Visiting a Confederate, and several Union, Graves in Patchogue on Long Island, NY

Good point. I have sometimes seen wounded men described as deserters while they were in hospital.
... or POW, or on detached duty, or dead, even. It caused a lot of trouble for some when they applied for pensions. They had to scramble around to get the proper documentation and prove they had been properly discharged. Sometimes it took an act of Congress to get a desertion charge removed from the record. Makes you wonder how falsely inflated published desertion rates may be.
 
... or POW, or on detached duty, or dead, even. It caused a lot of trouble for some when they applied for pensions. They had to scramble around to get the proper documentation and prove they had been properly discharged. Sometimes it took an act of Congress to get a desertion charge removed from the record. Makes you wonder how falsely inflated published desertion rates may be.
True.
 
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