![]() The first of these measures legislated that all white men of sound body between the ages of eighteen and forty-five were legally obligated to serve in the militia of their state. The procedures for the recruitment of troops for both armies originated in the Militia Act of 1792, and its revision of 1795. Many of these soldiers, especially officers, were resigning their commissions as their individual states seceded from the Union. The United States of America had a standing army of 16,000 men in early 1861, with most of these soldiers serving in poorly equipped military outposts west of the Mississippi River and as far away as California and Oregon. The recruitment and organization of both armies began even before hostilities commenced, which was necessary given the size and condition of both armies. The turnout was so much greater than expected that the major problem facing the War Departments of both the Union and Confederacy was not the enlistment of soldiers but the procurement of food, clothing, and armaments to sustain them. Partisans of both the Union and the Confederacy were so confident that victory could be achieved in a few months that young men volunteered by the thousands to make sure that they did not miss out on the war. ![]() When the American Civil War began in April 1861, the recruitment of soldiers was not a problem for either side.
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