William Schouler, A history of Massachusetts in the Civil War: Volume 1

[355] of responsibility upon the Adjutant-General, whose duties were already extremely arduous, and increased in a great degree the labors of the office. This was so apparent to the Governor, that he appointed, on the 23d of August, William Rogers, Esq., of Boston, second Assistant Adjutant-General, with the rank of major, who was specially intrusted with the superintendence of all matters connected with the enrolment and allotment of the quotas which each city and town was required to furnish; a duty which he discharged with scrupulous fidelity and unquestioned accuracy. But, as Massachusetts furnished her contingent within a reasonable time by voluntary enlistments, a draft was avoided. The enrolment, however, which was made at this time, the credits which were allowed to the several municipalities of the Commonwealth for men already furnished by them, and the proportion which they were required to furnish under this call, remained as a basis upon which the quotas of the cities and towns were apportioned, from that time until the end of the war; the particulars and details of which can be found in the Annual Report of the Adjutant-General for the year 1862, but need not be enlarged upon in these pages.

From the beginning to the end of the Rebellion, the Governor, the city and town authorities, and the people of the Commonwealth, were opposed to a draft, and labored to avoid it. Upon these, and kindred matters, Governor Andrew, on the 8th of August, sent a letter to President Lincoln, from which we make the following extracts:—

I sent by mail, last night, to General Buckingham, a copy of Massachusetts Militia Laws, and remarks. If you will call on me, by requisition, for our quota of militia for nine months duty immediately, asking for so many regiments, we can answer the call, in great part, without a draft, by sending our militia regiments already organized, and being filled up, and by recruiting new ones. The iron is hot: strike quick. Drafting is mechanical: the impulse of patriotism is vital and dynamic.

Call for our militia brigade, under General Davis, a competent officer, as part of Massachusetts militia quota, communicating to us, at same time, number of militia regiments required for our whole quota.