The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-01-18
The Draft.

Provost Marshal General Fry has writ
ten to Governor MILLER, Of Minnesota,
an official letter explaining how quotas
are allotted to the several Districts and
how credits are allowed. The document
is lengthy one and much more intelll-
gible than those usually emanatlnS from
the same source. General Fry seems to
have a tolerably clear idea himself OF
what he wants to do, but he is singular
" unfortunate in conveying that idea
to others.
The substance of his letter to Governor
MILLER is contained in the extracts we
give below. After explaining the
necessity which occasioned the last call
for troops, the former call for five hun
dred thousand having been mainly filled
bv previous enlistments i'll the army and
navy which had not been credited be-
fore, he says:
"The object, therefore, of the last call
ia TO put 300, 900 men i'll the SERVICE
Whether they are enlisted for one, two,
or three years, they Will be counted as
units in filling the quota, and the excess
or credit which any locality may oe en-
titled to on account OF filling Its quota
with three years men, will be estimated
in the assignment OF future quotas,
should there be another call, upon the
same principle that has varied the quotas
under the present call, because somo
localities have filed their quotas under
the Gallo July IL, 1864, with three years
men, and others with one years men,"
He then explains the disproportion
which exists between the quotas OF var
ious districts under the present call and
those assigned under former calls, by
taking into account the deficiencies that
existed in some districts and the excess
in others, and the fact that credits are
allowed according to the number of
wears service for which recruits are mus
tered in
"Thus, where two districts, having the
same enrolment, were required, under
theIcall of July IL, 1864, to furnish two
thousand men each, and one actually
furnished but one thousand men, while
the other filled its quota, it would not be
lawful for the latter district, which had
nut two thousand men in service, to be
REQUIRED now to furnish the same num-
Der as the former, which had furnished
only one thousand But suppose that both
of the above districts had filed their
Quotas, the former with one years men,
and the other with three years men, the
one furnishing two thousand aud the
other six thousand years of service, now,
as the law provides that quotas shall be
assigned among the districts of the
several States, considering and allowing
for the numbers already furnished as
aforesaid, and the time of their service" in
assigning a quota under call to make
ND deficiencies, the deficiency of years SER
rice. as well as the deficiency in Number,
is to be estimated, and the quotas var
led accordingly"
Credits are given when the men are
mustered into the service, and the gov
eminent assumes the responsibility for
the recruits filling out their term of ell
listment. No deductions are made from
the credit given to any district when a
soldier from that district dies, OF deserts,
or is discharged before the expiration of
the period for which he entered the ser
vice. These credits are taken into the
account when assigning the quota of
men still to be furnished by any district,
under any call, the quota being merely
the excess of the number called over
those previously furnished. This is ex
planned by General Fry in connection
with his "Circular No l." as follows:
have the honor to inclose a copy of
circular No. j, of 1865, which provides
that the quotas assigned under the call of
December 10, 1864, for three hundred
thousand men, are not to be reduced ex-
cept by actual enlistments since the 10Th
of December, 1864. The rule in applying
credits 10, thstthey should DO deducted
from the quota Of the osl that produced