Hundred-days" troops called for in 1864.

During the winter of 1863-"64 the army in the field was strengthened by new recruits, and was reorganized, as just shown under the head of "Veteran Volunteer Force," over 136,000 of men in service having re-enlisted for a new period of three years.

As the season for active operations approached, further re- enforcements were deemed necessary, mainly to relieve from garrison and defensive duty experienced troops, in order that they might take active part in the great campaign which opened in the East with the battle of the Wilderness and in the West with the advance on Atlanta.

An offer a was therefore accepted by the President on the 23rd of April, 1864, from the Governors of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin to furnish an aggregate of 85,000 infantry to serve for one hundred days, the whole to be furnished within twenty days from the date of notice of their being required. The results of this recruitment in the different States are given in table in Appendix.b The State of Ohio was particularly successful in this effort. Between the 1st and 24th of May, 1864 (inclusive), a period of twenty-four days, forty-two regiments raised under this call left the State, fully armed and equipped.

In the month of July, 1864, special calls, not embraced in that just named, were made upon the States of New York and Pennsylvania for 4,000 men for the term of one hundred days.

In addition to the above, the States of New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, and Kansas offered to furnish stated numbers of one-hundred days" troops, and authority was given by the War Department to raise them.

The extent to which men were furnished under these calls and offers is shown in Appendix, Document 6, Table 4.

Representative recruits.

The commutation feature of the enrollment law was repealed by the act approved July 4, 1864. In anticipation of its passage and the consequent rise in the price of substitutes it was determined to make an effort to procure some recruits without a formal call. At this time the call of July 18, 1864, had not been made, and the business of filling the call of March 14, 1864, was nearly completed. The draft had borne heavily in many places upon those liable to it, and the sympathy of that large class not liable to conscription, but possessed of ample means, seemed to be aroused in their behalf. An appeal was therefore made to their patriotism and generosity in the following order.

CIRCULAR
WAR DEPARTMENT, PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Numbers 25.
Washington, D. C., June 26, 1864.

Persons not required by law to perform military duty have expressed a desire to be personally represented in the Army. In addition to the contributions they have made in the way of bounties they propose to procure recruits at their own expense and present them for enlistment in the service.

Their patriotism is worthy of commendation and encouragement. Provost-marshals, and all others acting under this Bureau, are ordered to furnish all the facilities in their power to enlist and muster promptly the acceptable representative recruits presented in accordance with the design herein set forth.

a See Appendix, Doc. 18, Art. 2.

b See Appendix, Doc. 6, Table 3.