What did the confederate congress pass in April 1862 to deal with decling enlistments in the army?
On April 16,1862, to effectively cope with the enormous
superiority in numbers the northern population could put at
disposal of the Union armies, the Confederate Congress passed the
first Law on Conscription ever voted in America. Several amendments
were approved on September 27, 1862, followed by the presidential
proclamation. Based upon these acts, all free males aged from 18
and 45 years were mobilized for the military service in the
Confederate Army.