Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/117

 in Virginia, or the defiant Government at Richmond. Serious doubts now arose in the minds of loyal people of the North, whether the Rebellion could be subdued by any military power that our Government could command. A general feeling of gloom and despondency pervaded the country. The only rays of hope at this time came from the brilliant victories which had been won in the West. If Rebel armies in the West could be beaten and captured, surely some general could be found who would overthrow the Confederate armies in other sections of the country. Could the Union armies be again reënforced by volunteers in numbers sufficient to conquer the Rebellion? If not, would the country peaceably submit to drafts to fill the depleted ranks and to raise new armies? These were some of the problems which now confronted the northern people, the President and his Cabinet. There was no time for hesitation. On the 4th of August the War Department ordered a draft for 300,000 additional men. On the 16th Governor Kirkwood issued general orders appointing commissioners in the various counties of the State to make the enrollment for a draft.

On the 17th he issued a proclamation appealing to the people to fill the quota required of Iowa volunteers. He stated that he would immediately call a special session of the Legislature and urge it to provide for the payment of a liberal bounty to all who should enlist in the old regiments before the 1st of September. He stated that the quota, for Iowa, of volunteers called for by the President on the 2d of July was 10,570 men and that there were more than 15,000 volunteers now organized into companies waiting to be assigned to new regiments. The War Department had, however, refused to give our State credit for the surplus over 10,570, due under the call of July 2d, until 8,000 should have been furnished to fill the old regiments. If these men were not supplied by volunteering by the 1st of September, the deficiency would be made up by a special draft, in addition to the draft to supply 10,570