Summary:
Union General Darius Couch, commanding at Chambersburg, writes Chief of Staff Henry Halleck in October, 1864, to notify him of the expiration of the terms of service of 100 day Pennsylvania volunteer cavalry. Couch makes arrangements for the recruiting of new units, mostly for service in dealing with draft resisters and deserters. Couch also discusses the problem of draft resistance in Pennsylvania.

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Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, U. S. Army,
Chief of Staff, War Department, Washington, D. C.:

Chambersburg, Pa.,

October 12, 1864.

GEN.:

I have the honor to state that in from ten to thirty days the term of service of the 100-days' cavalry of this department will expire. It is now used almost entirely to enforce the draft-that is, to protect enrolling officers, arrest deserters, or run them out of the country, compelling them to leave their homes and live in the mountains, &c. Cavalry is the only arm which is of any value for this duty, and in order to sustain the laws of the United States, as well as convince the people that the Government will enforce its just demands, I must replace those going out of service. Gen.ly, the draft is resisted only in the mountainous and wooded districts, which are sparsely settled, where fifty cavalrymen can do the service of 1,000 infantry. Men no doubt could be raised in the State for this special service. I think, however, it would be better could an efficient dismounted battalion of however, from 400 to 500 men be ordered here. They could be mounted and put to good use.

I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

D. N. COUCH,
Maj.-Gen., Cmdg. Department.

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Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 43, Serial No. 91, Pages 354, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.