|
In 1865 the General Assembly authorized the Governor to appoint six military state agents to promote the interests of Illinois volunteers serving in the army. This law gave the Governor power to assign duties to the agents and remove them at will. All such men were to be commissioned and report monthly to the Adjutant General of Illinois (L. 1865, p. 126).
In all nine men served as agents at one time or another. Each one held the rank of honorary colonel, the first appointees being commissioned on March 1, 1865. Their duty stations were Louisville, Kentucky; New Orleans, Louisiana; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; New Bern, North Carolina; and Washington, D.C. At these places the agents inspected army hospitals in order to aid Illinois soldiers in any way possible, such as improving their diet, securing discharges for those unable to continue in the service, and seeing that they were paid. Agents also visited armies in the field to correct any problems that existed there (Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, Containing Reports for the Years 1861-66, rev. ed., I [Springfield, 1900], pp. 107-124).
The General Assembly also requested the Governor to appoint a special agent to collect all monies due the State of Illinois from the federal government for war services (L. 1865, p. 135). To execute this mandate, the Governor picked one of the military state agents and sent him to Washington. There he not only collected claims for the State of Illinois but also settled claims of Illinois soldiers against the federal government. This agent operated a Washington office until December 31, 1868 (Reports Made to the General Assembly of Illinois. . . 1869, I [Springfield, 1869], pp. 18-19). In 1869 the General Assembly repealed the legislation creating the military state agents (L. 1869, p. 42). The Adjutant General then assumed responsibility for unsettled war claims.
502.001
AGENTS' CORRESPONDENCE. April 9, 1865-January 27, 1866. 2 vols. No index.
Correspondence of two military state agents for the State of Illinois concerns Illinois soldiers in the field at such places as Memphis, St. Louis, Galveston, New Orleans, and New Bern, North Carolina. Correspondence includes expense accounts for transportation costs, lodging, and aid to hospitalized soldiers (e.g., sanitary supplies, shirts, tobacco). Also included in the correspondence are orders from the Adjutant General concerning transfer of the military state agents and acknowledgments of receipt of agents' reports. Individuals and agencies also wrote to the agents giving information on individual soldiers.
502.002
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE WASHINGTON AGENT. September 30, 1867-July 14, 1870. 1 vol. Index.
Correspondence of the military state agent at Washington, D.C. concerns war claims against the federal government for Illinois military expenditures during the Civil War. Claims for compensation due the state were made on the basis of interest on the 1861 bond issue to cover military expenses, pay given to volunteers prior to their muster into federal service, equipment for troops, and operation of a telegraph station at Camp Butler.
502.003
RECORD OF ILLINOIS SOLDIERS' CLAIMS. December 1, 1865-February 26, 1875. 4 vols. Index, December 1, 1865-September 29, 1866.
Record is of claims filed by Illinois soldiers for compensation under various categories allowed by the federal government for service in the Civil War. Among these categories were bounty, pension, arrears of back pay, or bounty payments and compensation for rations while a prisoner of war. Each claim includes date application received; name of claimant and post office address; claimant's rank, company, and regiment; date and place application filed; amount collected; claim number; and remarks on the disposition of the case. Also noted were the name of the person who settled the claim, the check number for the paid claim, how the check was delivered, and the type of application filed.
502.004
DISALLOWED CHARGES ON ILLINOIS WAR CLAIMS. October 11-December 5, 1867. 1 vol. No index.
List is of all Illinois war claims for compensation made and disallowed by the federal government. Each entry shows the name of the item or service disallowed, an explanation of why it was rejected by the federal authorities, abstract and voucher number of the claim, and the amount disallowed of the total claim. Also listed is the total amount disallowed on five installments.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
|
