Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

The United States Conscription Act of 1863

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03951 Author/Creator: Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Pamphlet Date: 1863 Pagination: 24 p. : Height: 13.3 cm, Width: 8.4 cm Order a Copy

Published by J. J. Dyer & Co. Printed by S. O. Thayer. Sold for five cents. Advertisements on inside front and both sides of the back cover. Gives full text of the Conscription Act, which was also known as the National Militia Bill, which was passed 2 March 1863. Divided into 38 sections. Has 2 page index. The Union draft law caused angst since exemption and commutation clauses allowed propertied men to avoid service, thus laying the burden on immigrants and men with few resources. Occupational, only-son, and medical exemptions created many loopholes in the laws. Original stab stich binding.

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