For those of you interested in how the Home Guards conscripted & attempted to quell neutrals & those with Union loyalty, I refer you to the book, "Rebels in Blue", copyright 2000, by Peter F. Stevens. It would be the lucky Homeguardsman who didn't become embroiled in the insurgencies/atrocities 'round about Fayette County during the Civil War. -----Original Message----- From: MBusby3237@aol.com <MBusby3237@aol.com> To: ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com <ALFAYETT-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, July 23, 2000 8:08 AM Subject: Re: [ALFAYETT] Civil War "Conscript Group" >Dear Leah, > I forgot to ask you after the last post if you have looked at the 1860 >census. This should give the occupation of your ancestor and maybe a clue to >his exemption. Also I found nothing in my readings about the amount of land a >person owned, only slaves, that exempted a person from military service. > When the war started units were formed from a small geographical area and >the people that populated the unit were people that were kin, or neighbors, >or kin of neighbors. They knew everyone within their company. The companies >were formed into regiments from the general region. There was a community >pride in being a member of the regiment. Influential people of the community; >lawyers, planters and merchants, to name a few; raised and became commanders >of the unit or units. At first they were elected officers but as the war >progressed they were appointed by the government. They were community outfits >from officers to privates, and to decline to serve in your community unit or >to desert while in the service was to draw down the wrath of the >neighborhood. I did some research for a friend who inquired about an officer >that served from 1861 to 1862, was wounded, resigned and went back to Bibb >Co., AL. After the war, men of his outfit lynched him on their return. Why? I >have not been able to find out. Could have been something that happened while >in service or after his resignation. He became rich after his discharge and >might have been at the expense of his comrades in arms that were on the war >front. If you cared not for the community, you did as you pleased, made as >many enemies as you cared to, but when it came time to go to church, gather >hay, build a barn, or any other project that required more than one pair of >hands, there was no one there. Generally that person moved from the >community. So, It was the community thing to join the service if you were >from the ages of 18 to 45. In north Alabama and east Tennessee there were >communities within a few miles of each other that fought against each other, >but it was a community thing. The small community was the government in those >days not as government today, which is a government of money. Ruled by money. > Sorry for the rambling, will leave for now, but if I can help further >please ask. > >Michael Lee Busby, Ohatchee, AL >MBusby3237@aol.com > > > > >