Receipt for Bounty Paid to William Byer, 41^st Missouri Infantry (Union)

As the war progressed, monetary incentives were offered in order to make enlistment quotas. The $200 bonus—equivalent to about $2,800 today—that Byer, a saddler, received to enlist for a year’s service was a substantial sum, and he would still receive his monthly pay—$13 for a private. Byer may have used the money to help support his family; at 17 years old he had to have his father’s consent to join.