Check out this site http://usmilitary.about.com/od/deploymentsconflicts/l/bldrafthistory.htm "Michelle, Sabrina's Mom" <michelles.other.email@nospamgmail.com> wrote in message news:3z8bj.9757$HQ6.1728@trndny01... > Excuse my ignorance on the subject. But I was wondering, if you were 15 in > 1870, living in Massachusetts, when you became legal age, would you have > had to register for a draft or would going into the military be voluntary? > > Thanks, > > Michelle >

"Marge" <margaretqclark@comcast.net> wrote in message news:Dr2dnZsObdqiivDanZ2dnUVZ_s2tnZ2d@comcast.com... > Check out this site > http://usmilitary.about.com/od/deploymentsconflicts/l/bldrafthistory.htm > > "Michelle, Sabrina's Mom" <michelles.other.email@nospamgmail.com> wrote in > message news:3z8bj.9757$HQ6.1728@trndny01... >> Excuse my ignorance on the subject. But I was wondering, if you were 15 >> in 1870, living in Massachusetts, when you became legal age, would you >> have had to register for a draft or would going into the military be >> voluntary? >> >> Thanks, >> >> Michelle >> Thanks Marge. I googled before posting but I don't think I was using the correct search terms. I just found this info here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States , the heading Early Drafts helps a bit..

"Michelle, Sabrina's Mom" <michelles.other.email@nospamgmail.com> wrote: -snip- > Thanks Marge. I googled before posting but I don't think I was using the >correct search terms. I just found this info here, >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States , the heading >Early Drafts helps a bit.. > I'd like to note that although that article states correctly that there was no *national* draft for the War of 1812- there *was* a draft. It was conducted by the states in response to filling quotas required by the Feds. So you need to look at local law to see what the requirements were. Many of the same quotas were imposed during the civil war so there is a chance, though I don't remember ever reading about it, that some states might have required a registration in 1870. Jim