Pay  "Money In The Pocket"

"It is wonderful how having money in the pocket improves the appearance of a soldier. He stands straighter, walks prouder, look happier, acts more independent and enjoys better health", reported a Union soldier after a payday. Of the millions of men who enlisted in the Civil War armies, not too many would have mentioned pay as the primary motivation. The pay for infantry privates on both sides, $11 per month at the start of the war, was very low even for those days. Black Union privates, paid only $10 a month, so resented this that some units refused to be paid at all until they were treated the same as white soldiers. Musicians made $12 a month. A corporal's pay was $13, a sergeant's $17, a 1st sergeant's $20, and a sergeant major's $21. At the same time the Confederate government was paying these rates to its soldiers, it was hiring Negro slaves to work on fortifications and paying their owners $30 per month.

The pay for Union privates soon rose to $13 a month, and in May 1864 it was raised to $16. Confederate privates' pay was increased to $18 in 1864, but by that time inflation had so destroyed the Confederate economy that a pair of shoes would have cost $125. To make matters worse, it would be a year or more sometimes before a paymaster would show up in some Confederate units. "They have not a single dollar to purchase the least little comfort, even for the sick", complained Confederate Gen. John B. Floyd.

Officers, of course, were better rewarded for their service. A 2nd lieutenant in the Rebel infantry would receive $80 a month, a 1st lieutenant $90, a captain $130, a major $150, a lieutenant colonel $170, and a colonel $195. A brigadier general received $301 a month, a major general $350, a lieutenant general $450, and a general $500. A general commanding an army got an additional $100 each month, and generals serving in the field received another $50.

Fascinating Fact:  Engineer, artillery, and cavalry soldiers were paid at higher rates than infantrymen. The greatest difference affected sergeants in the engineer corps: all grades received $34 a month, compared with $21 for an infantry sergeant major.


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