August 5, 1861 (Monday): No Money For Bounty

GENERAL ORDERS,
WAR DEPT. ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 52.

Washington, August 5, 1861.

The twenty-ninth section of the act approved July 5, 1838, granting three months' extra pay in lieu of bounty to soldiers who may re-enlist, and the third section of the act approved June 17, 1850, granting a bounty equal to transportation from New York to soldiers who may re-enlist at distant stations, having been repealed by the act approved August 3, 1861, in future no such bounties will be paid.

By order:

L. THOMAS,
Adjutant-General.
WAR DEPARTMENT

Official Records, Series 3, Vol. 1, Part 1, Page 388

On this day, Congress passed a $20,000,000 tax increase and apportioned it across the states.  It raised not nearly enough funds and was super ceded by The Revenue Act of 1862.  While taxes were going up, early bounties offered to soldiers had to be reigned in.  The realization this would not be a three months war was rapidly sinking in as bills came due.