The Union and the Confederacy armies instituted the first federal military draft in American history during the Civil War. In the wake of military losses and a shortage of soldiers, the Union resorted to a federal draft in March 1863, almost a year after the Confederacy. President Lincoln signed The Enrollment Act on March 3, 1863, requiring the enrollment of every male citizen and those immigrants who had filed for citizenship between ages twenty and forty-five. Federal agents established a quota of new troops due from each congressional district.
The Conscription Act of 1863 was a law passed by the United States Congress during the Civil War that established a draft system to enlist soldiers for the Union Army. It required all able-bodied men aged 20 to 45 to register for potential military service, with exemptions available for certain individuals, such as those who could pay a fee or hire a substitute. The act aimed to address the Union's manpower shortages as the war intensified, but it also sparked significant unrest, including the New York City Draft Riots in 1863. Overall, the act represented a major shift in how the U.S. government mobilized troops for war.
President Grover Cleveland (22nd & 24th President) who was first elected in 1884 avoided the Civil War conscription by paying a substitute to serve in his place in the Union Army. This was entirely legal under the Conscription Act of 1863 and made President Cleveland the U.S.'s first "draft dodger."
The enrollment act of 1863- made every able bodied white male citizen ages 20-45 eligible for the draft into the Union Army. Confederacy's conscription act- all able bodied white men aged 18-35 were required to serve in the military for 3 years.
A draft in the context of the Civil War refers to the system of conscription used to recruit soldiers for military service. In the United States, both the Union and the Confederacy implemented drafts to bolster their armies as voluntary enlistments dwindled. The most notable draft law was the Enrollment Act of 1863, which allowed for the conscription of men aged 20 to 45, although it included provisions for exemptions and substitutions. This practice often faced public backlash and led to protests, most famously the New York City Draft Riots in 1863.
The North responded to the growing demand for fresh troops during the civil war by creatinng conscription laws in 1863.
The Conscription Act brought on the New York City Draft Riots of 1863.
racial backlash against the Emancipation Proclamation.
With many volunteers due to end their service to the Confederate army, Major General James Longstreet was summoned to Richmond to provide his input on the contemplated conscription act and new policies related to volunteer enlistments. The 1862 Confederate Conscription Act would be the first time in America that draft laws would be enacted. In 1863, the Union also passed a conscription act.
the Conscription Act of 1862 was a military draft issued during the Civil War
The North had to resort to conscription in 1863, because men were leaving and going absent without leave. More pressing, however, was the fact that voluntary enlistments were not keeping up with the Union's military needs.
The Enrollment Act of 1863. First Federal draft law mandating military enrollment for conscription into military service in The United States.
The process of drafting citizens into the Civil War was known as conscription. In the United States, the most notable conscription law was the Enrollment Act of 1863, which required able-bodied men to serve in the military unless they could pay for a substitute or were exempted for specific reasons. This law sparked significant controversy and resistance, leading to events such as the New York City Draft Riots in 1863.
New Yorkers reacted to the Conscription Act of 1863 with significant resistance and anger, culminating in the New York City Draft Riots. Many working-class citizens, particularly Irish immigrants, opposed the draft, viewing it as unfairly targeting the poor while wealthier individuals could pay for substitutes. The riots in July 1863 resulted in violent clashes, with protesters attacking draft offices, government buildings, and African American communities. This unrest highlighted deep social and racial tensions during the Civil War era.
On February 17, 1864, the Confederacy passed its final conscription act of the US Civil War. The new act expanded the ages of potential draftees.
North
Under the Draft Act of 1863, it was legal to hire a "substitute" who had not been drafted. A man could also pay $300 (a large sum at the time) to avoid conscription.
The Enrollment Act of 1863, sometimes called the Conscription Act or the Draft Act. It contained a provision that a man who was drafted could get out of it by either hiring someonem else to serve in his place, or by paying a $300 fee (which is in the neighborhood of $10,000 in today's money).