> No, there were always ways. Folklore is full of stories of people avoiding being drafted. You can only draft someone who is there (and who is healthy).
And the stories people tell are about the exciting and unusual things. You're not going to have folklore about people being harshly punished for resisting the powers that be, because it the likely outcome and expected.
Actually, also yes. I was not just refering to fairytales. And unlike people seemed to assume about my comment, that it was easy, nor convenient. Just that draft dodging is as old as the concept of forecfully drafting.
Just shy of swimming across the English channel, very few excuses actually helped people escape impressment. If the press gang had you, the only way you could become less desirable would be to permanently disfigure yourself. Desertion could mean execution, the only safe path to freedom was by doing your service.