Who could and could not get drafted to the civil war?

In the North, a draftee could pay a substitute to do his service for him - a terrible law that brought in sub-standard recruits supplied by unscrupulous brokers. And the young man who could afford to stay out of the war was a hated figure in the ranks.

In the South, of course, it was the slaves who were not drafted

• until the very end, when it was too late to make any

difference.