Desertion's impact on the war

[major bill]

Both the North and South had their share of men deserting. Did desertions hurt the Union or South the most? If the South had been better able to control desertion they would have had more men in the army but the same could be said of the North. It seems like the whole desertion problem kind of leveled out. It does appear that the Confederacy had more problems late in the war replacing the soldiers who deserted than the Union. This does not mean that Union desertions were not very high in 1864-65, just that the number of Union soldiers joining or being drafted could cover the desertion rate, while by 1864 the Confederacy was having problems with recruit and drafting enough men to replace the men deserting.

 

[James_tiberous]

North just had more people to replace those that left. And blacks. I bet black soldiers did not desert nearly as much as white soldiers. Late in the war that was a big benefit to the north.

 

[major bill]

North just had more people to replace those that left. And blacks. I bet black soldiers did not desert nearly as much as white soldiers. Late in the war that was a big benefit to the north.

From what I have read you would lose that bet. It appears that black Union soldiers deserted at a slightly higher rate than Union white soldiers.

 

[leftyhunter]

Both the North and South had their share of men deserting. Did desertions hurt the Union or South the most? If the South had been better able to control desertion they would have had more men in the army but the same could be said of the North. It seems like the whole desertion problem kind of leveled out. It does appear that the Confederacy had more problems late in the war replacing the soldiers who deserted than the Union. This does not mean that Union desertions were not very high in 1864-65, just that the number of Union soldiers joining or being drafted could cover the desertion rate, while by 1864 the Confederacy was having problems with recruit and drafting enough men to replace the men deserting.

It hurt the Confederacy much more because Confederate deserters were much more likely to turn their muskets on their fellow comrades.
Confederate deserters often joined the Union Army , became Unionist guerrillas or homeguards, or often freelance bandits.
I have numerous sourced examples in my threads "Union vs CSA Guerrillas" , "How serious was Desertion in the CSA?" "how effective were Unionist Regiments?".
For example the 2nd Florida Cavalry Union and the 2nd and Third North Carolina Mounted Infantry Union were mostly composed of Confederate deserters.
I have ORs where Confederate officials complain and use dogs on large deserter gangs.
Leftyhunter

 

[GS]

CSA desertions in North Alabama reached 8000-10000 by late 1863. How does that compare with Union desertions?

 

[wausaubob]

It is hard to tell. But one combatant's territory was being invaded, and was experiencing a broad degredation of civil order. The other section was minimally invaded, most of being completely untouched by war violence, with civil order and elections going on.
Deserters don't leave many records, do they.

 

[leftyhunter]

CSA desertions in North Alabama reached 8000-10000 by late 1863. How does that compare with Union desertions?

Plus many were fighting Confederate authorities. The First Alabama Calvery Union had many Confederate deserters.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

It is hard to tell. But one combatant's territory was being invaded, and was experiencing a broad degredation of civil order. The other section was minimally invaded, most of being completely untouched by war violence, with civil order and elections going on.
Deserters don't leave many records, do they.

Actually per the ORs written by Confederate authorities they very much did. The best known deserter of course was Newt Knight. David "Tinker Dave" Beatty of East Tennessee is another one and Colonel George Kirk recruited many Confederate deserters. Thanks to modern scholars such has Professor David Williams and Daniel Sutherland we know quite a bit about Confederate deserters and ues they did leave records.
The Confederacy as you mentioned did indeed have grave security issues all of which involved deserters. Sutherlands recent book( which I left at a friends house so I dont have the exact title) something like " Guerrilas Unionists andd violence on the Confederate home front" has a lot of detail from all accross the Confederacy.
Leftyhunter

 

[Drew]

This 1894 article from the New York Times demonstrates nearly 300,000 desertions from the Union Army. What effect this may have had on the war, I can't say.

 

[Mike Serpa]

According to historian Ella Lonn, of the approximately 103,400 enlisted men who deserted the Confederacy by war's end, 6,797 were from Georgia. Among the eleven Confederate states with significant (defined as more than 3,500) numbers of deserters, Georgia ranked sixth—behind North Carolina (23,694), Tennessee (12,155), Virginia (12,071), Mississippi (11,604), and Arkansas (10,029). The bulk of Georgia deserters belonged to the Army of Tennessee and hailed from the north Georgia mountains and upper Piedmont region.... While 3,368 Georgians deserted to Union lines throughout the war, approximately 11,000 affluent Georgia men received exemptions and were able to remain in their communities and maintain social and economic stability.
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/desertion-during-civil-war

 

[huskerblitz]

According to historian Ella Lonn, of the approximately 103,400 enlisted men who deserted the Confederacy by war's end, 6,797 were from Georgia. Among the eleven Confederate states with significant (defined as more than 3,500) numbers of deserters, Georgia ranked sixth—behind North Carolina (23,694), Tennessee (12,155), Virginia (12,071), Mississippi (11,604), and Arkansas (10,029). The bulk of Georgia deserters belonged to the Army of Tennessee and hailed from the north Georgia mountains and upper Piedmont region.... While 3,368 Georgians deserted to Union lines throughout the war, approximately 11,000 affluent Georgia men received exemptions and were able to remain in their communities and maintain social and economic stability.
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/desertion-during-civil-war

My copy of this finally arrived today after a long delay in shipping. Be interested in seeing her conclusions.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

It is hard to tell. But one combatant's territory was being invaded, and was experiencing a broad degredation of civil order. The other section was minimally invaded, most of being completely untouched by war violence, with civil order and elections going on.
Deserters don't leave many records, do they.

I think on that point more Confederates would have deserted simply based on the fact their homes and families were being severely affected by the war effort being carried out on their territory. Not to say men in the North didn't have families calling them home for many of the same reasons - financial hardships, illness, etc. It must have been incredibly difficult for some of them to stay in the field when the supports that are offered to families now didn't even exist. Poorhouses were a reality back in the day, and I wonder how many were forced to go there (on either side) in light of the circumstances they had to confront. Some of these men must have been so torn between family and duty. Often the word 'desertion' brings to mind a lack of 'mettle' or responsibility to the task at hand. I'm surprised more didn't desert in the circumstances.

I imagine it had to have an impact on the war effort...you can't affect a war without men in the field.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

From what I have read you would lose that bet. It appears that black Union soldiers deserted at a slightly higher rate than Union white soldiers.

I'm just wondering why would that be? Any ideas @major bill ?

 

[major bill]

I'm just wondering why would that be? Any ideas @major bill ?

I recently purchased Desertion During the Civil War by Ella Lonn and I am sure that is where I got the view that black Union soldiers deserted at a slightly higher rate than white soldiers. I only skimmed through the book and have not read it all. The author did not say why it happened on the pages I read, but might somewhere else in the book.

The book also seemed to say that foreign born soldiers both in the Union and Confederacy deserted at a higher rate. I need to find time to read the entire book.

 

[major bill]

Another thing I would like to read about is if in Northern areas where Lincoln did poorly in the 1860 election desertion rates were higher. Not sure this is a fact or not, but it does seem soldiers, especially those drafted, may not have supported the war at the same rate as those from areas where Lincoln was popular.

 

[Mike Serpa]

My copy of this finally arrived today after a long delay in shipping. Be interested in seeing her conclusions.

Her book is also online. I don't like to read more than a couple pages online. I wonder if any new facts have been discovered in the 90 years since her book was published?

 

[leftyhunter]

This 1894 article from the New York Times demonstrates nearly 300,000 desertions from the Union Army. What effect this may have had on the war, I can't say.

Quite a bit has the Union Army was constantly recruiting to make up for the loss from desertion as well has death, disease, injury and mental breakdowns. For example the Union did recruit overseas and both sides recruited from prison camps ( see my thread " Did the Union recruit overseas?" and @major bill thread " Why no galvanized Confederates ?" both sides recruited Indians and a Union state recruited blacks even earlier then the EP i.e. the 1st Kansas Coloured Infantry.
Both sides were absolutely desperate for manpower since the attrition rate was so high.
The difference is Confederate deserters by much larger numbers were willing to fight against the Confederacy.
Leftyhunter

 

[gary]

Desertion played a huge part in the Confederacy's defeat. 100k men was enough to raise another huge army that could operate along interior lines to defeat Union offensives. It could also be used offensively (but at a higher cost in terms of men and material).

 

[nc native]

I think desertion was more of a problem and a hindrance to the Confederate cause more
so than the Union especially as the war wore on and it became more evident that the South
was going to be defeated. One of my direct ancestors probably deserted the 24th North
Carolina after Fort Stedman in March 1865 and before that he had two other brothers that
deserted who served in other North Carolina regiments in 1864. No one likes to feel they
are fighting and risking their life for something that is in vain and like the American
desertion rate during the middle years of the American Revolution, the desertion rate
for the Confederacy was quite high when they needed manpower the most.

 

[major bill]

Desertion played a huge part in the Confederacy's defeat. 100k men was enough to raise another huge army that could operate along interior lines to defeat Union offensives. It could also be used offensively (but at a higher cost in terms of men and material).

Intersting war like this there will always be desertions. The question being was the 100,000 too much? Next how did the Union and Confedercy combat desertions?