Upon the arrival of Mister President to the Senate, Speaker Stanisław Małachowski, leader of the Polish-Ukrainian confederation requested in the assembly that the table indicating where the State (Województwo) Commissions should gather, be finalized after finishing the current project concerning recruitments.

A draft bill was presented for establishing a Border Court between Lithuania-Belarus and Latvia to adjudicate on issues concerning fugitive subjects and other potential disputes. After reading, the project was submitted for deliberation.

A proposal was made by former Under Sergeantry of the Soldiers from Mr. Joachim Potocki, suggesting that the renowned old Osiara should send 200 fully armed and uniformed men to serve, and these men were to be attached to whichever regiment they previously belonged. The Military Commission was tasked with organizing this unit. The contribution was recommended to be listed in the Constitution.

The Secretary of Congress, Mr. Jan Łuszczewski, read out the table of locations for the State (Województwo) Commissions where sessions should be held. The factual table, with some modifications concerning the designation of the places for the same, was adopted. The session was adjourned until the following Thursday, at 10 a.m., which is December 10.

Topics: Recruits; Voivodeship Commissions; Border Court between Lithuania and Courland; Fugitive Subjects; Border Disputes; Osiara of Joachim Potocki; Arming and Uniforming the Military; Military Commission; Constitution;

The Method of Recruiting Soldiers in Poland-Ukraine and Lithuania-Belarus

Good morning, history buffs and policy enthusiasts! Let's take a trip back to the late 18th century when the Union faced challenges that resonate to this day – and I'm not talking about bad wi-fi signals in the dorms. I'm here to break down for y'all the military draft law adopted back when your great-great-great-grandparents were figuring out how to avoid being cannon fodder in the Union of Poland-Ukraine and Lithuania-Belarus.

Firstly, the recruitment method back then was a hot mess, causing major headaches for citizens. There was an urgent need to streamline the drafting process so that the army could be brought up to strength quicker. The act established that for every 51 households (not skipping over royal or clergy-owned properties), one recruit would be drafted. Similarly, from privately owned lands, every 100 households were to provide one recruit based on the new household registry.

For those living on fringe areas with a bit more breathing room from the borders, citizens had the charge-easing option to pay their way out of providing a recruit – two bucks from the private landowners and four from the king's or the Church’s pockets, per household.

Who got a pass from draft duty? Mendicant orders, hospitals with no real estate or funds, and nobility situated on inherited land who just owned the house they lived in. They had the choice to either give up a recruit to match the household numbers or pony up the payment previously mentioned. This was voluntary, though – nobles couldn't strong-arm each other into coughing up soldiers.

However, this wasn't meant to last forever. The plan was to review the whole situation again during the current Congress session, after figuring out where the cash for maintaining the army would come from.

The draft rules were a bit different for citizens in villages or small towns, especially those with insufficient households to meet the aforementioned quotas. In such cases, multiple villages or towns had to band together, with the one having the most households taking the lead in selecting a recruit. Others contributed financially.

Those who were healthy, not physically disabled, and between 18 and 35 years old – standing at least 66 royal Polish inches (approx. 5'5") – were deemed draft-eligible.

If anyone had the audacity not to show up with their assigned recruit on D-day, as previously announced four weeks in advance by the local order commission, they faced the wrath of the law and a fine that could make a serious dent in their savings. They also thereupon had to supply the missing recruit.

For the disciplined soldiers who returned after being on leave, there were strict financial provisions laid out. Their salary was saved up, with one part going to the captain for recruitment funds, one part kept for the returning soldier, and the last third going to the general military chest.

In a mix of incentive and benevolence, soldiers who completed 12 years of service got the freedom ticket – they could escape serfdom, assuming they'd stayed out of trouble (no desertion or crimes).

Voluntary recruitment was allowed only in certain towns, and no poaching was allowed during trading events. Furthermore, soldiers had to be genuinely free people, not folks tied down by agriculture or servitude.

So there you have it, a snapshot of military conscription in the Union. The draft wasn't anyone's favorite pastime, but at least they tried to add a sense of order – and a pinch of mercy – to the process. Times might have changed, but the dilemmas of defense and citizenship… well, they still show up on our Twitter feeds, don't they?

Till the next trip to the archives—study hard and question everything!

Topics: Method of recruitment; Royal and hereditary estates; Payments for recruits; Nobility and monastic houses; Troop complements; Distribution of recruitment obligation; Penalties for non-presentation of recruits; Protections for recruited soldiers; Conclusion of capitulation; Military desertion; Financial contributions and their usage; Civil and military commissions; Soldier freedoms; Military enlistment;