- Joined
- Dec 3, 2011
- Location
- Laurinburg NC
It is not true that Union soldiers deserted at a higher percentage than Confederate soldiers. Soldiers from both sides deserted at nearly the same rate. This would indicate that conscription or draft did not seem to be a determining factor when it came to deserting.
About 100,000 Confederate soldiers deserted
About 200,000 Union solders deserted
When you take in to account the Union Army had over twice as many total soldiers, the Confederacy had a higher percent desertion rate (this percentage jumps around depending on what source you use for the total number of Confederate soldiers).
???!
"General Hooker estimated in 1863 that 85,000 officers and men had deserted from the Army of the Potomac, while it was stated in in December of 1862 that no less than 180,000 of the soldiers listed on the Union were absent with or without leave." This is just for the Army of the Potomac, it would be interesting to see the desertion figures for all the Union armies. Then too, by 1864 the Union desertion rate had jumped to an average of 7,333 a month, approximately another 88,000 a year.

