Ask A Gettysburg Guide #124 | Compensation in Civil War Armies | LBG Rich Kohr

·1 hr 28 min·5 clips

Robert E. Lee made $604 a month in 1861, equivalent to over $21,000 a month today—nearly as much as a modern general.

This episode of Addressing Gettysburg's 'Ask a Gettysburg Guide' features Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr, returning after a four-year absence, to explore the topic of compensation and spending in Civil War armies. Host Matt introduces the episode by contrasting modern digital payments with the 1860s cash-based system. Kohr begins by explaining the pre-war pay system, where five paymasters traveled to garrisons to distribute cash every other month. With the outbreak of war, the pay department expanded, but paying armies in the field slowed the process. Kohr notes that Union and Confederate pay scales were initially identical, as the Confederacy adopted Union regulations. A private's pay was $11 monthly at the war's start, increased to $13 after 90 days, and rose to $16 in 1864. Payments were often delayed, especially in remote theaters like the Trans-Mississippi, where soldiers could go months without pay. Kohr delves into officer pay, revealing that a Union second lieutenant earned $105 monthly, while a Confederate counterpart made $80. He highlights Robert E. Lee's compensation: a base of $301, plus allowances for servants, fodder, a seniority bonus, and an army commander stipend, totaling $604 monthly—equivalent to $21,600 today. Adjusted for inflation, a private's $13 translates to $466 monthly, less than modern privates earn. The discussion covers mechanisms like muster rolls, allotments sent home via state treasurers, and deductions for lost equipment. Kohr addresses pay for Black troops, who were paid $10 monthly with a $3 clothing deduction until 1864, when pay was equalized. He also touches on nurses' pay, with contract nurses earning $13 monthly. The episode concludes with a look at sutlers, who were licensed and regulated, selling diverse goods from lobster to sandpaper, debunking myths of them as mere profiteers. Listener questions via Patreon cover topics like death benefits, gambling, and foraging compensation.

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A compensation question opens onto Civil War inflation, household survival, and the uneasy meaning of coming home.

A question about Civil War compensation opens into a grounded look at how war pressed on ordinary households. The episode follows money from soldiers' pay to homes where women might need a wheelbarrow of cash for a loaf of bread, then tests that pressure against the more…

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Want Civil War history with 25% inflation, money pressure, and a much less romantic homecoming?

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