Did the Civil War have Draft Cards?

Question: Why can’t I find draft cards for the Civil War?

Draft card for WWI

The Civil War did not have draft cards.  However, on March 3, 1863 the Civil War Military Draft Act was passed by congress.  This was for a required three years of service.

However, many men were exempted from service based on a variety of criteria.  A man could pay $300 to get out of the obligation.

Some men also paid another man to serve in his stead, which is known as a substitution.

Civil War records are available on Footnote.com and can provide great information.   The records show when a man was present, medical information, family information at times, information if there was a death, if the man was a deserter and when and why the man was discharged.

However, there were draft cards for World War and World War II, both of which are on Ancestry.com.

What information have you found in Civil War records?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.