List of officers of the Virginia State Line that are entitled to half pay for life (Accession 44632), 1783.

Extent:

Extent: 12 p.

Scope and content:

Contains a list of officers of the Virginia State Line that are entitled to half pay for life. Taken from the lists that were returned to the Executive by the field officers who sat on the different boards in Richmond on 2 February and 13 April 1782. The list provides the regiment, strength at different periods, officers' names, rank, state when the boards sat, commencement of half pay, amount of half pay per annum, and warrants issued. Includes questions and answers of Mr. [Archibald] Bryce, Chairman of the Committee of Claims, to Maj. William Duval, dated 16 December 1826, regarding the handwritting of the document as Col. George Muter. (Accession 44632)

During its session begun in May 1779 the General Assembly granted half pay for life to officers who served to the end of the Revolutionary War, or who, if their unit was reorganized, were thereby rendered supernumerary officers subject to recall. In 1780 the General Assembly granted half pay for seven years to the widows and orphans of officers. Virginia defaulted on its half pay claims, however, and by an act of Congress passed 5 July 1832 the United States government assumed these obligations. An act of the General Assembly in May 1783 directed the auditors to issue warrants to officers of the state line and navy who are entitled to half pay. It also directed the auditors to make a return of such warrants to the General Assembly. A Board of Field Officers was directed by the governor to settle claims for half pay between 1782 and 1784.

On December 11, 1830, the House of Delegates passed a resolution that the Committee on Revolutionary Claims enquire whether the Commonwealth has any claim to remuneration by the United States Government, for payments made, or for which Virginia is liable, to her revolutionary officers and soldiers, and what course ought to be pursued for the recovery of said claims on the General Government. The House also resolved that the Auditor of Public Accounts be directed to report a statement of the judgments rendered at the last Superior Court of Henrico, for half-pay claimed by officers of the Virginia line during the Revolutionary War.

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