|
Description/Analysis:
With the fall of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina in April 1861, President
Abraham Lincoln, declared that the secession of southern states was illegal and
vowed to preserve the integrity of the republic. Lincoln immediately called for
75,000 volunteers to enlist in the army. As the Civil War progressed and quotas
for recruits were assigned to northern states, Vineyard men came forward and volunteered
for service in the army and navy.
Throughout the war, the federal government
repeatedly requested states for volunteers to replace
the large number of fallen and wounded. Indeed, in July
1862, Massachusetts was assigned a specific target figure
of 15,000 volunteers. On the Vineyard, the town of Tisbury
was assigned a quota of 15 men whereas Chilmark was
assigned a quota number of 4 men. To encourage men to
volunteer, towns began to employ monetary "bounties" to entice recruits.
Initially, the bounty system failed to lure many Vineyard
men to volunteer. So, the amount of bounties paid by
Island towns was raised. For example, Edgartown raised
its bounty from $100 to $500 per man.
After
the terrible losses experienced at the battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the
state of Massachusetts instituted a draft to meet the expanding quotas assigned
by the federal government. The draft was highly unpopular. Thus, to ease some
of the resistance to this policy, the government built in a number of exemptions
into the over-all draft. If an individual had money, he could pay to remove his
name from the draft pool. Another possibility was for men to hire a "substitute,"
the substitute would take the place of a man who was drafted.
This
document shown here is a list of 43 Tisbury men who were subscribers for "personal
substitutes" to serve in the Union Army. These men made a first payment of
$10 for hiring a substitute if they were drafted. If one of the subscribers was
chosen to be drafted, these deposited monies would pay for his substitute. And,
yet, Vineyard towns themselves raised money to pay for substitutes. Many of the
substitutes who were recruited were recent immigrants and non-Island residents.
A noted Island scholar believes that 30 % of all Vineyarders
serving in the army were paid substitutes. While the use of substitutes was an
accepted practice, it should be noted that there was a large contingent of Vineyard
men who served in the navy or in the maritime industry. The Island communities
actively participated in the fight to preserve the republic. The significance
of this document is that its gives the researcher insight into the impact of this
industrial war on the home front.
Questions:
1. What is the purpose of this document?
2. If Vineyard towns were raising
monies to pay draft substitutes, why would these men make the extra effort to
create a subscription pool for substitutes?
3. Can you identify any Island
names?
4. Why did the federal government ask for larger and larger numbers
of recruits?
5. Can you use this document to explain the impact of war on
the home front?
|
