paid substitutes for the Union Army

[gary]

From Debra Jackson's A Black Journalist in Civil War Virginia published by the Virginia Historical Society in their Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 116, No. 1, page 69.

One complication was that there were several classes of black soldiers: many enlisted as volunteers, some were drafted into service, and others were enlisted as substitutes for drafted white men. No matter how they had entered service, most black soldiers were incensed by the injustice of unequal pay.

We know the resolution to the pay issue. In June 1864 Congress passed a military appropriations bill that authorized equal pay for all black soldiers retroactive to January 1, 1864, and continuing thereafter. However, my question is that of pay but of substitutes.

If a white draftee could pay a black man to serve in his place, does that mean that the draft was color-blind and second, that a drafted soldier wasn't immediately assigned a unit upon being drafted? Conceivably, if you drafted 100 rich whites, they could pay for 100 blacks to serve as substitutes. Thoughts?

[cw1865]

My understanding of it is that the Federal Government essentially set quotas based on congressional districts and then informed the governors of what their state quotas were who in turn either got the volunteers or, if short, would impose a draft to get the requisite number.

I have seen the text before but for the life of me I cannot find it online right now. I am 99% confident that it is facially neutral with respect to race imposing the obligation on male citizens and certain immigrants whose citizenship was pending.....

[gary]

The first equal opportunity was to a minie ball.

[larry_cockerham]

Then as now, life just ain't the same for everyone. Those with the bucks simply get better seats, drive bigger cars, have 'trophy' wives, fine homes, spare shorts, and don't have to eat pintos and cornbread. We're all created equal, but that's about it.

[ole]

Most assuredly, Larry, that's about it. Bless the dreams of the mom and the dad. In there is the difference.

ole

[samgrant]

At the risk of loosing some prime potential trivia game fodder, I'll give you this:



J. Summerfield Staples
A private of
Co. C176 Reg. P.V.
Also a member of the
2, Reg. D.C. Vol.
A substitute for
Abraham Lincoln
died
Jan. 11, 1888
Aged 43 yrs,-4 mos. & 27 days
----

Check out these links:

http://lincolnstudies.blogspot.com/2...ubstitute.html

http://pirate.shu.edu/~myzieron/cwfiles/abedraft.htm



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