The United States Government spent countless years implementing and amending pension laws for Continental soldiers.
In a recent project, historians Will Graves and C. Leon Harris, started to transcribe the pensions of the Southern Campaigns.
Nevertheless, the pension applications provide historians unique access into soldier rosters and battles during the Revolutionary War.
British colonies in North America have provided pensions for soldier's years prior to the Revolutionary War for more than a century.
[1] The Continental Congress agreed on half pay for soldiers who were now unable to make a living due to repercussions from the war such as injuries or illness.
[3] Similarly in 1780, Congress also confirmed that widows of soldiers should receive the same benefit as enlisted men who served through the end of the war.
Finally in April 1806 to supersede invalid-pension legislation, enlisted men of state troops and militia service now had the ability to receive Federal pensions.
Under the act of 1818, soldiers were eligible to apply for pensions if they had served in the Continental Army, the Navy, or the Marines for at least nine months, and could prove it.
Financial problems quickly arose in the government as people were clearly starting to fraud the system to get benefits.
[4] In May 1823, Congress granted full pay pensions to surviving officers and enlisted men who eligible who served through the end of the war.
Later in 1832, a service-pension act provided that every officer or enlisted man who had served at least two years in the Continental or State troops was now eligible for a full pay pension for life.
On July 7, 1838, widows of enlisted men were eligible for five-year pensions if their marriage was proven to be before January 1, 1794.
Congress amended this law ten years later in which they pushed the marriage date back to January 2, 1800.
While Congress’ act of 1818 and 1820 discouraged military resignation and encouraged enlistment, it also allowed for poor colonists who did not serve to get fraud pensions from the United States Government.
The new U.S. District Attorney in Lewis County, West Virginia, Washington G. Singleton, began investigating pension applicants one-on-one.
In July 2006, Historians Will Graves and C. Leon Harris along with the Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution (SCAR) decided to establish a huge research project.
Graves and Harris explain exactly what these letters indicate: Pension Applications are very important documents in American history.
Samuel Gilmoore (VAS391) received "twenty-two wounds from the enemy, most of which were with broad sword," demonstrating the horror of this massacre.