Summary:
Union Provost Marshal James Fry writes in June, 1863, to Captain George Eyster,
then overseeing enrollment activities in Pennsylvania from Chambersburg. Fry
instructs Eyster not to be intimidated by resistance from the population, and to
use citizen guard or military forces to keep the peace during enrollment, if
necessary. Fry also tells Eyster that resistance from women, though common,
should not be cause for alarm, and that Eyster has the authority to arrest any
truly disruptive women.
Capt. GEORGE EYSTER,
Provost-Marshal Sixteenth Dist.
of Pa., Chambersburg, Pa.:
Washington, D. C.,
June 11, 1863.
Yours of 8th instant received. I hope you have required Mr. Ickes to proceed with the enrollment. He should not be permitted to resign uncles you think he is too much intimidated to execute the duty. If it was necessary, both he and the enrolling officer for Saint Clair should have been supported by troops from Carlisle.
Do not allow your officers to be obstructed or driven off. Hire special guards (citizens) if necessary. If these are not strong enough, employ military force, and when you use this do it with effect.
Abuse from women and the like is to be expected and is not generally serious. If, however, they should assault or seriously obstruct the enrolling officers, they must be arrested.
JAMES B. FRY,
Provost-Marshal-Gen.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 3, Volume 3, Serial No. 124, Pages 341, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
