Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-02-04

| Onuer the mouincatlon OF the Draft Act,
! by Congress, then in session, the number re.
quired under the draft of 1868, was
| merged into the new call by the
President of February /, 1854, for 100000,
and it was ordered that a new assign
nent of quotas be made, and that each sub
| district be credited upon the new call with
the number of men obtained by the forego-
| ing draft. By this course, the State received
| credit for 1907, upon the calls of February
lst and March l4tb, and, with the veteran
| establishments before mentioned, the new
organizations completed, and the recruits
for old regiments, the quota of the State was
| filed, as announced by the Secretary of War
on the 5th of June.
DRAFT OF 1864.
Under the act of Congress, approved July
4th, 1864, President Lincoln issued the call
of July 18th, for 10000 volunteers, for one,
two or three years service, with order that
after fifty days from the date of said call, a
draft of troops for one years service should
be made to fill the quota of any sub district
then deficient in volunteers. The quota as
signed to Wisconsin under this call was
| 1902. Tie fact that we had but just filled
our quotas under the former calls of TOO, 900
in corresponding ratio was deemed presump-
| tive evidence, that in the absence from
former quota, the last quota was excessive.
No satisfactory explanation could be OBJ
tanned from the War Department. The gen.
| eTal accounts between the State and the
| General Government were compared and
| found to agree. Attention was then given
TO the accounts of the Provost Marshal Gen
erals Office where by comparison with the
general account of the Department, the fol-
lowing facts were found to exist. The fact
will be remembered by the frequency of its
| appearance-that subsequent to the call of
| July 1868, and pending the draft of that
wear, q settlement was obtained with the War
| Department on the 18th of October of that
year, and an order issued by the Provost
| Marshal General crediting the State with a
net excess of four thousand three hundred
and ftty-two over all calls prior, and TO APP
| ply on the then pending draft This credit
was apportioned to the several Congressional
districts, according tO~the excess raised and
due to each, But under the modification of
the law by act OF Congress of 1864, thesdraft
of 1863 so far as quota was eoncerned-an
the call for volunteers of October 18th, 1868,
were so to speak ignored, and merged into
the call of February LIST, for 100000.
Order was made by the War Department
that all credits due prior to, or the result of
the draft just made, should be brought for
ward and credited TO the sub-districts under
| this call.
Upon examination Of the table Of credits
prepared by the War Department and for
warded to Col. Lowell, A. A. p. NJ. G., for
| distribution under the call of February, it
was found that the excess of credit, due Oct
18th, 1868, to Congressional districts, had
been omitted.
To correct this, it was necessary only to
show the War Department the discrepancy
/ of accounts between its own bureaus
Meanwhile the many serious complaints OF
/ excessive and erroneous enrolment received
| from persons whose source of information en-
titled them to confidence, led to a cores
pondence with the District Provost Marshals
as to the manner and results of the correc-
tions ordered by the Provost Marshal General
in June last.
This correspondence developed the fact of a
serious Misrepresentation of the duties of en-
rolling officers under orders of the War De-
partment. The names of very large num-
Der of volunteers and drafted men enrolled
upon the first lists made by Government Off
| GERS, and who had since. gone into the serv-
| ice, many during the past year, were still
| found upon the enrolment lists. Aside from
these, there was large class of aliens and
i physically disabled persons not stricken
| from the lists. This result was not charge
able wholly, if at all, upon the enrolling Off
GERS No one, especially in city, is person.
ally acquainted with the individual history of
| many of those he enrolls, and have no doubt
that the officers generally sought to properly
/ discharge their duties.
An idea, prevalent in a few communities,
| that an excessive enrolment lessened the
chances of Individual service, was effectually
| dispelled upon the assignment of CORES.
4 DIT hoe l.eSn Al
rollment, were returned to the Provost Mar
shall General at Washington as the number of
persons subject to military duty, and consti-
.tuting the basis of the quota assigned to this
State.
Satisfactory evidence having been obtain
ed on this point also, your Excellency direct
ed me to present all these matters before the
War Department in person, with request for
proper correction. s.drf Eft.
Arriving at Washington on the 18th Of
August, Immediately waited upon the Sec
rotary of War and Provost Marshal General
with such proof and explanations in support
of our claim as were required. The matter
received the prompt and favorable attention
of the Department, and after the delay OF a
few days for official data from Madison, the
claims of the State for credit was conceded,
and the correction OF the enrolment direct
ed.
urged the necessity of a longer time in
which to complete the corrections, owing to
the extreme distance of many sub-districts
from the source of information. The emer-
gencies of the service we're deemed too ur-
gent TO admit of further time.
The measures taken to spread the informa-
ton, and the delay in some districts, afforded
the opportunity through which correction waa
generally obtained throughout the State.