page_title: History of the United States Army National Guard
section_title: American Civil War
hierarchical_section_title: History of the United States Army National Guard / American Civil War
caption_attribution_description: English: General Alonzo Jackman
context_page_description: The history of the Army National Guard in the United States dates from 1636, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony's government organized existing militia companies into three regiments. The National Guard's history continued through the colonial era, including the French and Indian War, and extends into the modern era, including participation in the War on Terror.
context_section_description: Both the Union and the Confederacy made use of their militias during the American Civil War.
  President Lincoln summoned 75,000 militia on 15 April 1861 to suppress the insurrection, a call which was limited by law to 90 days and which was rejected by several slaveholding states which had not seceded.  In May 1861, Lincoln put out a call for more militia as well as volunteers who would be willing to serve for three years.  The Union's July 1861 advance on Manassas, which resulted in defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run was due in large part to the fast-approaching expiration of the initial 90-day militia call-up—the Lincoln administration and Union Army leaders wanted to employ them before they mustered out.  The resulting Union loss occurred at the hands of a Confederate force which was also principally composed of militia.
  The Union used a version of the Mexican–American War-era volunteer system to expand the size of the Union Army while avoiding the restrictions on how long the militia could be employed.  Many militia units were enlisted en masse, and many individuals who enlisted or received commissions in the Union Army were militia veterans.
  State Adjutants General and the military staffs of the state governors in the Union were often responsible for equipping, training and transporting recruits and draftees to front line units.  In addition, militias often garrisoned forts, performed local defense and border security patrols, and guarded prisoners. On several occasions, local militia became involved in larger battles, such as the Pennsylvania, New York and Rhode Island militia responding during the Gettysburg Campaign, and the militia of several southern states during Sherman's March to the Sea.
  The Confederate States Army also frequently enlisted militia unit members as a group, and many individuals who joined the CSA were militia veterans. The Confederate states also used their militias for local duty in much the same way as the Union.
  Union veterans of the militia who had leadership roles during the war included George J. Stannard. Chester A. Arthur, who served on the staff of the Governor of New York as Quartermaster General with the rank of brigadier general, played a key role in outfitting New York soldiers and transporting them to the front lines.
  Prominent Confederate militia veterans included Braxton Bragg, who was a colonel in the Louisiana Militia at the start of the war, and Sterling Price, who commanded the Missouri State Guard.
caption: Alonzo Jackman, Vermont and New Hampshire drillmaster commanded militia on Vermont border after Confederate Raid on St. Albans.
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