An act dated April 16, 1862, enacted by the Confederate Congress, made it public law that all white men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five were made liable to military service at the call of the President. The president was authorized to employ state officials to enroll the men made subject to duty. These enrollment men were called "Conscript Officers" and to aid them in their duties they attached to them companies of militia. These were usually in the form of calvary units. The militia was under the control of the state governor but were still considered to be in the Confederate States service. In late 1864 and 1865 the Confederate government was seeking more manpower for the regular armies and demanded of the governors of the states to release the manpower in their militias. Some states did and some didn't. Some of the conscript troops in North Alabama were released into the active service of Gen. Forrest for the defense of Alabama. Many of the militia units, Home Guards, Local Defense Corp, Mobile Regiment,e.g, were not highly thought of by the regular units of the C.S.A. ("Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama", by Fleming). The calvary units were called "Buttermilk Calvary". I do not know what this implies but it could point to the age group that comprised these units. Since all able bodied men (18 to 45 after Sept 1862) were in the regular service the units were made up of old men and young boys. According to the book "The Annals of North Alabama" and Fleming, these units were at times the only law in this area to quell the depradations of deserters and "mossbacks". Michael L. Busby, Ohatchee, AL MBusby3237@aol.com