[billbears]

Fewer than 10% of Union soldiers were draftees, compared to nearly half for the Confederates. Also, when their three-year enlistments ended in the summer of 1864, 3/4 of the Union army volunteered to re-enlist for the duration. Rebel armies, on the other hand, started to melt away.

Under the Union draft act men faced the possibility of conscription in July 1863 and in Mar., July, and Dec. 1864. Draft riots ensued, notably in New York in 1863. Of the 249,259 18-to-35-year-old men whose names were drawn, only about 6% served, the rest paying commutation or hiring a substitute--Source: "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" Edited by Patricia L. Faust

And while we're at it, perhaps you could tell us about abe's 'volunteer' army in '61, an action mind you which caused several other states that hadn't yet to secede

[Sam's Army]

Have you consulted with an attorney yet?

You may have excellent grounds to sue Mr. Lincoln posthumously.

Good luck and keep us posted on how it turns out for you.

[pikachu]

And after the NYC draft riots, the Tammany Hall folks got money in the budget to pay the $300 for those unable to secure the money by other means. Thus began the great New Yorker attitude that the governement should pay for eveything.