CHAPTER VIII
ON the 5th of February, 1864, Governor Stone issued a proclamation notifying the people that Iowa would be required to furnish 6,000 more men to fill the State’s quota under the President’s recent call for 200,000 additional soldiers; and that a draft was ordered to begin on the 10th of March, if the men were not furnished by that time. The Governor made a strong appeal to the people to fill this quota with volunteers and thus avoid the necessity for a draft. On the 14th, he issued another proclamation, forbidding all persons to cross the Missouri River before the 10th of March for the purpose of avoiding the draft. Guards were placed at all of the crossings of the river below Sioux City to enforce the order. The men required to be furnished by Iowa under the late call of the President were secured by volunteering, and a draft at this time was avoided. A new enrollment act was passed by Congress early in July, 1864, by the terms of which the President was authorized at his discretion to call for any number of volunteers to serve in the army for one, two or three years. It was provided that in case the quota of any township or ward of a city should not be filled within fifty days after the call, the President should immediately order a draft for one year to fill such quota.
On the 18th of July came another call of the President for 500,000 more volunteers; and if they were not furnished by the 5th of September, a draft was ordered to begin immediately thereafter in any township, or ward of any city that was delinquent. Up to this time, by great exertions, Iowa had been able to furnish volunteers to meet all calls made by the President, but now it became evident that the quota under this call could not be filled without resort to a draft.
