Special Edition: Confederate Conscription (April 1, 1862)
April 1862 marked the beginning of a new phase in the Civil War for the leadership of the Confederacy. President Jefferson Davis, along with most of the political leaders in the South, strongly believed that by the end of February 1862, the supply of cotton available in Europe would be exhausted. With the growing realization that “cotton was no longer king,” and the prospects of a favorable European intervention growing dim, drastic measures would be required.
Since the initial burst of excitement (and enlistments) when the war began, little effort has been made to increase the size of the Confederate Army. In fact, “the recruiting inducements of 1861 had never adequately filled the ranks or assured that the twelve-month enlistees of 1861 would remain.” In addition, the “enthusiasm and bravado” after the victory at Bull Run has been replaced by an increasingly dour mood. As one soldier in the Stonewall Brigade lamented, “The romance of the thing is entirely worn off…not only for myself but with the whole army.
Facing a Union build-up in the East, and the disasters in Tennessee and along the North Carolina coast, President Davis has already given up on his initial strategy of defending every inch of Southern soil. With his armies outnumbered and outgunned on every front, Davis has come to the conclusion that the Confederacy must embrace a total war, “in which the whole population” must be put on a “war footing.”
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