Pensions
In January 1867, Virginia legislature passed a bill
to pay for the artificial limbs for disabled Confederate veterans. In 1875 one-time awards of money largely replaced
the artificial-limbs. In 1870s, The commutation program soon compensate men who
had been blinded in the war. But in the 1880s, at became apparent that only
widows had not received any compensation. In 1888 the General Assembly created
the basis of a pension system that would make annual payments. The recipient
must be a Virginia resident for one year, have never been a recipient of a
pension, have an income of no more than $300, and have no personal property
worth more than $1,000. Disabled veterans were to have received their wound
during their wartime service. Their annual payment varied from $15 to $60.
Widows who remained unmarried received $30.
Artificial arms and legs
Confederate pension application
Date: April 25th, 1888
Elizabeth A. Woosley, a woman who's lost her husband in the war, became eligible to receive the pension. It's important because widow were one soldiers' family, and it's the first time they began to receive compensation.
Virginia's pension system was not particularly generous when compared to the amounts the federal government provided to Union veterans and widows. For example, in 1890 the average Union pension was about $100. Further, even compared to other former Confederate states, Virginia's pensions were meager. For instance, while in 1910 the average Confederate pension across the South was $47.24, Virginia's stood at $23.38.