Ulysses S. Grant preferred draftees to volunteers

[Greybriar]

I am  reading The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands. On page 331 of that book, there appears the following quote from a letter Grant had written to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton on 11 September 1864:

"I hope it is not the intention to postpone the draft to allow time to fill up with recruiting," he wrote Edwin Stanton in September. "The men we have been getting in that way are nearly all deserters, and out of five reported north as having enlisted, we do not get more than one effective soldier."

I found that passage interesting as I had thought volunteers would make for better soldiers.

[LongBlade]

Dunno. I could speculate as to why, but I'd rather hear some more substance on the issue.

[Martok]

Having recently finished MacPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom, my understanding was that Grant wasn't really referring to regular volunteers per se.  Rather, he was talking more about 1.) the "bounty jumpers" who'd sign on for the hefty bonuses offered by both the federal and state/local governments (and would then promptly desert and/or defect to the Confederates); and 2.) the replacements rich men hired to take take their spot in the draft (who also frequently deserted). 

Overall, though, it sounds like Grant (and pretty much every other Union general) did, in fact, prefer regular volunteers -- particularly those who'd originally signed up in 1861 & 1862 -- over other "volunteers", to say nothing of draftees. 

[LongBlade]

Perfect. Thanks for the clarification Martok!

[Martok]

With the proviso that I may still be wrong (I'll presume Greybriar or someone else more knowledgeable will correct me if I'm completely off my rocker), you're welcome.  :) 

[Greybriar]

I'm far from being an expert on the subject of the American Civil War, but it looks to me like those hired by wealthy drafted men to replace them would not be included among the volunteers Grant was referring to since they were hired to replace someone who had been drafted. However, the "bounty jumpers" Martok mentioned undoubtedly were.

While Googling for further information, I came up with Soldiers Pay which introduces itself by stating: "The subject, gentlemen, is money and mostly how to misuse it in the context of soldiers pay and bounty systems." It appears to be very informative and a somewhat lengthy read (which I haven't taken the time to peruse).

The bounty system in particular seemed to be much abused and according to this: "....Bounty-jumping—the widespread practice of enlisting, collecting the bonus, deserting, reenlisting, collecting another bonus, etc.—was an inherent defect in the system. Many bounty brokers recruited men and pocketed a sizable portion of the bonus, or they passed off derelicts as able-bodied men to the recruiting sergeants, receiving their money before the derelicts were discovered and discharged...."

The Civil War period is a very interesting subject. It almost makes me wish I had lived in those days. Almost...