Alan J. Pitts
Re: Detailed Worker
Tue Mar 20 22:44:13 2001


Obviously a man couldn't receive an exemption until others were obliged to serve. The Conscript Act was passed in April of 1862, so exemptions went into effect then, not before. The law specified that employees of certain industries could receive exemptions. In the meantime this person could be enrolled in a volunteer militia organization such as a home guard.

Most exemptions established by the Conscript Act remained in effect until the next major military law was passed on Feb. 17, 1864. I don't have it in front of me, but there were provisions for employees that might be subject to service in the reserves. If a man was a senior reserve, he could be detailed to work in a certain capacity under authority of the officer assigned to command reserves in his state. His name would appear on the roll of his local reserve unit as detailed, just as you described. If he wasn't old enough to be a senior reserve, I'd assume the county enrolling officer had his name on a list of men who were detailed or discharged from regular service. These were free to serve in local militia units, as mentioned earlier.

As far as records, if you've found something about him at the archives in Montgomery, count yourself fortunate. I wouldn't expect much on this type of activity.

• Exemption — Barry N. Wyatt, Tue Mar 20 23:05
• Re: Exemption — Alan J. Pitts, Wed Mar 21 07:23