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Why would a deserter from the Corn-fed Army who is a cook be, post-desertion, upgraded to a private? Mind you, the man was never caught and returned to the colors. He was upgraded during his absence. I've seen where folks were demoted in abstentia after deserting but never promoted.
Was there a bigger bounty on privates than cooks?
Would it be easier to get a replacement for a deserting private from the conscription pool than for a deserting cook?
Could be the unit commander was trying to embelish his census for self promotion. A cook and a private in the Confederate army were paid about the same ie, ziltch. Desertion as you know was a common occurence int he Confederate army. We were fighting on our home ground, close by in many cases to personal property, family etc. What looked and smelled like desertion was often just a quick check on the homefront from which many men returned to combat. Others kept marching or took the oath to march some more.
He could also have been a really terrible cook and during the time his was a.w.o.l., they found a much better cook. Mr. AWOL was then sent to the line to inflict damage upon Union troops by throwing his leftovers at the them in the first case of germ warfare.
Could be...maybe...possibly...nah
Bart
__________________ "Thank You....Noooo."
Major Charles Emerson Winchester III M.A.S.H. 4077th
Could be the unit commander was trying to embelish his census for self promotion.
Now that is an interesting thought for which I beg explanation. Just how does it embellish a unit commander's reputation when a private deserted instead of a cook? I think I'd want to hide the number of desertions rather than inflate the rank of them.
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
Ole, In retrospect I'd like to hear an explanation of that one myself. Something, probably an alien spirit, had me thinking about whether cooks were considered soldiers. I must have fallen off the stool about that time.
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
While a soldier could cook(?) for his comrades, I do not think men enlisted as cooks were soldiers (though modernly there is a MOS for them). Cooks, like musicians were auxilliaries.
Both of whom, however, were expected to shoulder a musket and stand in line if the need arose. Musicians were regularly dragooned to remove the wounded. I'd suspect that some cooks were protected while others were sent out on point.:-) Pioneers frequently came under fire but were normally sent to the rear when real action threatened.
Just complicating a situation.
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
I never read that a musician was expected to shoulder a musket. They generally served as litter bearers (part of the English tradition). As for cooks, if they were soldiers (privates), then they were expected to wield a musket. However, colored men (to use the verbiage of the period) who mustered as cooks were not expected to fight as soldiers (though some unofficially did fight). Pioneers is rather cloudy and in the Union Army, men were detailed to serve as pioneers. There is one pioneer unit (50th NY) in the Union Army and as for the Corn-feds, their engineers relied on slaves (whose masters were paid) & freemen.
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Confederate deserter question 
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