When we speak about draft dodgers, we normally mean the potential recruits, who are trying to stay out of the military. In the case of Dr. Josiah Beckwith, he was a CT doctor examining recruits for the Civil War, and more than 90% of them got medical deferments, meaning they didn’t have to serve. The intriguing back story is told by the author of Litchfield County and the Civil War, Peter Vermilyea.