How much did they pay?

[CAGerringer]

Has anyone ever read how much a Union soldier had to pay for his musket, if he wanted to keep it after mustering out? I read it once, long ago, but can't locate it now.
Thanks.
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Don Dixon]

Under the provisions of General Order (G.O.) 101, 30 May 1865, discharged Federal soldiers were permitted to purchase their arms and take them home with them. Muskets of all types, with or without accoutrements, cost $6.00. Spencer carbines, with or without accoutrements cost $10.00, while all other carbines and revolvers cost $8.00. Under G.O. 101, soldiers purchased 116,677 “muskets”; including 96,238 Springfields, 19,882 Enfields, and 557 “others.” (U.S. Congressional Serial 1497, pp. 167-72; G.O. 101)

Regards,
Don Dixon
2881V

[CAGerringer]

Thanks, Don.

Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Dave Fox]

If the soldier had happened to have reenlisted in Hancock's Veteran Volunteer Corps forming at war's end, a condition of that enlistment was that he could keep his M.1863 New model Sharps rifle upon discharge.

[Curt]

Hallo!

While the purchasing power of a Dollar is not the same, and certainly "inflation" has changed much...

I like at look at this in Period terms- a private was paying roughly half of his monthly income to get his musket. So I look at it as half of my income now to get a sense or concept of "value."

Curt

[Ron/The Old Reb]

"a private was paying roughly half of his monthly income to get his musket. So I look at it as half of my income now to get a sense or concept of "value."

I collect Social Security, Man Could I get some good deals. http://www.n-ssa.net/vbforum/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif

[John Holland]

Ron, the Spencer Carbine was the latest "state of the art" magazine fed military grade firearm when the discharged soldiers were buying them for more than half of their monthly wage. Can you take a little over half of your SS check and buy the latest "state of the art" military grade firearm with that amount of money today? The idea Curt had was to keep it in perspective with today's costs to appreciate how much they were actually paying. They weren't cheap in 1865 dollars.

[Jayhawker Jake]

Another way of looking at this is to compare the pay of the Infantry private, 1865 to the Infantry private, 2015. In 1865, a private's base pay was $16 per month, while today's E-2 Privates are paid $1734 per month. Not a perfect match up as other factors are involved, but that still gives us a rough range of $600 for a musket, $800 for carbines, and $1000 for a Spencer. It's important to remember that soldiers weren't exactly paid well compared to civilian wages (especially towards the end of the war, with labor shortages), and that's something that while improved, hasn't changed all the much.


And, since somebody mentioned selling of modern weapons for these prices, I'd love to see an M16A4, M4A1 carbine, and SCAR or HK416 surplused for $600, $800, and $1000 respectively.

[Curt]

Hallo!

A worker in the 1860's would expect to make a dollar, give or take, a day for a six day, 12-14 hour day, week. Skilled craftsmen could double that or so.

Curt