Civil War Union Documents
$300 Civil War Era “Bounty” Substitute Soldier Receipt
February 28, 1865-Civil War Dated, Partially-Printed Document, Three Hundred Dollars For Procuring a Substitute Soldier for the United States Army. Choice Extremely Fine.
This original 8” x 5”, Partially-Printed Official Form records a Substitute for the United States Army. Datelined at Bangor Maine, the form reads:

“Received of the City of Bangor, by the hand of Seth Paine, Treasurer, Three Hundred Dollars in full for amount due me for procuring a Substitute for the United States Army being Bounty granted by said city, by a Resolve of the City Council passed February 7, 1865, for the purpose of promoting enlistments to fill said City’s quota, under the call of the President of the United States, of December 19, 1864, for three hundred thousand men.”

This very rare original form is boldly printed in black on fresh, clean period wove paper and nicely signed and completed in rich brown ink. A superb example.
In the North a draftee could always hire a substitute if he could afford it. The government allowed this escape from military service on the theory that, so long as each name drawn produced a man, it made no difference whether the drafted person or one hired to take his place appeared for duty This method of draft evasion was legalized with the Conscription Act of 3 March 1863. Until the Act of 24 February 1864, the conscript could choose between hiring a substitute or paying the government $300 as commutation of service.