John D. Champlin, Jr., The American Cyclopædia (1879)
“ PENSION, a regular allowance of money paid to an individual by a sovereign or government, in consideration of services rendered or in recognition of merit, civil or military. Most foreign countries have both civil and military pension lists, but in the United States pensions are granted, with a few exceptions, in consideration of military service alone. ”
John D. Champlin, Jr., The American Cyclopædia (1879)
“ Military pensions are divisible into two general classes, invalid and gratuitous. Invalid pensions are granted to persons who have become disabled in the military or naval service, in consequence of wounds or sickness, so as to be in whole or in part incapable of supporting themselves and those dependent on them. Gratuitous pensions are given as rewards for eminent services, and are usually granted at the close of a war or of a term of service. ”
John D. Champlin, Jr., The American Cyclopædia (1879)
“ At the outbreak of the civil war all pensioners in the insurgent states were cut off from the benefit of the pension laws, and the names of those known to be disloyal were subsequently stricken from the rolls. In 1867 the names of widows who could prove their loyalty during the war were restored. This increased the number on the roll during that year, but they have since been gradually decreasing, and in the year ending June 30, 1874, only 326 applied for payment of pensions. ”
