2. The Conscription Act made a majority of the northerners furious, mainly because of the commutation fee of three hundred dollars to buy their way out of service. That amount of money was an average year’s pay for an unskilled laborer which led to claims that it was a “rich man’s war, and a poor man’s fight.” About a fifth of the men drafted refused to report for duty, while many dodged the draft by fleeing their communities, some even going so far as …show more content…
It was a Union Victory which allowed Grant to focus all of his attention on the main rebel force in the East.
The battle of Missionary Ridge was a Union victory that reinforced Lincoln’s confidence in Grant’s capabilities. The Union completely overwhelmed the Confederacy, and they walked away with four thousand prisoners. Chattanooga would serve as a base for armies entering into Georgia.
4. There are several reasons why soldiers from both the North and South deserted. Lost battles, retreats, and other military losses influenced soldiers’ desertion. Sickness, hunger, and harsh elements would cause many of the men to desert and head back home. Conscription also heavily impacted desertion numbers in the Union. Substitutes were known to desert, and also men who were drafted. Many towns and communities began paying bounties to men who would enlist instead of waiting to be drafted. Many of these men would collect their bounty, desert, and enlist somewhere else under a new