Confederate Home Guard

The term "Home Guard" refers generally to somewhat loosely organized militias in various states that were under the direction and authority of the Confederate States of America. In referring to the "Home Guard," historians try to define whether the term is being used for confederate sympathizers, or exceptions.

For example, in A New History of Kentucky, historians Lowell Harrison and James Klotter explain that in Kentucky, the "Home Guard" consisted of Unionist men. Confederate sympathizers in Kentucky, led by Simon Bolivar Buckner (1823-1914), formed militia groups known as the "State Guard."

The Confederate Home Guard (1861–1865) was working in coordination with the Confederate Army, and was tasked with both the defense of the Confederate home front during the American Civil War, as well as to help track down and capture Confederate Army deserters. The Home Guard was a type of militia for the Confederacy. It had a rank structure and did have certain regulations, whether those were enforced or not.

Home Guard units were, essentially, to be a last defense against any invading Union forces. They also were used at times to gather information about invading Union forces troop movements, as well as to identify and control any local civilians who were considered sympathetic to the Union cause. They received no military training, and although they could be drafted into the Confederate service if need be, there are only a few cases in which that happened. The Home Guard was recognized as a type of service to the Confederacy. It was often made up of older planters or others exempted from front line service.

The Home Guard units were formed with a purpose; most units consisted of volunteers and paid no salary. A bounty was offered by the Confederate government for the capture of deserters, although it was rarely paid, due to the government's debt.

While most able-bodied Southern men went away to war, many stayed behind, either by choice or due to something that prevented them from serving in the army. Planters owning 20 slaves or more were exempted from service, with other family members exempted based on their total slaveholding. Although many states did not initially form Home Guard units, by 1863 all eleven Confederate states had done so. Initially tasked with being the defense force against any Union Army elements that might pass through the Confederate battle lines and enter into Southern territory, the Home Guard was later used to help capture Confederate army deserters returning to their homes.

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Wikipedia