Alan J. Pitts
Conscript Bureau
Tue Feb 20 14:46:54 2001


We are speculating here, which I'd rather not do. You might note an exchange Hayes Lowe & I had about C.S.A. military law, which governed the Conscript Bureau and several other issues which interest us. The site we located which allows us to review Confederate laws includes several circulars issued by the Conscript Bureau.

As I understand it today, the Conscript Bureau functioned just like recruiting officers for any branch of the military. Initially these were officers on temporary assignment; later they were assigned on a regular basis, meaning that you remained at a recruiting post like Camden or Tuscumbia until ordered elsewhere.

Morehead was assigned to Troy, and would've remained there until ordered elsewhere. Love was an officer acting under orders of the Bureau and apparently assigned to work for Morehead in Pike County. There's not much on these Conscript Bureau companies, but they evidently split up into squads and beat the bushes for conscipts an deserters, which they turned over to the Camp of Instruction. Morehead reported to the his superior at the state level, who in turn reported to General Pillow.

At some point in early 1864 the companies that had been reporting to the Conscript Bureau were reassigned to duty as front-line units. Conscript duties were turned over to the Reserves and the Conscript Bureau was eventually abolished. That should explain why Love and the other captains left. To my knowledge, Morehead had no military connection to Love's company. If Morehead had not died, I do not know what disposition would've been made of him. Most recruiting officers on post in 1864 were retired; don't know if Morehead had been retired or if he simply did not have a command.






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