Conscription Laws in the Fall of 1864 and choosing which regiment and company to join What conscription regulations would a young man turning 18 in later September 1864 be subject to? Upon turing 18 was he allowed to choose which company and regiment to join, or was the selection made for him? How much time after turning 18 did he have before reporting? My great grandfather lived in Highland County, VA. In April 1864 he was enrolled in the 10th Battalion Reserves. He turned 18 on September 26, 1864. He was paroled at Staunton on May 20, 1865. The parole indicated he was in Company B of the 23rd Virginia Cavalry. The 23rd Virginia Cavalry was notorious for poor record keeping. The only existing complete muster roll was for October 31, 1864, and he was not listed on it. So apparently he had not yet enlisted, meaning he had been 18 for over a month by then. How long could he have avoided regular service? More importantly, I'm puzzled as to how he ended up in the 23rd VA Cavalry. A more obvious choice would have been, for example, the 62nd Mounted Infantry, which was also part of Imboden's brigade and contained many Highlanders, including his older brother. Interestingly, his brother was listed as AWOL from the 62nd from October 1 to at least October 31. Perhaps both were trying to avoid the fierce battles going on in the Shenandoah Valley during that period. However, his brother was again present on December 31, 1864. Therefore I will assume that at some point between October 31, 1864 and April 9, 1865 my great grandfather also did his duty and did join officially the 23rd Virginia Cavalry. I may never determine exactly when he enlisted, but can someone suggest some ideas as to why he ended up in the 23rd VA Cav, Co. B instead of some other unit?? To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html