Final answer:
The Confederate government implemented a mandatory draft, known as the Conscription Act, during the American Civil War to address the difference in manpower between the Confederacy and the Union. The draft required men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five to serve for three years, with exemptions for certain individuals. Draftees were also allowed to hire substitutes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Confederate government in the American Civil War enacted a mandatory draft known as the Conscription Act in April 1862 to compensate for the disparity in manpower between the Confederacy and the Union. The draft required all men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five to serve for three years. However, there were exemptions for certain individuals such as slave owners, militia officers, civil servants, clergymen, and teachers. Draftees were also allowed to hire substitutes. This draft system helped the Confederacy in mobilizing more soldiers and increasing their military strength.