Did Civil War deserters get branded?
Most deserters were sent to work camps for the duration of the war, while others were branded or tattooed so their crime was visible for all to see. It also was not unusual for deserters to be executed for their crimes.
How did people avoid the draft in the Civil War?
Back then, rich men had many other options open to them avoiding Civil War service. To dodge the Civil War draft, people could pay a less wealthy person to take their place in the draft, pay a crooked doctor to give them a bad health exam, or outright bribe draft officials.
Did Confederate soldiers get drafted?
For this reason, both the United States and Confederate States enacted conscription in 1862. The Confederacy was the first to enact compulsory military service. A draft was necessary due to the poor planning on the part of the Confederate government.
Who was exempt from the Civil War draft?
African Americans
The Act required all able-bodied male citizens as well as immigrants who intended to become citizens between the ages of twenty and forty-five to be, “liable to perform military duty in the service of the United States when called out by the President for that purpose.” African Americans were exempt from the draft …
What did the Confederacy do to deserters?
Desertion, like avoiding the draft, would come to be seen, legally at least, as an act of disloyalty sometimes punishable by death. In addition, the Conscription Act also automatically reenlisted one-year volunteers for three years, causing an uproar of protest among soldiers.
How many Union soldiers were executed for desertion in the Civil War?
147 Union deserters
Both armies did execute some captured deserters—often in highly public ceremonies before the entire regiments, intended to deter other would-be fugitives—but such punishments were unusual. Only 147 Union deserters were executed during the course of the war.
Was it mandatory to fight in the Civil War?
Although the Civil War saw the first compulsory conscription of U.S. citizens for wartime service, a 1792 act by Congress required that all able-bodied male citizens purchase a gun and join their local state militia. There was no penalty for noncompliance with this act.
How common was desertion in the Civil War?
Desertion proved a far more difficult problem for both sides. Official figures show slightly over 103,000 Confederate soldiers and over 200,000 Union soldiers deserted, with some estimates as high as 280,000.
Why did soldiers desert the Civil War?
Men suffered from a critical lack of shoes, clothing, and food, and, following the campaign, Lee quickly moved to fix problems in the Confederate quartermaster department. Other soldiers deserted not for lack of supplies but because they opposed on principle Lee’s decision to take the war north.