Civil War Union Documents
1865 $300 Bucks County Pennsylvania "Bounty" 6% Bond
February 15, 1865-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, Choice Extremely Fine.
Original Partially-Printed Document that measures 4.5" x 8," is printed in red and black on clean white wove period paper. A manuscript cancelled "Feb 15 / 1865" 15 Cents Civil War era U.S. Internal Revenue Stamp appears at left center. Statue of Freedom vignette at left, Justice and America at right. Stated interest of 6%. 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 of $300 to any Volunteer or Substitute for another, 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! A rare Civil War period official printed form noted on the blank reverse: "Rec. March 31, 1866 one years interest... $18." We've sold similar items in years past for as much as $1,500.
KEYWORDS:
$300 Substitute Soldier Payment, Civil War Enlistment Bounty, Pennsylvania Civil War Documents