The "Conscript Law" was a military draft law passed in April 1862 requiring all able-bodied men 18 to 35 to enlist in the Confederate army. This mirrored a similar law passed by the United States Congress. Prior to these laws universal required military service was governed by individual state militia laws generally men over the age of 18. These laws were amended in the Confederacy, in following years, to include the ages of 16 to 45 by 1865.