Service in the Revolutionary War was not popular. Of the 106 men who were drafted in 1781, the Culpeper Class report gave the disposition of these men as:
Retained for the war 4 Entered for 18 months 47 Drafted 29 Refused 12 Absconded 12 Sick 2
I wish that I knew the exact meanings of these categories. But, it appears to me that, after the selections or drafts had been made, four men volunteered to enlist for the war, and 47 agreed to serve 18 months. Under pressure of the selection or draft, these men agreed to join the Army. A somewhat smaller number, 29, went to war because they saw no alternative. More than one in five, though, refused to go along with the draft. I do not know what pressure or compulsion was used on the 12 who refused. The 12 who absconded probably left the region (later two of these came back).
However, this is not the full story of the men in the classes. Elias Barbee, in his much later pension application of 1832 from Kentucky, told that it was a regulation in the Militia of Virginia that the men would be classed. Each class would furnish a man, either by draft from among the class, by the voluntary tender of service, or by a subscription procured by the class. The class, to which Barbee belonged, employed him as their substitute, and then they made a draft among themselves to ascertain to whom the credit should be given for a tour of duty of one year and a half. Barbee remembered that James Spilman was the person who was entitled to the credit.
Actually, Barbee's memory was faulty. William Cannon was the designated draft, and Barbee was the substitute in the place of Cannon. The class as a whole did not want to undergo the draft procedure so they hired Barbee as the substitute. The draft was to see who would get the credit for the service. (The reason for the discrepancy between Barbee's recollection and the official record may be that the record reflects the official selection of Cannon. The class itself made another choice, probably by lot, to decide who was to get the credit.)
One concludes that membership in the militia was forced, not voluntary. The men were in the militia because they had to be, not because of patriotic fervor.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.