Civil War Recruitment & Conscription Circular

Creator

Gideon Johnson Pillow

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Creation Date

1-29-1863

Description

1863/1/29 Broadside S1946

Head Quarters of Volunteer and Conscript Bureau

CIRCULAR.

You have been detailed to proceed to that section of the State from which your Regiment was raised, for the purpose of recruiting volunteers, enrolling conscripts and conducting them to your command. This can be done under instructions from the War Department of the 8^th inst., without passing conscripts through camps of Instruction in the ordinary manner.

Every encouragement will be offered by you consistent with the law under the regulations of the service, and by kind treatment and arguments addressed to the patriotism and sense of duty of citizens, to induce them to enter the service of their country.

Persons liable to conscription will be allowed to join any particular company and Regiment requiring recruits in this army.

In like manner persons within conscript age, and who may come forward and volunteer for service, will be allowed to do so, and will receive all the benefit which are secured by law to volunteers.

Recruits thus obtained, however, must in all cases, enter companies already in service and cannot be organized into companies or Regiments.

In addition to the duty of gathering volunteers and conscripts, you will also apprehend and send back all stragglers and absentees, without leave from this army, who may come within your reach.

In the discharge of this highly important duty your attention is called to the great necessity which now exists for strenuous exertions in securing men to fill up our reduced commands in a reasonable time. You will therefore at once enter upon this duty with zeal and energy, and report to these Headquarters the result thereof.

You will be governed by the acts of conscription and exemption, and regulations in connection therewith published in General Order No. 82 of 1862, dated Adjutant and Inspector Generals office, Richmond, Jan. 8^th, 1863.

You will make your own orders for transportation by Railroad, to and from your field of labor for yourself and recruits and giving proper receipts for the service rendered.

By order of Gid. J. Pillow, Brig. Gen. C.S.A. and Chief of Bureau

H.C. Lockhart, Ad. Genl.

Extracts of orders of the War Department based on acts of Confederate Congress.

All the laws and regulations applicable to deserters shall be applied to such conscripts as fail to repair to the place of rendezvous for enrollment, or who shall desert after enrollment.

All the agencies employed for apprehension and confinement of deserters, and their transportation to the commands of their respective commanders, shall be applicable to persons liable to duty as conscripts who shall fail to repair to the place of rendezvous after the publication of the call.