,000
Receipts of the Rose Hill Ladies' Soldiers' Relief Association of New York, money and stores . .
25,000
Value of contributions, in money and stores, made casually by visitors to the 233 Government Hospitals established in dif- ferent parts of the country (estimate)
2,225,000
United States Christian Commission, organized in November, 1861, George H. Stuart, of Philadelphia, President, received in cash and supplies
4,530,000
Value of Tracts, Testaments, and general Religious Publications distributed in Army and Navy, by the Tract, and Bible, and other kindred Societies
300,000
Value of Railroad, Express, and Telegraph facilities given to Commissions, Societies, etc., exclusive of those reported by latter . Collections of New England Freednien's Aid Society, money and stores
1,300,000
126,000
Collections of National Freedmen's Relief Association, New York, money and stores . 400,000 61,000
Receipts of the Pennsylvania Freedmen's Relief Association
Receipts of the Orthodox Friend Association of Philadelphia, (Freedmen's Relief ), exclusive of Foreign contributions 100,000
Receipts of the Hicksite Friends' Association of Philadelphia 12,000
Receipts of the North Western Freedmen's Aid Society of Chicago 140,000 Amounts raised ip New York and Philadelphia for recruiting colored regiments 50,000
Amount raised in New York for relief of colored victims of riots of July, 1863
41,000
MISCELLANEOUS.
327
Amount raised for benefit of members of Fire Department, Po- lice Force, and National Guard, injured in the riot . $55,000
Collections of various International Relief Committees in behalf of distressed operatives of Great Britain 347,000
Collections made in New England in behalf of East Tenneseeans, Edward Everett, Chairman of Committee
102,000
Collections of Pennsylvania Relief Association for East Ten- nessee
30,000
Collections of American Union Commission, cash and clothing
70,000
Collections of New England Refugees' Aid Society
25,000
Fund collected in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, for relief of people of Savannah, in January and February, 1865 .
100,000
Fund collected in Philadelphia for relief of people in Chambers- burg in 1864
35,000
Fund collected in Baltimore for the same
3,000
Volunteer Refreshment Saloon in Philadelphia, cash and sup- plies
117,000
Cooper-shop Refreshment Saloon in Philadelphia, cash and supplies
78,000
Citizen's Union Volunteer Hospital Association of Philadelphia, cash and supplies
185,000
Union Relief Association, Baltimore, cash and supplies
180,000
Pittsburg Subsistence Committee 45,000
Amount spent by Fire Companies of Philadelphia, and by the Ladies' Transit Aid Association in conveyance of wounded from the boats to the hospitals 28,000
Amount spent, or received in provisions for the Army and Navy Thanksgiving Dinner of 1864 . 300,000
Spent in previous Festival Dinners for Army and Navy
100,000
Proceeds of National Sailors' Fair in Boston, November, 1864 .
247,000
Receipts of Patriot's Orphans' Home at Flushing, N. Y.
65,000
Donation of Pennsylvania R. R. Co., for maintenance of Educa- tion of Soldiers' Orphans 50,000
Other donations to same
20,000
Received by " Northern Home for Friendless Children," Phila- delphia, for support to Soldiers' Orphans 10,000
Receipts of other Orphan Homes 20,000
Receipts of Milwaukee Fair, June and July, 1865, for Asylum for disabled Wisconsin Soldiers 1 10,000
Rosevelt Estate Endowment for Soldiers' Home
1,000,000
Scholarships for Soldiers and their Children in Colleges and Academies
75,000
Value of Steamship presented Government by Cornelius Van- derbilt
800,000
328 THE NORWICH MEMORIAL.
Commissions returned Government by W. H. As- pinwall
$25,000
Salary of Solicitor-general Whitney, not drawn . 20,000
45,000
Amount spent by Miss Clara Barton in aiding soldiers, and in keeping a list of missing men . 10,000
Amount spent in entertaining soldiers in 1865, on their way home (exclusive of Sanitary Commission Disbursements) 20,000 Amount presented to General Anderson, Meade, Captain Wor- den, and others, $70,000 ; raised for family of General Birney, $50,000 ; presented to Admiral Farragut, $50,000 ; General Grant, $50,000 ; raised for officers and men of "Kearsarge," $25,000 ; for General Sedgwick's statue, $20,000 ; and other monuments, etc., $35,000 .
Grand Total
300,000
$69,696,000
These almost seventy millions represent the free-will of- ferings of the American people during the war, and grand as this sum is, does not include what was raised by taxation for bounties, and for relief of soldiers' families. This splen- did exhibit stands as a memorial of the self-sacrifice, devo- tion, and intelligent patriotism of the people.
MILITARY POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
Loyal States (excepting California and Oregon) 4,285, 105 Western Virginia 66,000
Colorado, Dakotah and Nebraska Territories 30,065
District of Columbia 12,797
Total military population furnishing Volunteers . California and Oregon IS5,756
4,393,967
Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington Territories 46,149
Loyal military population of the Pacific and vicinity 231,905
Military population of the insurgent States 998,193
Total military population of the United States 5,624,055
This estimate, of course, includes the very large number exempt from enrollment.
329
MISCELLANEOUS.
The total white male population between 20 and 45 years, neither exempt from military duty, nor serving May 1, 1865, was by enrollment about 2,254,oco, which would seem to indicate that rather more than one half of that number was exempt, although of military age.
INCREASE OF MILITARY POPULATION.I
1860-I.
1861-2.
1862-3.
1863-4.
1864-5.
Number attaining age of 18 Number attaining age of 45 Deaths in military popula- tion not in the army . .
215,020 98,928
212,630 95,600
217,600 95,560
226,740 94,930
237,710
95,170
37,676
35,518
33,712
32,955
33,230
Natural increase during the year
78,416
81,512
88,328
98,855
109,310
Increase by immigration during the year . .
46,092
31,819
32,380
56,518
62,663
Total increase of military population
124,508
113,391
120,708
155,373
171,973
This estimate takes account only of those arriving in the country by regular immigration. There is abundant proof that many volunteers from the Continent of Europe and the British Provinces, animated by the loftiest sympathies with us in our struggle to maintain our government and Republican institutions against those who were aiming to destroy them, came to our support. They served in the Union armies as privates and officers, though to what ex- tent there are no statistics to show.
1 Compiled from the elaborate volume of " Statistics," published by the U. S. Sanitary Commission.
330
THE NORWICH MEMORIAL.
TABLE SHOWING NUMBER OF MEN CALLED FOR.
Date of Call.
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