| President Lincoln also instituted
a draft in the summer of 1863. The law was passed in response to fears in the North that
the Confederates would soon invade. The law compelled men between 20 and 45 to enroll, but
it also allowed a man to pay a 'commutation fee' of $300 to escape the draft. Unpopular
from the beginning, the law allowed such men as Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, and the
fathers of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt to avoid the war. Mary Staley of Perry Township
wrote to her husband, David, on May 22, 1864,
commenting that their friend "William Rodehammel was here last night. He hired a
substitute for 50 dollars to go in his place." A Military Committee in Shelby County, Ohio, which included Judge Cummins and Julia Lamb, was formed to scour the county for every available young man fit for service. A June 12, 1863, "Sidney Journal" notice commanded the citizens to assemble the next day on the courthouse lawn "at the ringing of the bell" in order to adopt measures to fill a 1,000 man regiment. |
President Abraham Lincoln [Up] [New Search] [ 'Civil War'
segment written |
