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From: "Marianne Ordway" <>
Subject: Lost Soldiers + Enrollment Act & Burlington, VT sidewalk
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 13:09:41 -0400
Hi Everyone,
Just a few things that I thought you might enjoy:
First I wanted to mention that recently while working on a
"what-ever-happened-to" ~ my G-Grandfather's little brother [who was
fighting during the Civil War with the Confederate Army out of KY] whom
we lost track of in 1862 after he was listed as sick in Nashville, TN
and did not receive pay from October through December 1861 ~ we ran
across a Union soldiers file that is very interesting and prompted a few
new trains of thought. Linda suggested the other day that he may very
well have recovered from that illness in Nashville and been a part of
the first draft of the United States that was initiated by President
Lincoln as a result of the war dragging on and on with fewer men willing
to enlist. We did find a Union Soldier who matches his description and
are waiting to receive those military records now. It will be a
wonderful coo to find that this is the same man we have been looking
for.
I thought that perhaps this information might be a great help to some of
you who have ancestors who seemingly disappeared during the Civil War?
It makes perfect sense in many cases as these men had NO choice.
Here is the scenario and back up info that Linda posed to me the other
day and in our case regarding this Uncle it may well prove to be
brilliant: Robert joins the Confederates in 1861, gets sick, leaves
Nashville and comes home after he gets well enough to travel back, then
joins up on the Union side in 1863 - because he has to as a result of
the Enrollment Act. All the men 20-45 were required to join the Union
Army (or pay $300 to send a substitute) - America's first draft - as a
result of the Enrollment/Conscription Act that Lincoln signed in March
1863. That's why these guys joined up in 1863-64 and were in the Union
Army.
[Here is an example of what the men of Campbell Co., KY, received about
the draft]:
After the first year or two of the Civil War, the number of volunteers
dwindled to near zero. The Union needed men to continue the war and so
the Enrollment Act was passed and signed by President Lincoln March 3,
1863. Under the new draft bill, white males and aliens who had declared
their intent to become citizens were eligible for the draft if between
ages 20 and 45.
An article in the Kentucky Times Star on April 30, 1917 recalled the
local Civil War draft and reprinted the notice received in June 1864 by
Conrad Hafner of Newport. It read:
Provost Marshal's Office, Sixth District, State of Kentucky, June 23,
1864, Conrad Hafner, Campbell County, Kentucky. You are hereby notified
that you were legally drafted into service of the United States for the
period of three years in accordance with the provisions of the Act of
Congress for enrolling and calling out the National Forces and for other
purposes, approved March 3, 1863. You will accordingly report on or
before the 29th of June 1864 at the place of rendezvous or be deemed a
deserter and subject to the penalty prescribed therefore by the rules
and articles of war. Transportation will be furnished you on presenting
the notification at Covington, Kentucky or the station nearest your
place of residence.
Signed: Henry A Mitchell
Major 17th Regiment VRC Acct Provost Marshall
Sixth District of Kentucky
========================================================================
====
It is estimated that of those who took part in the American Civil War,
75,215 were regulars, 1,933,779 were volunteers and 46,347 were drafted
and 73,600 were substitutes. Officially, 201,397 men deserted, of these
76,526 were arrested and returned to their regiments.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++
Now here is another thing that I thought was interesting in Sunday's
Washington Post and want to make sure that you've had a chance to read
it too:
UNDER A CITY SIDEWALK, REMINDER OF A WAR LONG AGO:
While burying electrical cables under a busy sidewalk this month,
construction workers in Burlington, VT., made an unusual discovery; 10
skeletons laid head to toe, between three and six feet deep.
Archaeologists called to the scene believe the bones are from soldiers
stationed in the area during the War of 1812. They found scraps of
uniforms, a pewter button with the inscription "U.S." and remnants of
hexagonal wooden coffins.
Some 5,000 soldiers were stationed in the Burlington area during the war
and after. Archaeologists believe there may be hundreds more remains
under the city. The excavation site in the north end of Vermont's
largest city, which as almost 39,000 residents, was once a hospital and
cemetery for soldiers.
"It's a forgotten part or Burlington's history, because the city just
grew up over it," said John G. Krock, the director of the University of
Vermont's Consulting Archeology Program, which has been hired by the
state to analyze the discovery and it working on a map of the former
military installation.
"We're hoping to figure out where other hot spots for more graves might
be," he added.
Reported by: Jonathan Finer
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++
"You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather
was." --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Best Regards, Marianne Ordway
www.b4us.net <http://www.b4us.net/>
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