Bounty jumper

With federal, state and local bounties together worth hundreds of dollars, against a private's pay of $13 a month, some men made a trade of it. They enlisted, often as paid substitutes, deserted before their unit left for the front and enlisted again somewhere else.

Jumping was most profitable in the North, and New York City was a favorite haunt. For family historians the trail can be confusing: the same man may appear in several units, each ending in desertion.