The Mill Creek Hundred History Blog: Delaware's First Draft -- August 1863

This post will be a little different than most, as it won't focus on a particular place, person, or family. Instead, it's actually a result of my ~~problem with~~ gift for tending to wander off track while researching. See, I was actually writing what should be the next post, but whilst doing so realized that the deed I had for its origin was wrong -- it was for a nearby, but similar, site. So I went back to find it, and also tried to find the earliest newspaper mention of it that I could. Turns out that was in the August 18, 1863 edition of the Delaware State Journal and Statesman. But while reading the brief mention of my intended site I happened to notice, on the same page, a listing of names. And since the most recent post included two clippings of parties (complete with a list of guests), I thought this might be the same type of thing. It was not.

What I was actually seeing was part of the list of names selected in the first draft done in Delaware, which had been performed the week before. In information you don't need to know but which I'll tell you anyway, I recently found a history podcast I like called History That Doesn't Suck. It's actually been around since 2017, but I just started listening to it a few months back and I've been following through the old episodes, which cover American history chronologically, beginning with the Revolutionary War. As luck would have it, I happen to currently be in 1863, having just listened to an episode about the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place on July 1-3, 1863. A previous episode focused on the draft and the resistance to it (including the New York City Draft Riots). The point is, when I realized what I was seeing on the page it fully resonated with me. I felt like I was reading a current newspaper.

So, a little bit of background. All throughout the Civil War, both armies were almost entirely consisted of volunteers. At first they were all volunteers, until the war started to drag on and everyone realized it wasn't going to end in 1861 or 1862. Eventually both sides instituted drafts, the Union beginning in 1863. By the end of the war, numbers seem to put rates at about 2% draftees and another 6% consisting of substitutes provided by draftees. And therein lies one of the many problems -- one could either buy their way out with a commutation (of $300) or provide a substitute. Of course, when I say "one", I mean a relatively well-off "one". This wasn't a poor man's way out. It would take a full series of posts to go through all the problems and backlashes against the draft in both the USA and the CSA, so we'll just leave that for now.

Smyrna home of James P. Hoffecker, now the Smyrna Museum. The August 1863
draft was conducted here, on the front steps.

When the draft was done in the North, it was organize by state, with each state given a quota of men to provide. As it turns out, at the beginning, due to high enlistment rates in '61 and '62, Delaware actually had a credit of 8,743 men, so we were exempt from the first few rounds of the draft. But by the summer we needed to increase our numbers, so the first draft in Delaware was undertaken on August 12, 1863, in Smyrna. More specifically, it was done on the front steps of James P. Hoffecker's home, also known as "The Barracks", and now the home of the Smyrna Museum. It was here that Delaware's 1,686 spots were attempted to be filled.

Breakdown of the August 1863 draft by region, with names
of the enrollers. MCH's was John Ball of Milltown

Here in the Diamond State, the draft was organized by county and by hundred (and by wards in Wilmington). The chart above (you can click or tap on it for a larger version) shows how many white and colored men registered in each area, how many were required from each, and how many names were drawn. They drew 50% more names than needed, presumably because they knew that many would receive exemptions. And what types of things would give a draftee an exemption? Well, the paper even printed what were essentially form letters for various Certificates of Exemption. Reasons included: Son of a widow, or aged and infirm parent or parents; A parent who desires one of his or her sons exempted; The person liable to draft is the only brother of a child or children dependent on his labor for support; Two members of the family of the person liable to draft are already in military service to United States; Person liable to draft is the father of motherless children, under 12 years of age, dependent on his labor for support; or Exemption on account of unsuitable age (under 20, over 45, or over 35 and married).

Many (though not all) Delawareans were proud
of its support for the Union

There may even have been more, but you get the idea. Of the lists of names shown, I don't know how many actually served in the military. The nice little editorial above makes clear that while there was unrest elsewhere (it alludes to the New York City Draft Riots, which occurred only a month prior), Delaware's draft went off smoothly. There were troops present at the proceedings, and it was made clear that they were given orders to meet any violent behavior "with ball and powder". As it turned out, most were sent home as the day went on, when it was clear there would be no mischief. That's not to say there was no disagreement over the draft here. Much of state government was in the hands of anti-war, Copperhead Democrats -- more so as one went downstate. Later on, and before commutations were eliminated in July 1864, the state government even offered $200 towards the commutation fee.

Below are the lists of names from Mill Creek and surrounding Hundreds -- 76 from Mill Creek, 59 from White Clay Creek, 74 from Christiana, and 78 from Brandywine. My guess is that if you've read any of my posts before, or know any DE history, many of these last names will be very familiar to you. In MCH, among others, we have Gregg, Pierson, Chandler, Klair, Mendenhall, Morrison, Derrickson, and Cranston. In White Clay you'll find Pyle, Tweed, Pilling, Ruth, Dixon, and Casho. Christiana features Lynam, Woodward, Bancroft, Richardson, Killgore, Frederick, and even a du Pont. Finally, Brandywine Hundred contains names like Talley, Hanby, Lea, Weldin, Bird, and Veal.

So, I guess the point to all this is that there really is no point, except that this was something I saw that I thought was interesting. Have fun reading through the names to see how many you recognize. Any ancestors of yours among the drafted?