Some units signed up for 90 days, some 1 year, but by the time of Ft. Henry, etc. things were beginning to change. The generals themselves saw that this would not be a short war and when informed the governments extended the enlistment for longer time spans. Many in the Union Army dropped out after 3 years due to the EP. That's right, they didn't want the black man up North and some even wrote home to that fact, saying "when my enlistment is up, I'm coming home."

The first formal draft was used by the South first, but in a round about way the North was drafting from the start by calling for states to enlist so many men for federal service. Which means if they didn't have enough they would round up some. In Nashville in 1864, the North "impressed" a number of men from the "contraband" camp. Forced enlistment of "freemen" happened more then the North would like to admit. It is just one of those things they don't talk about.

Ever notice that Ft. Pillow and the raid into Kansas was massacres but the North's drive through Ga. was a successful military necessary tactic. Ed Beares once said at the Austin Civil War Roundtable that he didn't understand the South and it's anger at Sherman for attacking houses instead of shooting the Rebel troops in Battle. Simple, the ladies that that were raped and those who died were unarmed.

Now there were draft evaders as well. They say in the South there must have been up to 10,000 or more in the hill and mountains of the Tenn. hiding from the draft. No one wants to die. And many people want to live. But some of the journals I have read the writer stated that he counted himself dead, until he got to go home. They wrote their wives letters that stated that fact as well. So many didn't think much about time of enlistment, but did think about their life and the fact that this was a very dangerous thing to undertake. Many Northern men headed west to avoid the war all together. Even in the South there were those who fled the war. One was a young man from Hannabul(sic) , Mo. After serving about 6o of his 90 day enlistment, Sam Clements headed to California even though his service wasn't over. He may have been one of the first Southerners to go AWOL.

bh