The Draft Comes to New Jersey -- 1864

Today in New Jersey history:

May 10, 1864: The first military draft in New Jersey under the Enrollment Act of 1863 took place in Ocean County, followed a week later by a drawing in Elizabeth. It went off quietly, as local government officials had pledged to pay the $300 “commutation fee” to exempt anyone who did not want to serve. In the end, only 951 men drafted in New Jersey in 1864 and 1865 actually served in the army. The rest either paid commutation or provided a substitute. For extra security, the draft was often drawn by a blindfolded blind man.