Confederate officials had pursued impressment as early as 1861, when the government published lists of prices and attempted to buy staples from farmers and other businessmen. The ongoing need for a regular source of supply, however, prompted the Confederate Congress to pass an impressment law on March 26, 1863. The act directed military officials, with the assistance of state boards of impressments, to buy food, fuel, and other needed commodities. Read more about: Confederate Impressment During the Civil War