February 11, 1862 - Destitute Confederate soldiers and their families to be provided for by the State of Tennessee; the Volunteer State's Civil War welfare program
CHAPTER 52. An Act to provide for the families of Indigent Soldiers.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, That the sum of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars annually, for the years 1862 and 1863, be and the same is hereby appropriated for the relief of the families of indigent soldiers now in service of the State of Tennessee, or theConfederate service from this State.
SEC. 2. Be it further enacted, That to raise said fund the whole amount of revenue now in the treasury, or which may hereafter be paid into the treasury, for the above named years, from any and all sources for common school purposes, except the sum of one hundred thousand dollars per annum, and all property and monies accruing to the school fund from escheats, and two thousand dollars in lieu of land tax, is hereby appropriated; and there is hereby levied an annual tax for the years 1862 and 1863, of nine cents on each one hundred dollars' worth of property in this State, now subject to tax by law; twenty-five cents on each one hundred dollars worth of merchandise purchased for sale, whether in or out of the State, and twenty-five per cent additional tax upon all other privileges; said tax to be collected and paid into the treasury of the State, as the other revenue of the State now is, by the Revenue Collectors of the several counties, for which said Collectors shall received one-fourth of the commissions allowed them for collecting other taxes.
SEC. 3. Be it further enacted, That said fund shall be paid by the Treasury, quarterly in advance, out of any monies, not otherwise appropriated, to the order of the County Trustees for the several counties of this State, in proportion to the number of indigent families, and the number in each family, to be ascertained as hereinafter provided.
SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That the Judge, or Chairman of the County Court, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and their successors in office, for each county, be and they are hereby constituted a "Board ex officio," one of who shall be Secretary for each county to be called the "Board of Relief," for the families of indigent soldiers, whose duty it shall be to appoint one of more Commissioners in each Civil District in the county, or each ward in any city, but not to exceed three in any one district or ward, and to perform such other duties as are imposed by this Act, and in the event of the failure or refusal of the above named officers in any county to act on said Board, the Governor of the State shall appoint three citizens of such county, who shall constitute the Board.
SEC. 5. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of such Commissioners in each civil district or ward to ascertain the number of indigent families, and members of such families of soldiers in the service from their respective districts or wards, as soon after the passage of this act as possible, and quarterly thereafter, and make respective reports, on oath to said board by the first day of March, or as soon as practicable, and quarterly thereafter; and it shall be the duty of said Board immediately to report the whole number of indigent families, and members of said families, of soldiers in the service from such county, to the Treasurer of the State, which shall be filed in his office.
SEC. 6. Be it further enacted, that it shall be the duty of the County Trustee to pay over monthly, upon the warrant of the Chairman of said Board, countersigned by the Secretary, to said Commissioners in each district or ward, to be ascertained by said Board which shall be applied by such Commissioners to the support of such indigent families, having due regard to the number in the families, their condition and necessities.
SEC. 7. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the Commissioners to make quarterly settlements, on oath with said Board, showing the evidences of the disbursement of the funds so audited to them; and it shall be the duty of said Board to keep a record of such settlements in a well bound book, to be kept for that purpose.
SEC. 8. Be it further enacted, That the County Trustees of each county in this State are hereby required to enter into bond and security, to be approved of by the County Court, for the faithful performance of the duties required by this Act; and said Trustees shall receive one-half of one per cent. on the sums received and paid out by them, as compensation for the services herein required of them.
SEC. 9. Be it further enacted, That the families of soldiers who are killed, or who die while in the service, shall be entitled to the benefits of this Act, for the time that said soldier had enlisted, and the families of widows, who have sons in the service, upon whose labor said families are dependent, are also entitled to its benefits.
SEC 10. Be it further enacted, That to meet the exigencies of the present year, the Governor is hereby authorized to borrow, for the use of the Treasury, the sum of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars from the Bank of Tennessee, and to issue Coupon Bonds to the President and Directors of said Bank, to the amount so borrowed, having ten years to run, with the privilege of payment at any time within that time, and bearing interest at the rate of six per cent. per annum, payable on the first day of January and the first day of July of each year, at the counter of said Bank, at Nashville, which sum shall be apportioned and paid out by the Treasurer to the several County Trustees as provided in this Act.
SEC. 11. Be it further enacted, That if any of the County Courts of this State have borrowed or otherwise raided, or expended money for the purpose of supporting the families of indigent soldiers, for the present year, it shall be lawful for said Board appointed under this Act, to reimburse the counties for monies so expended, out of the money received under the provisions of this Act. And it shall be also lawful for such County Courts of this State as have levied a tax for the year 1862, for the purposes aforesaid, to rescind the order or Act levying such tax.
SEC. 12. Be it further enacted, That this Act will take effect from and after its passage.
EDWIN A. KEEBLE, Speaker of House of Representatives.
EDWARD S. CHEATHAM, Speaker of the Senate
Passed February 11, 1862.
Public Acts of the State of Tennessee…1861-1862, pp. 66-69.[1]
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[1] Public Acts of the State of Tennessee, Passed at the First & Second Sessions of the THIRTY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY, For the Years 1861-62, (Nashville: Griffith, Camp & Co. State Printers Union and American Office, 1862), pp. 66-69.
11, Brigade commanders of Hardee's Corps ordered to arm commands with any available weapons
CIRCULAR. HDQRS. HARDEE'S CORPS, ARMY OF TENNESSEE, Tullahoma, Tenn., February 11, 1863.
Brigade commanders will at once arm their brigades with such arms as the corps ordnance officer may be able to provide, the object being to complete the arming of the command.
Improved arms will be substituted for these issues as soon as they can be procured.
By command of Lieut.-Gen. Hardee:
OR, Ser. I, Vol. 23, pt. II, p. 632.
11, Report on Juvenile Warfare at Shieldstown
Boy Soldiers.—A correspondent of the Philadelphia Press, writing from Blain's Cross Roads, Tenn., says: Across a little creek is a place they called Shieldstown. The spirit of war is among the boys of six, eight, and ten years old, and the fight raged fiercely between the Shieldstowners and Knoxvillers. They used slings and Minie balls, which they used with great dexterity. They had camp fires built along in a line. Every morning each party appeared on its own side of the stream, drawn up in array, ammunition was distributed out of a bag, fifteen rounds to the man, and they commenced. Old soldiers of the 9th Corps, who have been through many a storm of shot and shell, kept at a respectable distance as they hurled their Minies with vigor. One day the Shieldstowners made a charge at the single plank that crossed the stream, the Knoxvillers ran, all except one little fellow about eight years old, who stood at the end of the plank, swearing oaths like Parrott shells, calling them cowards, and, by a vigorous discharge of Minies, repulsed the assault. The casualties amounted to bruises and cuts in all parts of the body, rather serious to look at, or to think what they might have been; but every little fellow was proud of his wound. So it went on for several days, when one bright morning, as they were drawn up in full fighting array, and only awaited signal to commence, suddenly appeared some women in rear of each; a half dozen were caught up, severely spanked, and led off. The rest were disconcerted and dispersed.
New Orleans Daily Picayune, February 11, 1864.
James B. Jones, Jr.
Public Historian
Tennessee Historical Commission
2941 Lebanon Road
Nashville, TN 37214
(615)-532-1550 x115
(615)-532-1549 FAX
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