Pensions for Civil War Union Soldiers began with the Act of July 14, 1862
Christian Hiller circa 1922-1925. His sister Barbara Hiller is on his left, wife Isabelle is middle on first row and on her left is her sister Mary Jane Henderson also known as "Aunt Mate". Photo taken in Lake Odessa, Michigan at Aunt Mate's home. Notice Christian's eyes, they appear this way in all the photographs I have of him.
Pensions for Civil War Union Soldiers began with the Act of July 14, 1862 started the pension system for soldiers who sustained war related disabilities, injuries or death and were available to widows, children under 16 years of age and dependant relatives. Many additions to this act would occur over years and as each of these acts were passed, Christian re-applied for additional monies. Christian's first application wasn't until January 7, 1889 however after reading all the records it is clear that at the conclusion of his military service he was disabled.
While near Acworth, Georgia (during the Atlanta Campaign) Christian was hospitalized for typhoid fever which "left him with eye trouble and disease of stomach and chronic diarrhea and scurvy". He was admitted to Hospital 1 Division in Chattanooga on June 15, 1864. Transferred to No. 3 General Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee on June 17, 1864 and finally transferred to Jefferson General Hospital, Jeffersonville, Indiana on July 8, 1864 with a return to duty on August 30, 1864.
Affidavits in support of Christian were filed by his comrades Charles Sickels, Alexander Goodall, George Bardens, James Buxton and Freeman J. Haskins as well his sister Barbara Hiller and neighbor Maria Seybold as testimony to his health troubles. Included in the envelope of pension application papers were numerous "surgeon's certificate" reports. Examination by a physician was mandatory every year or two for continuation or increase in pension. The first exam is dated June 15, 1892 listing him in "just fair health" at 48 years old, 5'8" tall and 125 pounds. The physician would use a rating system to determine disability; 0/18 would be no disability, 18/18 full disability. Christian was rated "6/18 for chronic diarrhea and stomach trouble, 0/18 for disease of eyes and 4/18 for scurvy and loss of teeth" for a total of 10/18 which placed him in the half disabled category. Almost four years after his initial applications, on November 4, 1893, Christian was granted invalid pension in the amount of $4.00 per month (equal to $101 in 2017) prorated to the original application date.
In 1894 Christian applied for a reopening of his original claim for invalid pension (more information can be found here Civil War Pensions) and this is the first time we learn the details regarding the onset of his diseases. Following is a transcript taken from his Declaration of Invalid Pension March 8, 1894 where Private Hiller was near Acworth, Georgia about the middle of June 1864:
"was taken sick and had the Typhoid Fever and sent to the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee and then sent to Jefferson, Indiana U.S. Hospital and long in September was sent to my regiment again and going from Nashville, Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia riding on top of cars with other soldiers and we were guarding some bounty jumpers and being on the top of the cars quite close to the engine and against a head wind the smoke and cinders blew in our eyes and irritated them badly and not having fully recovered from Typhoid Fever and fever settling in my eyes left them very weak and sore causing them to weep and run and discharge from which disability I have never recovered and which have constantly been getting worse and worse to the present time"
Over the years his pension would increase but not without personal expense and multiple reapplications. By 1907, old age itself was considered a disability and Christian no longer need to show proof of disability. When he died in October 1918 his pension was $38 per month. His wife Isabelle made her Declaration For Widow's Pension and was granted $25 per month in February 1919 which was eventually increased to $40 by 1928.
When we think about the death toll of the War of the Rebellion most Americans believe battle wounds and injury took the lives of the majority of men. However, the Civil War Trust estimates that for every three soldiers killed in battle, five soldiers died of disease. For every three solderers who died of typhoid fever, only one survived; Private Hiller was lucky. The disease killed 35,000 Union troops. Germ theory and antiseptic practices were essentially unknown. Camps were breeding grounds for typhoid fever, rheumatic fever, dysentery, pneumonia, measles, mumps and tuberculosis. Typical treatment for many of these illnesses was "blue mass" or "blue pill", handmade pills containing mercury, licorice root and confection of roses.
I won't delve into the disease, symptoms and complications of typhoid fever or mercury poisoning here, I have included links below. Yet what I will ponder are my second great-grandfather's personal health struggles directly related to his service to this country as related through the surgeon's certificate report. Christian's effects from typhoid fever included chronic diarrhea, chronic proctitis, abdominal pain and bloating. He developed scurvy while in the hospital recuperating from typhoid fever; mostly like due to lack of appetite and by 1892 he had lost all but 13 of his teeth. He complained about his eyes for years, never receiving any direct disability compensation for the issue. The United States Pension System wasn't perfect and the truth is that by 1893 there were over a million men (40% of the government's revenue) on the roll and probably meant Christian would never receive all the monies in which he was entitled. Reflectively, this makes me really appreciate my ancestor's sacrifice during and after his service. Christian persevered and managed to run a farm, with the help of his 2 sons, despite his chronic and debilitating health issues for 54 years. His official cause of death listed on his death certificate is valvular heart disease, he was 74.
Interesting fact, as of May 2016 there was still one beneficiary from the Civil War alive and receiving benefits!
References and Additional Reading
Overview of National Archive Pension Papers
Typhoid Fever During the War of the Rebellion
History of the Union Federal and Confederate State Pension Systems