Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1873.djvu/83

Rh pensions of invalids in the war of 1812, no material change was made until the act of February 14, 1871.

In provisions for pensions for invalids of the war of Mexico, there has been no important change up to the present time. It is, however, proper here to state that the time of limitation of two years for filing, which governed the revolutionary claims, was extended to three years with reference to pensions of all wars by the act of July 14, 1862, with the renewal of the proviso that the commencement of pension should be from the date of completion of proof, and the time of filing was extended in 1868 (July 27) to live years.

Within three years after the first act providing pension for invalids of the last war, provisions for specific disabilities were commenced, and have been continued from time to time, as heretofore stated. In addition to the large increase on account of specific disabilities which has been provided since the commencement of the late war, numerous disabilities, for which, under the old laws, only ordinary pensions were granted, have been included among those which are ranked as equivalent to the specific disabilities, and for which much higher rates are provided.

From and after July 25, 1866, for all persons who had been or should be pensioned under acts prior to March 4, 1861, the same rates as those of same class pensioned under act of 1862 (July 14) and those subsequent were provided.

The first extension of the pension provisions to widows and orphans was by resolution of August 24, 1780, which gave the half-pay pension tor seven years to widows officers who had died, or might die in the service, and to the orphans, if no widow survived the soldier, or upon the death or remarriage of his widow. An act passed March 16, 1802, fixing the military peace establishment of the United States, gave half pay pension for live years to the widows and minor children of commissioned officers dying from wounds received in actual service. The act of January'll, 1812, providing for raising an additional military force, also provided for half-pay pension for live years to the widows and minor children of officers dying by reason of wounds received in actual service. By the act of August 2, 1813, five years' half-pay pension was granted to widows and orphans of privates.

No further action in favor of widows and orphans was had for nearly twenty-three years, when the act of July4, 1836, was passed. Said act provided for half-pay pensions for five years to the widows and orphan of privates who died in the service after April 20, 1818, or in consequence of wounds received in the service after said date. This act also provided for payment to widows and orphans of the arrears of the invalid pensions under the following conditions: Where the service of the deceased was such as is specified under act of June 7, 1832, and he had died after March 4, 1831, and before the passage of the act of June 7, 1832, and also where the widow was married to him before the expiration of his service, the amount that would have accrued to him if he had survived the passage of said act, provided she still remained his widow. The act of March 3, 1837, also granted the arrears as aforesaid, on the same conditions, to the widows who had married after the decease of the husbands for whose services they claimed pension, provided they were widows at the time of the passage of the act, and the same to those whose husbands served until November 3, 1783; and the resolution of July 7, 1838, extended the grant of said arrears, on the some