They Went Into the Fight Cheering! : Confederate Conscription in North Carolina

Overview: Hilderman's book follows in the tradition of the 1924 classic, Conscription and Conflict in the Confederacy, written by the chair of the history department at the University of Alabama and descendant of Confederate veterans, Albert Burton Moore. They Went Into The Fight Cheering focuses on the inner workings of conscription and its related enforcement in North Carolina. It is meticulously researched and presents the often overlooked aspect of troop procurement by the Confederacy in North Carolina as initial enlistment periods expired. The discussion of conscription (and desertion) in this book does not besmirch the honor of southern soldiers. A good case can be made, however, that those who hang on to the myth - in the face of overwhelming factual evidence - that conscription did not occur or was not necessary to field Confederate armies, do dishonor those soldiers by failing to acknowledge and accept the realities they faced and the choices they made. Serious students of the war will appreciate this book; others may want to take a pass. TABLE OF CONTENTS......Page 6 ILLUSTRATIONS ......Page 7 PREFACE ......Page 8 ACKNOWLEDMENTS ......Page 12 INTRODUCTION......Page 14 THE CONSCRIPTS......Page 17 CHAPTER ONE: HARD PLACES ......Page 19 CHAPTER TWO: YOU CAN GET NO TROOPS FROM NORTH CAROLINA ......Page 25 CHAPTER THREE: THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY......Page 37 CHAPTER FOUR: NO FUN IN A BATTLE ......Page 81 CHAPTER FIVE: THE SYSTEM IN CONFLICT ......Page 95 CHAPTER SIX: MOBILE BATTALIONS ......Page 151 CHAPTER SEVEN: JUNIORS, SENIORS, AND LIGHT DUTY ......Page 193 CHAPTER EIGHT: BRAXTON BRAGG'S WAY ......Page 227 EPILOGUE ......Page 239 APPENDIX A......Page 243 APPENDIX B: MAJOR HAHR'S BATTALION ......Page 251 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 253 ENDNOTES......Page 261 INDEX ......Page 271 America 's first nationwide compulsory military service law was enacted by the Confederacy in 1862. Compulsory military service, known as conscription, quickly became the most hated law in North Carolina and the rest of the South. They Went into the Fight Cheering! explores the issue of conscription and describes its day-to-day operation, the people who were charged with its enforcement, the impact of conscription on civilians, and how conscription affected the course of the war This Book Discusses The Day-to-day Operation Of The Confederate Conscription Process In North Carolina During The Civil War--provided By Publisher. Walter Carrington Hilderman, Iii. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 235-241) And Index.