Civil War Union Documents
1864 $300 Bucks County Pennsylvania "Bounty" 6% Bond of $300 Paid to Any Volunteer or to Substitute for Another
September 1, 1864-Dated Civil War, Partially-Printed Document, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. $300 Enlistment Bounty Fund 6% Interest Bond. Fully Issued, Statue of Freedom vignette at left, Justice and America at right, Extremely Fine.
This original Partially-Printed Document measures 4.5" x 8," is printed in greenish-blue and black on white paper. A Hand-canceled dated "Sept 12th 1864" on a Civil War era 15 Cents George Washington Brown Internal Revenue Stamp appears at left center. Statue of "Freedom" vignette at left, "Justice and America" at right. Stated interest of 6%. A Bounty of $300 given to any Volunteer, or to to pay $300 to Substitute for another man, paid with funds raised from the sale of these Bounty Fund Bonds. These ornately printed Civil War era bonds are all very rare. They represent the opposite purpose of the Commutation Money Receipts of the same period, which were used by some young men to avoid service by paying a fee of $300.
These bonds were used by various counties to raise funds for bounties to entice young men to enlist into the Union Army. Each county was required to raise a certain number of soldiers to fight in the Civil War. If enough young men volunteered, everything was fine. But, if the county did not meet its quota, it was forced to "find" additional men. This was done by offering a Bounty.
KEYWORDS:
$300 Substitute Soldier Payment, Civil War Enlistment Bounty, Pennsylvania Civil War Documents