War Department Circular on Payment of Invalid Pensioners

Congress of the United States.

AN ACT providing for the payment of the invalid pensioners of the United States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the military pensions which have been granted and paid by the States, respectively, in pursuance of the acts of the United States in Congress assembled, to the invalids who were wounded and disabled during the late war shall be continued and paid by the United States from the 4th day of March last for the space of one year under such regulations as the President of the United States may direct.

FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG,
     Speaher of the House of Representatives

JOHN ADAMS,
     Vice-President of the United States and President of the Senate.

Approved, September 29, 1789. 

Go. WASHINGTON,
President of the United States.

War Office, October 13, 1789.

In pursuance of the above-recited law, information is hereby given to all the invalid pensioners of the United States that the amount of one year's pension from the 4th day of March last will be paid to them or their attorneys, respectively, in two equal payments, the first of which will be made on the 5th day of March, 1790, and the second on the 5th day of June following, at such places in each State and by such persons as shall hereafter in due season be publicly made known.

The payments will be made according to the following regulations, to wit:

The returns which have been or shall be made to the Secretary for the Department of War by the several States of the pensions which have been granted and paid by them, respectively, will, together with the vouchers herein required, be considered as the evidence whereon the payments are to be made.

Every application for payment must be accompanied by the following vouchers:

First. The certificate given by the State, specifying that the person possessing it is in fact an invalid and ascertaining the sum to which as such he is annually entitled.

Secondly. An affidavit agreeably to the following form, to wit:

A. B. came before me, one of the justices for the county of _____ , in the State of _____, and made oath that he is the same A. B. to whom the original certificate in his possession was given, of which the following is a copy: [The certificate given by the State to be recited.]

That he served in_____ [regiment or vessel] at the time he was disabled, and that he now resides in the ______________and county of ______, and has resided there for the last _____ years, previous to which he resided in _____.

In case an invalid should apply for payment by an attorney the said attorney must, besides the certificate and oath before recited, produce a special letter of attorney agreeably to the following form:

I, A. B., of _____, county of _____, State of _____, do hereby constitute and appoint C. D., of, my lawful attorney to receive in my behalf _____ [the first or second moiety] of my annual pension as an invalid of the United States from the 4th day of March, 1789.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this.

Signed and sealed in the presence of ______.

Acknowledged before me _____.

Applications of executors or administrators must be accompanied with legal evidence of their respective offices and also the time the invalid died whose pension they may claim.

By command of the President of the United States of America:

H. KNOX,
     Secretary of the Department of War.