I have a relative that served during the Revolutionary War, this is an important distinction when looking up pension and land grants.
When doing research, to maintain accuracy between Surnames and/or First Name/Surname and the rank/unit your relative served with is important.
For example when tracing a lineage and I found records stating that my relative entered as a private and seperated as an LT.
By looking at his actual pension benefit, and these charts I was able to determine that he enlisted as a private and seperated as a private as well.
Therefore when doing additional background research, when I run into other similiar names and/or spellings I can eliminate according to Military rank.
One important caveat: the 1818, 1828, and 1832 laws used different eligibility and payment rules, so the figures aren't always directly comparable.
| Rank | 1818 pension* | 1828 pension | 1832 pension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private | $8/month | Rank-based | Rank-based |
| Sergeant | $8/month | Rank-based | Rank-based |
| Lieutenant | $20/month | Rank-based | Rank-based |
| Captain | $20/month | Rank-based | Rank-based |
| Major | $20/month | Rank-based, capped at captain | Rank-based, capped at captain |
| Colonel | $20/month | Rank-based, capped at captain | Rank-based, capped at captain |
*The 1818 law was primarily a need-based pension, and the $8/$20 figures reflected the statutory distinction between enlisted men and commissioned officers in the pension system.
The really important distinction
Under the 1832 Pension Act, Congress essentially moved toward paying veterans according to their actual military pay/rank. Thus, a private did not receive the same pension as a captain.
For example, if you're looking at a pension file that says someone was a "private", "sergeant," "lieutenant," or "captain," that rank can be important for determining what he was entitled to receive.
There is also a complication with service length: under the 1832 act, a veteran with two years or more of qualifying service generally received the full amount corresponding to his rank, while shorter qualifying service could result in a proportional pension.