Postlude to the Civil War

The South Carolina General Assembly first authorized pensions to Confederate veterans on 23 December 1887...veterans who were citizens of the state, had an income of less than $250 a year, and had a disability that left them unable to earn a living were eligible. It also allowed widows of soldiers or sailors who had died in service and earned less than $250 per year to apply. A state board approved applications by verification by county officials and doctors. Pensioners received five dollars a month the first year.

A bit of other trivia: in 1895, eligibility was expanded to include veterans and widows over 60 who had incomes of less than $100 per year. In 1900, the income requirement was changed to $150 per year for disabled veterans and $100 for veterans over age 60. In 1919, eligibility was changed to include all veterans, and widows over the age of sixty who had married veterans before 1890.

In 1923, pensions were approved for African Americans who had served at least six months as cooks, servants, or attendants. In 1924, apparently because there were too many applications, the act was amended to eliminate laborers, teamsters, and non-South Carolinians.

The legislature dropped the age of eligibility for widows to 55 in 1920, to 50 in 1921, and to 45 in 1930. The state paid Confederate widow pensions until the last widow died in 1990.

Confederate Pension Records at the National Archives.

Genealogy Research Guide at the National Archives.

The Brazillian Migration:

Source: The South Carolina State Archives "Guide to Civil War Research"


Bibliography for Research:
Crute, Joseph Units of the Confederate States Army Midlothian, VA: Derwent Books, 1987. Concise summary of the units service.

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies...Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, The Confederate Units and the Indian Units. Westminster, MD: Willow Bend Books, 1995. (2 photocopied pages). E547S53.

Southern Historical Society The Southern Historical Society Papers. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 1998.

U. S. Government Printing Office. Official Records of the American Civil War Davenport, IA. Eastern Digital Resources.

Brock, R. A. The Appomattox Roster. Cartersville, GA: Eastern Digital Resources, 1998.
Originally published as Volume 15 of the Southern Historical Society Papers in 1887 by The Society, Richmond, VA. This book contains 56,000 names of men who surrendered at Appomattox. It shows the mans unit of service and some additional notes.