At first, men readily enlisted, thinking the War was going to be a bit of a lark, or enticed by the idea of wages, board, and clothing. When by 1863 the truth became all too apparent, President Lincoln was obliged to call for a draft. I think there were altogether 3 or 4 drafts over the years. The Draft Act became law in March 1863. All able-bodied male citizens of all colors between the ages of 20 and 35 constituted the first class to be called up, whether their feelings were pro-Union or not. If they did not want to go, they could pay a substitute, $300 being the usual amount. In May a draft of 300,000 was called for. Draft boards were established in the various Congressional Districts to oversee the enrollment, with counties having quotas. Once the numbers eligible were known, names were drawn, beginning in July. This is when the draft riots occurred in NYC and had to be put down by federal troops. How was the draft subsidized? To quote from F. B. Green, History of Rockland County, "At a special town meeting held in Orangetown, it was voted to borrow $30,000 on the credit of the town, to cover the exemption fee of $300 of every one who should be drafted. In Clarkstown and Ramapo, it was resolved at special town meetings, that each person residing in those townships, liable to the draft, should pay $25 to the committee-man of his school district on or before September 12, 1863, which should go into a general fund to be used to pay exemptions; those who did not pay were not to enjoy the benefits of this sum. It was further resolved in each township, that the Supervisor should petition the Legislature to permit the raising of a sufficient sum by a tax upon taxable property, to pay the exemptions of such as might be drafted over the amount raised by the $25 payments." In 1864, the exemption bounty in Orangetown was raised to $350, in Clarkstown to $380, and so on. Later in the year, in Orangetown, the bounty was raised to $800. The sums varied between $300 and $800. My ggGF Thomas McGuire enlisted in April 1861, before bounties were paid. Born in 1807, he was 54 years old. By the end, according to his compiled service record, he was a sick and broken man. Another great GF was born in 1841, and he did not enlist, nor did either of his two brothers. Whether one was a Unionist and the others Disunionists, as they were called, I can only wonder.