Haversack62
Private
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2013
Was the pay scale the same for a pvt. serving in the Union Army and the Confederate Army?
I hope the Confederates were paid in gold...(joke).In 1861, Union privates were paid $13.00 a month; in 1864 the Union raised the pay for a private to $16.00 a month. A black Union private was paid $10.00 a month. A Confederate private's pay was $11.00 a month.
At first blacks where paid less but after a year or so they where paid the same. Keep in mind pay scales is an apple vs an orange comparison since by 1863 or even earlier the CSA dollar is loosing a lot of value against the US dollar.Was the pay scale the same for a pvt. serving in the Union Army and the Confederate Army?
Another factor is has the war progressed what exactly could one buy with a CSA dollar. Lots of food shortages and an effective blockade as the war progressed.Was the pay scale the same for a pvt. serving in the Union Army and the Confederate Army?
In the book "Rebel front and rear" the author who was an enlisted private in the CSA freely admits even early in the war he and his friends stole food from whoever they could be they friend or foe. In the book" A Southern boy in blue the memoirs of Marcus Woodcock 6th Ky Inf US. " Woodcock notes that the men where often hungry and they often bought food. Not saying they never stole or foraged: hungry boys will find a way to get fed fair or foul. Woodcock on furlough was surprised when his fellow soldiers gave him thousands of dollars to take back to their kin in Ky. Woodcock was rightly afraid that CSA guerrillas would rob him most likely kill him as well but he got lucky. Woodcock was from Tn but enlisted like many men from Tn in out of state Union regiments.Was the pay scale the same for a pvt. serving in the Union Army and the Confederate Army?
Off hand the same as today adjusted for inflation. How many soldiers even held on to their money ? Frontline troops apparently could save money has I noted above. On the other hand those not on the front line where subject to bad women, bad whiskey and card sharps not a conductive environment for proper financial planning.I'm looking for a source for army pay scales ca. 1820.
Hence my reply about paying them in gold.--joking, of course.At first blacks where paid less but after a year or so they where paid the same. Keep in mind pay scales is an apple vs an orange comparison since by 1863 or even earlier the CSA dollar is loosing a lot of value against the US dollar.
Leftyhunter
Or good quality nectar from Tn or KyHence my reply about paying them in gold.
No wonder why the Union won. They were paid better; at least the lighter colored ones.In 1861, Union privates were paid $13.00 a month; in 1864 the Union raised the pay for a private to $16.00 a month. A black Union private was paid $10.00 a month. A Confederate private's pay was $11.00 a month.
Again after a year or so black troops where paid the same as white soldiers.No wonder why the Union won. They were paid better; at least the lighter colored ones.
A good economic historian would know. The base pay for a private is the minimum wage based on a 40 hour week although of course privates can work more then 40 hours a week. Of course their was no minimum wage until the 1930's. Their are some websites and they where discussed in a previous thread some time back that one can plug in a dollar amount and it will tell you what it is worth today. The minimum wage in Ca anyway is $10 an hour times 40 times 4 equals $1,600 a month. So on one of those websites plug in 1820 and what the dollar equivalent to $1,600 was. Off hand a rough estimate guess is in 1820 a private made $7 a month . Lets see how far off I am.Just to repeat, what was the pay scale in 1820?
Was the pay scale the same for a pvt. serving in the Union Army and the Confederate Army?