Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1863-10-31
The EnrolImcnt and the Drafl.
PRovusT MARSHAL GENERALS OFFICE,
WASHINGTON u. C.. Oct. l9. 1863.


WASHINGTON ID. c., Oct. 10, 1868.
SIR: have the honor to report, for your
information, certain general facts connected
with the draft, as shown by reports nadeup
To this time.
Of those drawn in the present draft, in
cluding the so per cent. additional, over so
per cent. have reported in accordance with
the orders of the boards. OF the 90 per
cent who have not reported, R,any are not
wiful descrters. being unayoidaJly absent
at sea and the like. The drscrcrs are being
arrested.
OF all examined about so per cent have
been exempted on account of physical disa-
hiity, about 80 per cent have been exempt
ed under the provisions of the second section
of the act, or found not liable to military
duty on account of alienage. unsuitableness
of age. nOn-residents. &c Those who are
not liable to military duty and form no part
of the national forces. and therefore have
been enormously enrolled. appear in the
general reports u the boards among those
exempted. because their non ability to serve
could not be established until they came be
fore the boards. The number of exemptions
is thus made to appear much larger than it
really is.
About 30 per cent. Of the men examined
entered the army in person. furnished sub
stitutcs or paid communication.
About ouchalf ut those held to service
have paid commutaton of the remainder
about onc-third have gone in person, and
twO-thirds have furnished substitutes, and
all except a few in transit and Il small pro-
portion of dcscrterS from among the earlier
substitutes accepted. are in the ranks ofthcir
regiments, in front of the enemy. II is fair
to suppose that most of those who wilflllv
fail 10 report, and thus become dcscrtcrs. are
physically fit for service: if they had been
examined the proportion exempted for ply
steal disability would have been reduced to
about p per cent. The proportion of en-
Cmptions would he still further reduced by
purglng the enrolment lists before draft of
ali cases of manifest unftncSs. and of aliens
and Others not liable 10 military duty as may
he done where this system of raising troops
is well established.
The propositions clIivt 1ivcn are basel
upon the reports up To this time from the
Fcventy-thrcc Congressional districts where
the draft has been completed. or has most
nearly approached completion
Since the present rebellion ,lcgan about
100000 soldiers. after entering service, have
been discharged on surgeons certificate of
disability 1t is probable that AT least ouc.
hall of them were unfit for service whe.!
received. l. may be safely said that forty
millions OF money was usclcssiy expended
IN bringing them into the field. to say
nothing OF their subsequent expense 70 The
Government
In Great Britain. under the system Of
voluntary enlistment, the rcjcctonS average
over 2G per cent. In France, from 1881 to
1912, the average number OF exemptions
annually was 94. 4.990 SO that. to secure the
contingent Of Sc, 900 mrii, IA $50 conacr'pts
were annually examined.
Nl the recruits who presented themselves
Tor enlistment i'll our regular army in Sj2
40 per cent, Wrre rejected for physical
lnrmiticS, exclusive al age or stature
Between lst JANUARY and lst July last, more
ihan one half were rejected. These were
men who desired to he ncccptcd These
proportions are of interest in connection
with the fact that less than uuc-third of the
drafted men who desire NIT ~ br accepted
have been exempted on account ui physical
unitnc>S.
All the expenditures up to THE time on
account of this bureau. including the enrol
mont, draft, and pay of officers, and persons
connected with it. are hut little over
H!,SuO,OUo. These expenditures incluIc all
made on account of the machinery which
has produced the arrest and return oftwenty
thousand dcScrtcrS.
he amount of money received from the
draft up to this date is about ten times rs
great rs all the expenses incurred on account
al the enrolment act; those resulting from
'hr Ncw York riots arc not, however, in
'iudcd in this statement, as they are more
properly attributable tD Uthcr causes and
other persons than 10 the drstt sr the
officers 0r this burcuu
am, very respectfully, Your ohcdicnt
servant, JAMES Il. FRY,
Provost Marshal General.
Hon. /. VI. STANTON, Secretary of War.