What type of administrative problems were encountered by the Union draft laws?

Answer 1

Perhaps the July 1863 draft riots have overshadowed the other problems the Union had with the administration of the 1863 draft laws. Here are some examples that are not relevant to New York City.

1. The persons assigned to the administrative duties of the Union's draft had a very difficult time and were highly unpopular with the ordinary citizen;

2. It became common knowledge that they suffered from physical abuse by Northerners;

3. Jobs became difficult to staff and this resulted in retaining administrators who should have been fired for incompetence;

4. Northern newspapers covered the many "gaffs" associated with the draft, including the mistaken drafting of women, blind men and elderly men crippled and living in hospitals;

5. Draft officials faced a dangerous job. By the war's end 38 of them had been murdered by angry citizens , 60 were wounded and others had their property stolen;

6. Every state in the Union witnessed public displays of noncompliance. Those who advocated openly noncompliance had their writ of habeas corpus suspended by Lincoln and they were jailed;

7. As with Vietnam, many citizens in the 1860's fled to Canada to avoid the draft; and

8. During the first 12 months of the draft the US Treasury gained $15 million by those buying their way out. In the first draft, the 292,000 selected by lottery, only 9,800 actually served.