Were wealthy American families able to hire young men to serve in the civil war in place of their own children?

Question

This is supposed to be what drew this George Bowles to the US, but I have been unable to find any record for him. Was this an actual practice during the war? And if it was, how did it work? Would George have served under his own name? Under an alias with a fake American identity? Or would he have assumed the identity of the man he was replacing?

I'm hoping that someone with some expertise in Civil War history can help out here. He is supposed to have left descendants but I've hit a wall.

Answer 1

Both sides in the U.S. Civil War implemented a draft, and both sides permitted a conscript to hire a substitute to serve in his place.  I had a gg-grandfather who did that for the Union side.  It was not done in secrecy using aliases, it was a legitimate, legal practice. Here's one article with some info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States#Civil_War

I had a more detailed reference, but the link is now broken and I can't put my finger on it.

Comments

Very interesting I also found this helpful 

https://civilwarrecords.com/blogs/news/civil-war-aliases

The part about why an alias being used in some instances was family abandonment. Very intriguing 

In my ancestor it’s possible he left the kids and moved on the story was his first wife died and he left the two girls with a sister but came back and they were in an orphanage now this does shed light wow!

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Here's the other article I was thinking about.  Let us praise the Wayback machine !!

https://web.archive.org/web/20211028152932/https://www.katzenhausbooks.com/blog/2012/05/14/Hired-Soldiers-Substitutes-During-the-Civil-War.aspx

If you Google the topic, you can find a lot of info about the practice.

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Thanks Susan!

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Thank you Dennis and Andrew for these links. This does help clarify things. I guess he likely enlisted under his own name. Just need to find him in the records now!

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Your welcome very enlightening as my ancestor had many family dynamics and the French lineage. What a good question and post!

Edit: typos

Answer 2

Yes. My direct paternal grandfather was such a person. He served under the man’s name and used the money to open a business 

Edit: updated 

Answer 3

Like most every other war; A rich man's war and a poor man's fight.

Comments

So very sadly true

Answer 4

One of my 3rd great grandfather's served at least twice, presumably for someone else.

Comments

When I visited the Casemate Museum in Virginia years ago both a Revolutionary and Civil War Museum on a Military base Fort Monroe, I recall seeing the uniform of Edgar Allen Poe the poet who was a Sergeant Major. I read that he sold his high position to someone else and left the army.   He had originally joined under the name of Edgar Allan Perry (his wealthy guardian) and it was Mr. Perry who purchased his release. It is a wonderful place to visit but be sure to have your car insurance card because it is a military base if you go there.It is the only Fort with a moat surrounding it.

Edgar A. Poe was my 13th cousin. I also lived in Baltimore where I was born and where he eventually died so I know the street and hospital where he passed away tragically.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe/Legacy

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/225743000052076013/

Answer 5

My paternal great great grandfather did that, he was a fisherman in alpena michigan with two young daughters under age of 3.

Comments

It appears more common than most realize