Papers of Thomas Claiborne

To Roger Jones, 15 August 1851

Nashville Tennessee
Augt 15th. 1851

Genl. R Jones¹
Adjutant General
U.S.A.

Sir

Your communication of 8th inst; was this day received.

I have the honor to call your attention to the fact, that I have received from your Offices a Copy of Refutations for the Recruiting service, accompanied only with blank forms for Recruiting papers &c in these regulations there is a paragraph relating to twelve dollars bounty to be paid to Recruits “one half at the time of Enlistment” &c. “General Orders No. 20 1850,” have never been sent to me.

I did, in strict conformity with the Regulations above referred to, pay to some twenty five Recruits six dollars bounty In Equity and justice I claim that such account, therefore, as I shall send for the month of Aug. & as will as last July may be allowed—in that I may be directed to stop the said six dollars against said recruits on first Pay role to reimburse the Govt. In the meantime I have /nearly/ disbursed the $200 funds for Recruiting Service. and ask for more. I cannot recollect from the recruits the Bounty I have already made, and you perceive how unwittingly I have paid out these funds. I /hope/ you /will/ therefore allow my request that said $150. be charged against the recruits first Pay Role & thus relieve me from the hard condition of refunding myself.

In what way shall I act in the care of a previous enlistment & service with an honorable discharge, said discharge not in the possess[ion] of the party, a Land warrant having been obtained therein, and parted with? Is not the party entitled to the three months extra pay?

I am sir
Very Respectfully
Yr Obt Svt.
Th’ Claiborne
Bvt. Capt USA
1s. Lt. RM
Rectg. Officer

^{1. General Roger Jones served in the military from 1809 until his death in July of 1852, at which point he was Brevet Major General, Adjutant General of the Army. See “Maj. Gen. Roger Jones,” Grand Funerals, Congressional Cemetery; available from http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/Research/History_Cemetery/Funerals/Jones1852.html; accessed 22 April 2008.↩}