By 1863 the Civil War was heading into its third year. The overwhelming enthusiasm of young northern men to volunteer had wained considerably. The glory of war faded when soldiers came home disease stricken, missing limbs or not at all. The prospect of a quick, easy victory had vanished and so had the large number of volunteers enlisting to fight for the Union cause.
It was obvious President Lincoln needed to act. He needed to bolster the dwindling number of soldiers within Union regiments. So in March 1863 the president signed the Enrollment Act. The first draft of US citizens in our country’s history. The act called for the registration of all males between the ages of 20 and 45, including aliens with the intention of becoming citizens. Provost Marshal offices were set up in each Congressional district and men were obligated to register. It was from these lists that draftees were chosen.
There were three classes of men in this compulsory military draft. Class I were men aged 20-35, who would be subject to being drafted and unmarried men from 36-45. Class II were married men aged 36-44 and Class III were volunteers.
What type of info was collected when men signed up for the draft? Actually quite a lot. First there is the class the enlistee was classified in, his congressional district, county of residence, his age as of 1 July 1863, profession, marital status, birthplace and earlier military service.
This first record is the draft registration of my great great-grandfather George W. Lowery. Looking closely at the top of the page you can see he is in Class II. He is living in the 16th Congressional District in Pennsylvania as of June 1863. There’s a list of the counties in his congressional district and the name of the provost marshal in his area.
My ancestor listed on the very first line is living in Washington Township, 37 years old as of July 1, 1863, white, a laborer, and born in Pennsylvania. There is no former military service listed or anything in remarks.
I was not aware of my great great-grandfather living in Washington Township so this is a real plus to find that is his residence in June 1863.
This second draft registration record belongs to my first cousin four times removed George S. Van Meter. This George is in Class I, in the 10th Congressional District of Ohio. Again there is the listing of all the counties in his congressional district as well as the name of the area’s provost marshal.
My cousin George S. lives in Pleasant Township, Putnam County, Ohio. He is 22 years old as of 1 July 1863, white, his profession is moulder, he’s married, and born in Ohio. George S. does have former military service. He was in the 4th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry (OVC) and discharged.
You might notice the name Perry Van Meter underneath George Van Meter’s name. Perry is a first cousin to George (and me). As you can see Perry has already served three months in the war. I haven’t done a lot of research on him. This is a reminder I need to add Perry to my To-Research list.
Keep in mind there were some men who were exempt from the draft and may not be found in the records. Those would include men with mental or physical impairments, an only son of a widow, the son of sick or disabled parents and a widower with dependent children.
Now where do you find Union Civil War Draft Registration Records?
Try the paid sites like Ancestry – http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1666
FamilySearch has a wiki at –
https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Union_Draft_Records#Where_to_Find_the_Records
The National Archives – Record Group 110. and Prologue Magazine has a very good article, Civil War Draft Records: Exemptions and Enrollments – https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1994/winter/civil-war-draft-records.html
Researching Union Civil War Draft Registrations Records may yield snippets of unknown info about your veteran ancestor, which is always a great addition to your ancestor’s story.
Best of luck as you continue your research.