"At a town meeting of the legal voters of the town of Woodbury, holden at the Town Hall in said town, pursuant to warning, Jan. 18th, 1864, the following votes were "passed on motion made.

"Voted, To confirm the votes and resolutions passed at a special town meeting held on the 13th day of August. 1863, and recorded in the records of this town, in the Town Clerk's office.

"This vote was passed by yeas 70, nays, 42.

"At a meeting held 15th February, 1864:

"Voted, That, pursuant to a statute law of this State, approved Dec. 18th, 1862, entitled 'An Act to authorize Towns, Cities and Boroughs to issue Bonds, or other obligations for War Purposes,' the Town pay to any person, who shall get an accepted recruit to count on the quota of Woodbury, on the last call of the President of the United States for 500,000 men, and actually have him sworn in, to the credit of said town, the sum of seventy-five ($75) Dollars, as recruiting expenses, to be paid to him on presenting vouchers from the proper authorities, of the recruit's muster, till the town quota is full.

"Voted, That the Selectmen of the town be authorized to issue orders, or other evidences of indebtedness against said town, to meet the expenses as authorized in the foregoing vote, and be directed to do so, on presentation of said vouchers.

"Voted, That each man, who shall recruit a man, or men, to fill the quota of the town of Woodbury, shall report daily the name or names of such recruits to the Town Clerk, that it may be determined when the quota is full."

"Meeting held July 30, 1864:

Voted, That pursuant to a Statute law of this State, approved Dec. 18th, 1862, entitled 'An Act to authorize Towns, Cities and Boroughs. to issue Bonds or other obligations for War Purposes,' the town pay to any person who shall procure an accepted recruit, to count on the quota of the Town of Woodbury on the last call

of the President of the United States for 500,000 men, and actually have him sworn into the service of the United States, to the credit of said Town of Woodbury, the sum of Three Hundred Dollars, recruiting expenses, to be paid to him on presenting vouchers from the proper authorities of the recruit's muster-in, until the quota of the town is filled.

"Voted, That any person who shall furnish a substitute, or representative, before the draft, shall receive the same compensation as other recruiting agents, provided the town of Woodbury shall have credit for said substitute or representative, on the quota of the town.

"Voted, That the quota of the town be deemed to be thirtyfive men.

Voted, That the Selectmen of the town be authorized to issue orders or other evidences of indebtedness against said town, to meet the expenses authorized in the foregoing votes, and be directed to do so on presentation of said vouchers.

"Voted, That each man who shall recruit a man or men to fill the quota of the town of Woodbury, shall report daily the name or names of such recruits to the Town Clerk, that it may be determined when the quota is full.”

"Special meeting, held Aug. 22, 1864:~

"Whereas the number of persons on the United States' enrollment list for the town of Woodbury, greatly exceeds the number of men subject to military duty residing therein, by reason of which the quota of the town under the late call of the President of the United States for 500,000 men is largely in excess of what it should be, therefore:

"Voted, That for the purpose of reducing the quota, the Selectmen of the town are hereby authorized and instructed to procure the correction of said enrollment list, by the erasure of the names of such persons thereon as are not subject to military duty; and also to have all persons who have entered, or who may enter the military or naval service of the United States, credited on said quota, who are entitled by law to be so credited, and who

have not been heretofore so credited, and they are hereby authorized to pay all needful expenses for these purposes.

"Voted, That pursuant to a Statute Law of the State, approved December 18th, 1862, entitled 'An Act to authorize Towns, Cities and Boroughs to issue Bonds or other obligations for War Purposes,' that the additional sum of Fifteen Thousand (15,000) Dollars be appropriated from the Town Treasury, to be used for recruiting purposes only.

"Voted, Daniel Curtiss and Robert Peck, be appointed agents. to fill the quota of the town under the call of the President for five hundred thousand (500,000) men, to procure volunteers or assist in procuring substitutes for any citizens of Woodbury who may apply to them for assistance, and said Curtiss and Peck shall have full power to use or apply any part or all of the sum of fifteen thousand (15,000) dollars, heretofore appropriated, if deemed necessary by them, to fill the quota of the town.

"Voted, That any person who shall first deposit the sum of three hundred (300) dollars with said agents, shall have the first substitute procured by them to apply on the quota of the town, and so on, in the regular order cf deposit of said sum of three hundred dollars, until the quota is filled.

"Voted, That the Selectmen be, and they are hereby authorized and directed to pay to, or draw their order on, the Town Treasurer, for the sum of two hundred (200) dollars, in favor of each and every person who has, since the 1st day of July, A. D. 1864, or shall, prior to the draft, furnish an acceptable substitute for the period of three years, to apply on the quota of the town, and shall produce his certificate from the Board of Enrollment, that such substitute has been furnished, in addition to the three hundred dollars already appropriated at the special meeting of said town, holden July 30th, 1864, provided, that no person shall receive a greater sum than has been paid by him for his substitute, exclusive of the bounty of $300 paid by the State, making the substitute cost the principal $300.

'Voted, That every person who has heretofore procured a substitute under the last call for five hundred thousand men, shall receive a sum equal to the amount expended by him in procuring said substitute, provided that the sum of three hundred dollars shall first be deducted from said expenses, and the sum actually paid for the

substitute shall be deemed the amount expended, making that each substitute shall cost the principal three hundred dollars, out of the whole sum the substitute cost.

"Voted, That the appropriation of fifteen thousand (15,000) dollars shall not affect any previous vote or votes, or any appropriation heretofore made by this town, to encourage enlistments.

Voted, That the Selectmen of the town be authorized and directed to issue orders, or other evidences of indebtedness against said town, to meet the expenses as authorized in the foregoing votes, and to do so on request of said agents appointed by the town to fill the quota."

Military Town Meeting, Dec. 21, 1864:

"Voted, That Daniel Curtiss and Robert Peck be a Committee to fill the quota of this town in the present, or any future call made by the President of the United States for volunteers or drafted men.

"Voted, That said Committee is authorized, at their discretion, to fill said quota, by procuring substitutes for such persons as will pay said committee such sum, not exceeding three hundred dollars, as is necessary to procure such substitutes, or by procuring volunteers, and charge the expense to the town.

"Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized and directed to draw orders on the Treasury of this town to carry out the foregoing votes, upon the persons presenting the proper vouchers, that said substitutes or volunteers are mustered into the United States Service, to the credit of this town.

"Voted, That the Selectmen be authorized and directed to draw orders on the Treasury of this town for all persons that have put in substitutes to the credit of this town since the 5th of September last, for such amounts as said substitutes have cost them, over and above three hundred dollars, exclusive of State Bounty and expenses "

In the latter part of the year 1864, permission was granted to all military subjects to procure, and cause to be mustered into the United States service, substitutes, which should protect them from

call on any future draft for three years. The last vote quoted above was introduced to assist military subjects to avail themselves of this privilege. A large number of our military subjects availed themselves of this vote, especially, as a draft had been. announced, though no quota for Connecticut had been assigned. There is, however, a grim joke about the matter. For, at the very time this favor was granted, the quota of Connecticut turned out to be full on all calls that had been made, with a surplus of some 7,000 to be applied on some future call, which, however, was never made, and it also turned out, that Woodbury had contributed quite a number more than its share of this excess. So, some twenty, or twenty-five persons parted with $300 apiece, and the town with an average of $500, or $600 apiece for the same number, while it was unnecessary, for the purpose intended, if they had had information to instruct them as to passing events. However, the men were forwarded, and no doubt had their influence in "closing out" the rebellion.

As a part of the history of the exhausting individual struggles, which go to make up the record, and the success of the war, two letters of Commissary Sergeant Walter S. Orton, are here recorded. The last one was written only a brief time before this brave young man received his own death wound, at the battle of Winchester. They were written to Deacon Philo M. Trowbridge, who, with the writer, and a few others, particularly identified themselves, not only in the recruiting and sending of men to the front, to assist in the national struggles, but who also identified themselves in caring for the dear ones the brave soldiers left behind them, assisting them in their troubles, cheering them in their sorrows, bearing tenderly to the bereaved the news, that their cherished relatives had died in battle, or by fell disease, or by the inevitable accidents incident to the service. This was often a sad duty, calling for sympathetic tears. The general public will never know how sad were the duties performed by this self-constituted committee.

The writer speaks of this young soldier as of a very dear friend. He was true in all the relations of life. He did not enlist for the poor pittance of $100 offered by the town, and the patriotic offer of C. G. Judson of ten dollars more to the volunteers of his native town, made to show his interest in the course of the town. No such sordid motive moved him. He had no desire to shed human blood. But he saw the need of more men for