John S. Preston to James A. Seddon, October 22, 1864

Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War:

Sir: Perhaps it may aid to some extent the effort to adjust the confusion in the recruiting and conscription service to trace clearly the progress of those changes and innovations which culminated in this condition. Up to the 1st of May the system you had instituted was, under great difficulties and impediments, working smoothly and with satisfactory results, furnishing large and rapid accessions to the Army and administering the conscription law in all its requirements for the public service. The act of 17th of February had been critically analyzed and a just exposition of it issued in general orders, which were in rapid progress of execution. Slight, but necessary, modifications arose in this progress, but were adopted or waived without material change. About this time your conscription organization was charged with the organization of the reserve forces, and was proceeding to that work when general officers were assigned to the command of the reserves and the enrolling officers of the conscript service put under their orders to complete the reserve organization. Here at once arose a cause of confusion. The reserves were to be conscribed as other persons liable to military service; the conscript authorities were performing the duty; the generals took possession of their agencies and instituted other rules of action. In Virginia they were subjected to orders inconsistent with the duties prescribed by the conscript authorities, and my refusal to sanction those orders or to denounce the enrolling officers for alleged want of active execution of them constituted a grave offense to the general commanding and at once terminated cordial harmonious co-operation.

Almost contemporaneous with this, and in submission to the clamor of individuals or the conjectures of uninformed officers, a system of inspection of the enrolling service was attempted and much vague and unfounded misrepresentation made concerning it. At the same time a protracted and wasting campaign was weakening the armies by disaster and desertion. The three influences combined to cast suspicion on the efficacy of the conscript organization; inspectors reported corruption and inefficiency; the Army wasted, and generals of reserves were seeking to swell their muster-rolls. The silent, but sure, legal working of the conscription authority overcoming popular prejudice, the opposition of State Executives and judicial authorities, the weakness of its own agencies, the clamor of ignorant and interested officials, filling the ranks as far as the law allowed, was unappreciated, and a general order was issued giving the control and conduct of the business of conscription to the general commanding the reserves. From the fact that the general commanding the reserves of Virginia has his headquarters at Richmond and is in daily and direct communication with you, it has not been deemed necessary by him, acting under General Orders, No. 73, to confer with or in any form to communicate with the Bureau of Conscription concerning the matter of conscription. By that order the local conscription authorities have been placed under his orders and he has assumed final jurisdiction, so far as the Bureau is informed, over the whole matter in Virginia. Practically, the Bureau has not the semblance of connection with conscription in Virginia, except to the extent of referring papers concerning extraneous duties to the general commanding the reserves, or through hin to the commandant of conscripts under his orders. The confusion, misapprehensions, and misunderstandings in the conscription service result solely from General Orders, No. 73, being construed in Virginia as transferring all control over or connection with that service from the Bureau of Conscription to the general commanding the reserve forces. My belief is that neither the President, you, nor any other competent authority ever intended such transfer. ‘The experience in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida was too recent and too sad to warrant a return to that fatal system. Trusting you will give due credit to one who by no possibility can have any other interest than the public service in submitting this statement, and humbly and earnestly recommending that you use the reserves to aid, not to control, conscription. I am, with high and cordial respect,

your obedient servant,