CWT&F #25

[rahamy]

Q: Out of every one hundred Union draftees, how many actually served?

 

[jztemple]

Per my "Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War", p161, of the 249,259 men whose names were drawn, only about 6% served, the rest paying commutation or hiring a substitute.

 

[rahamy]

Pretty good detail there...my source says 20%...either way it's very low.

 

[CyberRanger]

Per my "Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War", p161, of the 249,259 men whose names were drawn, only about 6% served, the rest paying commutation or hiring a substitute.

I'm surprised at how low the number is. That's only 15,000 troops. Where did all the rest come from?

 

[jztemple]

Quite a number of the draftees hired substitutes,and also the commutation payed in leiu of service or a substitute was used to fund sign up or re-enlistment bonuses. For instance, according to the encyclopedia's entries on "Volunteers", a Union 3-year man, upon re-enlisting, would recieve a 30-day furlough, transportation home, and a bounty of $400.

Also see this page for more information on Union Army administration. This is a pertintent quote:

Meanwhile the pay of the soldier, though high in comparison with that in European armies, was far below prevailing wage scales. At the beginning of the war the pay was $11 a month; by 1864 it was increased to $16, but the increase was more than offset by the depreciation of the greenback. The enormous amounts spent for bounties, if the intention was actually to put the money to the use of soldiers or their families, might better have been devoted to increasing the soldiers regular pay.

That $400 must be been a great enducment.