I'm well aware of the Republican sentiments present in the mountains, so you can just take a flying butt-leap off your strangely sanctimonious high horse. As far as any draft is concerned, you're conveniently exaggerating the effects of a depleted force very late in the effort, in order to tar a mostly volunteer army as somehow ignorant and coerced. Speaking of ignorant and coerced, how 'bout them draft riots in Union territory? Nope, no Union deserters to speak of, the raids and "outliers" who stole everything that wasn't nailed down were made up by deceased family members. They were just plumb hoodwinked by them oddly hypnotic "slavers," none of whom they had likely ever even heard tell of. Idiotic.
They were not Republicans in the mountains they were UNIONISTS.
I am not exaggerating anything nor just looking at the end of the War. Desertion was a huge problem as early as 1862 when Lee's invasion of Maryland occurred leading to it being unsuccessful. And the CSA draft was not a figment of my imagination. Nor was the exemption of the Slavers with large plantations. Who else could keep the slaves down?
NYC's draft riot was caused by Democrats and newly arrived immigrants. NYC was run by Democrats who OPPOSED the war. There were no riots in cities NOT controlled by Democrats nor in other parts of the Country. NYC was for the ENEMY then just like it is today. Somethings never change.
Of course, there were deserters from the Union army but they weren't as widespread as in the Southern. And non-secessionists Southerners were jailed, whipped, murdered and hung for refusing to fight for the Slaver cause. Eastern Tennessee was under a Reign of Terror for Unionists.
There is no doubt that the Northern soldier as a whole was better educated than the Southern. Education was far more extensive in the North. Pockets of illiteracy did not exist there as they did in the South. Higher education was so much better most of the Southern ruling class sent their children to Northern colleges. Only the children of the wealthy had much of a chance to receive an education in the South. It simply did not value education.