This, however, was found to act very badly.

In some cases the best men in the regiment were chosen; but too often the men who had the command of money, and could afford to stand treat and get in supplies of food and spirits, were elected.

The evils of the system were found so great, indeed, that it was gradually abandoned; but in cases of vacancies occurring in the field, and there being a necessity for at once filling them up, the colonels of the regiments had power to make appointments, and if the choice of the men was considered to be satisfactory, their nominee would be generally chosen.
In the case of Jackson, the colonel had hesitated in confirming the choice of the men.

He did not for a moment suspect him to be wanting in courage; but he regarded him as one who shirked his work, and who won the votes of the men rather by a fluent tongue and by the violence of his expressions of hatred against the North than by any soldierly qualities.
Some of the officers had been months in prison, and they were highly indignant at the delays that had occurred in effecting their exchange.
The South, indeed, would have been only too glad to get rid of some of their numerous prisoners, who were simply an expense and trouble to them, and to get their own men back into their ranks.

They could ill spare the soldiers required to guard so large a number of prisoners, and a supply of food was in itself a serious matter.
Thus it was at Harper's Ferry, and upon a good many other occasions, they released vast numbers of prisoners on their simple paroles not to serve again.