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Early in the planning for a wartime home front event at Westville, an understanding of conscription versus a draft, exemptions, and substitutes would be useful. A draft is a lottery to select who must serve from those eligible. In conscription, all eligible to serve must go unless they are specifically exempted by law. This means that all males in Westville in October 1863 are either already Soldiers detailed to the government works, on convelescence, on leave (extremely rare), discharged on disability, exempt (for age, physical or legal consideration), or avoiding service (including deserters).
"The first Confederate conscription law also applied to men between 18 and 35, providing for substitution (repealed Dec. 1863) and exemptions. A revision, approved 27 Sept. 1862, raised the age to 45; 5 days later the legislators passed the expanded Exemption Act. The Conscription Act of Feb. 1864 called all men between 17 and 50. Conscripts accounted for one-fourth to one-third of the Confederate armies east of the Mississippi between Apr. 1864 and early 1865." Source: "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" Edited by Patricia L. Faust
Exemptions: "Exempted from the draft were men employed in certain occupations considered to be most valuable for the home front, such as railroad and river workers, civil officials, telegraph operators, miners, druggists and teachers. On October 11, [1862] the Confederate Congress amended the draft law to exempt anyone who owned 20 or more slaves. Further, until the practice was abolished in December 1863, a rich drafted man could hire a substitute to take his place in the ranks, an unfair practice that brought on charges of class discrimination."
Here is a very interesting article snippet that you can easily access:
Dave
Wow, I meet at least five exemptions!
"The first Confederate conscription law also applied to men between 18 and 35, providing for substitution (repealed Dec. 1863) and exemptions. A revision, approved 27 Sept. 1862, raised the age to 45; 5 days later the legislators passed the expanded Exemption Act. The Conscription Act of Feb. 1864 called all men between 17 and 50. Conscripts accounted for one-fourth to one-third of the Confederate armies east of the Mississippi between Apr. 1864 and early 1865." Source: "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" Edited by Patricia L. Faust
Exemptions: "Exempted from the draft were men employed in certain occupations considered to be most valuable for the home front, such as railroad and river workers, civil officials, telegraph operators, miners, druggists and teachers. On October 11, [1862] the Confederate Congress amended the draft law to exempt anyone who owned 20 or more slaves. Further, until the practice was abolished in December 1863, a rich drafted man could hire a substitute to take his place in the ranks, an unfair practice that brought on charges of class discrimination."
Here is a very interesting article snippet that you can easily access:
Dave
Wow, I meet at least five exemptions!