Commutation

The Enrollment Act gave a drafted man two ways out: furnish a substitute or pay $300 commutation. The fee was meant to keep the price of substitutes from climbing far above $300, and it also raised money. The Confederacy had a similar provision.

Because the fee was more than an average worker earned in a year, both practices were bitterly resented and gave rise to the slogan "rich man's war, poor man's fight." A note that commutation was paid explains why a healthy man of military age never served.