bounty-jumping

Bounty-jumping was a fraudulent practice during the United States Civil War where individuals would enlist in the army to collect a cash bonus, desert, and then reenlist to collect another bonus. The bounty system itself was a program of cash bonuses designed to encourage enlistment.12

During the Civil War, the federal government, states, and localities paid approximately $750,000,000 in recruitment bounties. While initial enlistments offered $100, later acts increased these amounts significantly, with some local districts offering over $1,000 to volunteers. This system was prone to abuse, with bounty brokers often pocketing large portions of the bonuses or presenting unsuitable individuals for enlistment. The practice of bounty-jumping was an inherent flaw that undermined the integrity of the system. The bounty system was eventually outlawed by the Selective Service Act of 1917.2