Commutation reciept

[VaTrooper]

I've been doing some research on my family during the war and in addition to his muster rolls I came across a hand written reciept from his enlistment. When he enlisted he was paid $22 for his first two months of service and "Commutation for 6 months clothing" for an addition $25. I'm not sure how many of these survived so if there is interest I'll scan and post a copy. FYI he joined company A of the 7th Virginia Infanty out of Madison County.

[Matthew Semple]

Re: Commutation reciept

Mr. Shifflett,

I am very interested to see these receipts. Please scan them and post a copy.

Thank you in advance.

Very respectfully,

Matthew Semple

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Commutation reciept

I would definitely like to see a copy, as would anyone with an interest in army administration during the war.

[yeoman]

Re: Commutation receipt

Sir and ma'am, with this link from another thread on the A/C forum, I came away with forty pages of my wife's Great grandfathers service records.
Here are two pages from the Company Muster Rolls.
The first page notes a fifty dollar CS Bounty and twenty five dollars paid for commutation.
The second page notes five dollars paid for lost bayonet.

Page 7,


and page 13.

[Cincinnati Rebel]

Re: Commutation reciept

I don't have a clothing commutation receipt handy, but in the interest of forms and such for army administration, I do have a form sent from the CS Treasury Department office to the AIG's office requesting enlistment and service information for a deceased soldier, mortally wounded at Perryville. It was sent after this very young teenage soldier's mother sent letters to claim what was due him from the army. I also have a number of pages of the notarized letters that were part of that process.

Once I contact the descendant, I can probably post a payment voucher for reimbursement of subsistence expenses for prisoners & guard on the march, paid by one of the guards.

[ndnchf]

Re: Commutation reciept

In the last 2 weeks while researching my GG Grandfather's records I came across a very faint, hand written note (.pdf online) slong with his other records. My wife and I have spent a couple hours looking at it in different ways trying to read it. We've been able to read about half of it. It appears to be a commutation receipt for uniform items. It is signed by his CO, Col. Barber of the 37th North Carolina Infantry and Gen. James Lane, the brigade commander. I wish I could read the whole thing, it is an interesting document.

[Cincinnati Rebel]

Re: Commutation reciept

The payment voucher for reimbursement of "contingent expenses" for subsistence, as promised...

The soldier was part of a guard assigned to march prisoners from Scott County VA to their destination at Abingdon VA. He had paid for subsistence of prisoners and guard along the way.

[BobSullivanPress]

Re: Commutation reciept

Brianand Yeoman,

Thanks for posting, these things are always interesting. The document you have posted is an affidavit attesting to the fact that William Mink needed to be reimbursed for $122 in money that he paid out to feed and perhaps house these prisoners. The affidavit is signed by a judge in the county, and is therefore a leagal document that he could use in lieu of receipts, which he probably didn't have. Using this signed statement, he could get his money back, which, evidently, he did. Quite likely the other side of the document lists the expenses, such as "Lunch at the Bell Tavern - $14", etc.

The long thin documents posted above are service records from the National Archives. In the latter part of the 19th century and the early part ofthe 20th century. clerks at the National Archives went through all the records that they had and listed where names appear. If there were any particular notes written on the Muster or Pay rolls, those notes made it onto these service record papers as well. So evidently Eben Louder's name appears on the December 31, 1862 Pay Roll of company H, 14 NC Infantry. In the remarks section of that Pay Roll, someone (probably the company clerk under the direction of the Captain) has written that Eben was a private from November 1 to December 8, and was promoted to Corporal on the 8th. Therefore, he should receive a private's pay for 37 days, and corporal's pay for 24 days. He was also paid his $50 bounty at this payroll, and was paid $25 for clothing that was not issued to him during the last 6 months. Clothing was pay (and still is). You either got the clothing or the money. At the end of 1863, he appears on another Pay Roll, but was not given his full pay. $5 was deducted because he lost his bayonet (which frankly seems to be a rather high amount for a lost bayonet, but inflation, you know).

Thanks for sharing these interesting documents!

[CS Ensign]

Re: Commutation reciept

Another commutation recp, also out of compiled service record ... Pvt Samuel N. Matheny, Co. H, 3rd Arkansas Infantry. My gt-gt-grandfather. He was a Kentuckian; Co. H Third Arkansas was half Kentuckians and half Arkansans, who had joined together in June '61 on their way to Virginia. This is the only document I have with his signature.

Interesting that he was still being paid for commutation clothing for December '62 to December '63; I would think that he would have been supplied with issue clothing by then.

[Cincinnati Rebel]

Re: Commutation reciept

Bob,
You are most welcome. These kinds of documents are fascinating because they answer many questions but generate many more. Just a correction on the names for the reimbursement: William Mink was the witness who appeared before the judge to say that he "saw the within named William K. Brittain...pay the necessary expenses..."