I Ain’t Got No Money Honey

 The Big Bopper could have been voicing the thoughts of civil war soldiers. Soldiers on both sides of the conflict were supposed to be paid every two months. However, pay was frequently delayed as the paymaster struggled to keep up with troops that were constantly on the move. Soldiers often went several months without pay.

More information regarding soldiers' pay during the Civil war can be found at the following source:

Military Pay During the Civil War


When he first enlisted, Private Loufman would have received a monthly wage of $11 per month, which was later increased to $13.  In June of 1864, the pay was again increased to $16. Philip frequently mentions having no money and I can sense the happiness when he does receive money. The following entries are pulled from an approximate 6-week period. These are just some of the entries where Philip mentions money – usually the lack of it.

Philip's entry for June 3, 1864, lamenting the lack of money.
________________________________________

JUNE 1ST
Was sent over to Fort Ward to work on the fortifications. Worked like a dog in the trenches. Was very hot and had no dinner to eat and no money to get it with. Fort Ward is a very large fort and mounts 15 guns and 7 mortars. One of the guns is a 100 pound parrot gun. There is nothing new.

JUNE 3RD
Nothing of importance transpired. We are still at Fort Farnsworth. Drill 45 minutes per day. Plenty to eat but no money.

JUNE 19TH
Was confined to my bed all day. Nothing of any importance transpired today. Received a letter with some money in it.

JUNE 27TH
Was on guard. Had some rain. Very hot in the afternoon. No news from home. Plenty to eat but no money.

JUNE 30TH
Was mustered for pay this morning which will come very handy for us. Was detailed for guard.

JULY 7TH
Nothing new transpires in camp. Had some rain. Expect to draw some pay in a few days. Received a letter from home with two dollars in it which came very handy to me. Very hot in camp.

JULY 18TH
The 84th New York Militia left for the front today. Was on guard. Was rumored that the paymaster was coming today but he did not make his appearance. Had a grand inspection which lasted over three hours.

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