The Civil War placed an unprecedented burden on municipal officials, who were responsible for meeting federal and state quotas of volunteers from their respective cities and towns, for establishing and paying out bounties to encourage enlistment, and for ensuring that the qualified dependent families of volunteers received the mandated "state aid." This correspondence can provide researchers with information about the logistical problems the War inflicted upon the State of Maine as well as information about the hardships endured by citizens and family members of soldiers.