{"value"=>"<p>The arrangement of ANCA’s correspondence reflects the named categories of correspondents as maintained by ANCA in its records: Miscellaneous, government departments (federal and state), and United States Sanitary Commission. Correspondence with local agents and correspondence of ANCA’s cashier’s desk are also present. Letters concern claim applications and, to a lesser extent, administrative matters.</p> <p>Miscellaneous correspondence contains both claim-related incoming correspondence and administrative correspondence. Correspondents include soldiers and other claimants, military officers, physicians, and others providing evidence for claims, as well as ANCA local agents and other ANCA and USSC personnel.</p> <p>United States Sanitary Commission correspondence is primarily with the Special Relief Department in Washington, D.C., although administrative correspondence with executive officers such as John S. Blatchford can also be found in Miscellaneous correspondence.</p> <p>Letters received are arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the claimant’s surname (regardless of the author), or in the case of administrative letters, the first initial of the correspondent’s surname, unless stated otherwise.</p> <p>Letterpress copybooks containing copies of letters sent are grouped by category of correspondent, and are in chronological order within.</p> <p>Due to the large amount of correspondence generated in the processing of claims, USSC agencies and government departments and agencies at the federal and state level frequently communicated by form letter in addition to the use of longer, explanatory letters regarding a particular case. Communications may acknowledge the receipt of an application, assign a claim number, request further evidence in a case, or inform the recipient of the outcome of an application, and the payment amount (pension rate or payments for back pay, bounty and other reimbursements) in cases where claims are allowed. The types of claim handled by government departments and agencies are identified below. Not all departments are represented in the correspondence of all claim agencies.</p> <p>Federal Government:</p> <p>Department of the Interior. Pension Office:Letters concern claims for pensions by invalid soldiers and sailors, and by the widows, minor children, dependent mothers, and orphan sisters under 16 years of age, of deceased servicemen.</p> <p>Department of the Treasury. Office of the Second Auditor:Letters concern claims by family members of deceased soldiers for the arrears of pay and bounty due to the deceased. Documents chiefly acknowledge receipt of a claim application, indicate the need for further evidence in a claim, or inform the recipient of the outcome of an application, and payment amount in cases where claims are allowed.</p> <p>Department of the Treasury. Office of the Third Auditor:Letters concern claims by soldiers, sailors, or family members of deceased servicemen for compensation of property lost in service, most often a horse.</p> <p>Department of the Treasury. Office of the Fourth Auditor:Letters concern claims by sailors or family members of deceased sailors for prize money and other naval claims, such as indemnity. Prize money was paid by the Navy to sailors as a share of the value of an enemy ship and its goods captured during wartime.</p> <p>Navy DepartmentLetters concern sailors or family members of deceased sailors. Documents provide recipient with information from department records regarding claim applications.</p> <p>War Department. Adjutant General:Letters concern claims by soldiers or family members of deceased soldiers for back pay, arrears of pay, or bounty, which were handled by the Second Auditor’s Office or the Paymaster General. Documents provide recipients with information from Army muster rolls relevant to claim applications.</p> <p>War Department. Chief of Ordnance Letters concern claims by soldiers or family members of deceased soldiers for back pay, arrears of pay, and bounty. Documents provide recipients with information from department records regarding stores of weapons and ammunition.</p> <p>War Department. Commissary General of Prisoners:Letters concern claims by soldiers who were captured and held in Confederate prisons during the war or by family members of deceased former POWs for commutation of rations.</p> <p>War Department. Commissary General of Subsistence Letters concern various claims by soldiers or family members of deceased soldiers. Documents provide recipients with information from department records regarding subsistence food rations for the Army.</p> <p>War Department. Paymaster General:Letters concern claims for back pay and bounty by soldiers. Documents acknowledge receipt of application; indicate the need for further evidence in claim; provide recipients with information from department records regarding muster, pay dates, and monetary allowances; or inform the recipient of the outcome of an application, and payment amount in cases where claims are allowed.</p> <p>Quartermaster General:Letters concern various claims by soldiers and family members of deceased soldiers. Documents provide recipients with information from department records regarding military supplies and, especially, return of stores for which a soldier held responsibility.</p> <p>U.S. Military Railroads:Letters concern various claims by soldiers and family members of deceased soldiers. Documents provide recipients with information from department records regarding railroad transportation, of which the government had taken possession during the war.</p> <p>State governments:Letters concern claims by soldiers and family members of deceased soldiers. Documents chiefly acknowledge transactions in individual claim applications or provide recipient with information regarding regulations and processes governing state bounty claims and the enlistment of soldiers in state regiments.</p>"}