![]() At the declaration of war with Great Britain on June 18, 1812, the Regular Army consisted of about 10,000 men, half of whom were new recruits. #Rev war endview plusħ64) mandated that the Regular Army was to consist of 25 regiments of infantry, 4 of artillery, 2 of dragoons, 1 of riflemen, plus engineers and artificers, for a total authorized strength of 36,700 men. 794-797), authorized enlargement of the army to 52 regiments of cavalry, artillery, dragoons, and infantry. ![]() In addition to these troops, volunteer regiments and state militiaĮach Regular Army infantry regiment was recruited from a particular state (or states). Rifle, artillery, and dragoons were recruited at large. Dunn, 1837), reproduced on the microfilm following this Registers of the Army of the United States from 1815 to 1837, 1 Most, but not all, of the men recruited for a particular infantry regiment The 12th, 20th, and 35th infantry regiments were recruited from Virginia. The enlistment and system of payment of troops is described by Donald R. At first the bounty was $31 and 160 acres of land,īut because enlistments lagged, Congress gradually increased the incentives to Those who enlisted in the army at the beginning of the war had aįive-year commitment, though later recruits were given the option of enlistingįor the duration of the war. Unskilled laborers earned in a year, and even if the land sold for only 50Ĭents an acre (which is a low estimate), the total bounty was more than most The cash bounty alone was as much as many This was a princely sum-probably the highest bountyĮver paid by an army in the world. Though the army did not become an effective fighting force until the last year This enormous bounty did much to spur enlistments, The system for paying the troops broke down from the beginning. At the start of the war privates were paid $5 a month, non-commissioned officers $7 to $9, and officers $20 to $200. To stimulate enlistments, Congress in late 1812 raised the pay of privates and non-commissioned officers by $4. At $8 a month, privates still earned less than the $10 to $12 that unskilled laborers normally made, but as the bounty increased, army wages soared well above the civilian average.
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