Conscription questions

[prroh]

Just curious of the nuts and bolts of the two programs. I have a few questions:

1)How were draftees notified that they had been selected? By mail? By a signs posted ? By personal visits by draft boards? Other way?
2) Were the newly inducted sent to a camp for basic training or merely issued uniforms and sent to units?
3) Were draftees given any choice as to unit or branch of service?
4) How did the volunteers treat draftees?

 

[prroh]

no takers?

 

[rpkennedy]

Honestly, I've no idea on any of those questions. Those aren't topics I've ever come across, or they haven't stuck anyways.

R

 

[ole]

Just curious of the nuts and bolts of the two programs. I have a few questions:

1)How were draftees notified that they had been selected? By mail? By a signs posted ? By personal visits by draft boards? Other way?

I can only guess.

2) Were the newly inducted sent to a camp for basic training or merely issued uniforms and sent to units?

I suspect both.

3) Were draftees given any choice as to unit or branch of service?

I doubt it.

4) How did the volunteers treat draftees?

Fresh meat?

 

[leftyhunter]

From what I gather from the book about Chancellorsville by Steven Sears conscripts in the ANA were suspect since they often deserted. Not hard to believe since the conscripts often didn't want to fight for either side. The CSA started conscription first which caused more then a few conscripts to join such units has the 1st Ala and 1st Ark USV. many conscripts on both sides joined various criminal gangs composed of escaped slaves and deserters throughout what I would call "grey zones" those areas in which neither side really controlled such has northern Ark and southern Mo. A good book about that subject is "A Savage Conflict" by Daniel Sutherland.

From what I gather neither side had a central training facility such has Today Ft. Dix or Camp Leonard Wood. Each major army on either side devised their own training has they saw fit. Gen George Thomas is given credit for having a through training program in 1861 at Camp Dick Roberts in Ky for Union soldiers from KY and Tn. The AOP under little Mac was known for through training. For many new recruits traing would consist of just being thrown into battle since there just wasnt always enough time to train.

Ron Paul in a speech given in 2003 quoted I forgot the number that quite a few draftees ended up in Canada just like there great great grand sons would do 100 years later. Somethings never change.

Leftyhunter