The term "Home Guard" is generic, and includes Militia, Reserves (both Junior and Senior); in some states, State Guards, State Troops, and the like. Until the passage of the Conscription Act in the Sprikng of 1862, an otherwise able-bodied soldier could legally (but often not socially) avoid service by enlistment in one of these units. The initial conscription act made service compulsory for men 18 to 35, with certain exempitons. As the war progreessed and the manpower shortage grew more acute, men between the ages of 18 and 45 were subject to conscreiption in regular units, while those between the ages of 16-17, and 46-55, were still subject to service in the militia or reserves.

It would have been extremely rare for an able bodied male of conscription age who was not otherwise exempt (the exemptions were administered by the States, and some, such as Georgia and North Carolina, granted exemptiosn rather freely, while others --South Carolian and Alabama come to mind -- were very strict as to conferring exemptions. Certainly some people fell through the cracks, politics being what it is, but by 1864 virtually the only emn serving with "Home Guard" units who were within the age of conscription for regular service would have bene those men who by reason of severe wounds or severe illness, were unfit for field service. I am not aware of any practice where "Able soldiers, usually the harshest and with the most military bearing, were called to this duty." Occasionally, when the problem of desertion and disaffection iun an area became acute, a regular unit might be assigned to duty to round up deserters, and some units, such as the Thomas Legion of North Carolina, were permanently stationed in the western N. C. mountains, and were involved in rounding up deserters in addition to guarding the borders and fighting bushwhackers. But that was very much the exception -- manpower was too short in the Confederacy of 1864-65 to permit such a practice for any elngth of time.