Military Bounty Land Grants Bounty land grants issued by the government refer to tracts of land which were given outright by the states, and later by the federal government, as partial compensation for service in times of military conflict. Bounty land grants were also intended to attract men to serve in the military. Bounty land warrants were issued from the colonial period until 1858, when the program was discontinued, and five years later, in 1863, the rights to locate and take possession of bounty lands ceased. The colonies promised land for service in the colonial wars. This was especially true during the French and Indian War, 1754-1763. When the American Revolution began in 1775, some of the colonies promised land to men who would serve in state militia units and in the Continental Army. Land allotments varied by colony. The Continental Congress promised land to soldiers who served in the Continental Army. Soldiers who were privates or noncommissioned officers were allocated 100 acres, Lieutenant – 200 acres, Captain – 300 acres, Major, Colonel, General – 400+ acres, depending on various circumstances. In some cases, officers above the rank of captain received as much as 1,000 acres. Between 1788 and 1855, there were more bounty land applicants than pension applicants. The U.S. Military District in Ohio was the only federal land where warrants could be used from 1796, when it opened, until 1830. A second reserve that encompassed what is now the southern end of Illinois was proposed, but never created. The military district of Ohio was enlarged. The War of 1812 saw the bounty land process offered again as an inducement to bring men into the military. After the War of 1812, Congress created three new military districts to handle the future redemptions of new soldiers. One was in Illinois , one in Michigan , and one in present-day Arkansas (then Louisiana ). These were the last “federal reserves” created. The United States began granting land via a number of land acts issued between 1811 and 1818 in Missouri , Virginia , and Ohio . Warrants that could be used in the Virginia and United States Military Districts in Ohio were made redeemable by “scrip acts” in 1830 and 1832 at any general land office in Ohio , Illinois , and Indiana . By 1842, all federal bounty land warrants were honored at any land office. Other later acts of Congress, until 1855, continued to address the needs of soldiers wishing to redeem their bounty land warrants. The warrant market became a thriving business. More warrants were used in Iowa than in any other state. To receive federal bounty lands between 1788 and 1855, the soldier or his heirs had to apply. To obtain the land, the warrants were surrendered. These surrendered warrants are in the Eastern States Office of the Bureau of Land Management located in Alexandria , Virginia . There were 598,599 bounty land warrants issued during the period between 1788 and 1855. BLM12/30/2009 ____________________________________________________________ Diet Help Cheap Diet Help Tips. Click here. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=dn3DbasTFq0jsd4oYO6PjAAAJ1Dm1W3M30Fw3tQUD39n6ABXAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYQAAAAAA=