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Excerpt from the White Plains Record of Soldiers and Officers, showing the categories for recording bounties |
Initially, however, it was up to the individual, presumably motivated by patriotism, to support the war effort. One example of individual support is the White Plains Patriotic Fund. On June 7, 1861, the Eastern State Journal printed an article on the fund, which was presided over by Henry Willets. Initial donations raised $712; this money was earmarked for White Plains volunteers as an aid in their efforts to organize. The fund's committee also recognized that the families of volunteers would require assistance and that more money should be raised for this purpose. Soon, however, towns took on the burden of inducement. According to the White Plains Record of Soldiers and Officers, men who enlisted in 1862 received a $100 bounty from the town.
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