10. Newton Knight Enrolled In The Confederate Army To Escape The Confederate Draft
Like a few of the wars the United States got involved in after the Civil War, there was a draft for both the Union and Confederate forces. The Civil War is known to be one of the bloodiest battles in American history where thousands of soldiers perished. There were many times when the Confederate and Union forces were desperate for soldiers. Therefore, the talk of establishing a draft commenced nearly immediately for both sides. For the Confederate states, the draft became official in 1862, and for the Union states, the draft became official the following year.
The Confederate Congress passed what became known as the first American draft on April 16, 1862, about a year after the start to the Civil War. This draft stated that all healthy Confederate men ages 18 to 35 were liable to serve a three-year term. Newton himself enrolled in the Confederate Army in July of 1861, right around the time where knowledge of this draft was out but before it became official. When the draft became official, Newton was still fighting in the Confederate Army. While he knew the draft was coming when he enrolled, the selection irritated Newton.
However, Newton would become further angered by the amended draft which was to come that following fall. On October 11, 1862, the Confederate Congress amended the draft law to what became known as the Twenty-Slave Law. This law changed the original draft to state that slave owners who had twenty or more slaves could not be drafted to the Confederate Army. Newton, like many other Confederate Soldiers, became enraged about this new law. Newton, who was a poor farmer, started to believe that he was not fighting the rich white man’s war. For Newton, the Twenty-Slave Law was just another nail in the coffin on why he would secede from the Confederate Army.