Regulars goin South

[Sgt Scotti]

The proffesional US Army (pre ACW) has always been a point of interest for me. One issue Ive never been very successful in finding info on is the native southrons that left their posts and headed home to enlist in their home state's forces. Of course we all know of the dozens of officers that resigned their commissions that went on to lead the confederate armies; but what about the average enlisted man from Arkansas to N Carolina serving in the numerous outposts on the western frontier. What did he do or feel when he saw his Captain or Lieutenant going home to join the new Confederacy. Now I have a couple of ideas or opinions that I would say stopped him from doing this:

1- the Army of then had alot of men seeking refuge from legal persecution at home, so why would he want to go back.
2- German and Irish immigrants made up a large percantage of the army and the US Army was the only home they knew
3- the majority of soldiers were stationed on the frontier fighting Comanches, Sioux, and almost every other kind of indians (no offense meant), he didnt want to leave his best friends; his new family after that. (being an active Marine the past 6 years and deploying multiple times with my own brothers, this makes the most sense to me)

These are in my opinion the biggest 3 reasons that held a native southern enlisted man back from deserting his post and command. I have read the regimental histories of the Infantry, Artillery, and Dragoons; read accounts of army life before the war by many officers, and have only found that 26 enlisted men had left their commands. If thats wrong, by all means let me know. Who were they? Who did they serve with? If anyone has any info or resources to contribute please do. This is something I have wondered on for quite a while.
Moderators, if this thread dont belong here, or if this topic has been addressed than I apologize. Thanks for any help I may get.

[FortyRounder]

Re: Regulars goin South

Given that the majority of the Regulars at the outbreak of the war were European immigrants, were the numbers of native-born Southerners significant enough to make an impression?

If we assume that about 6,000 out of the 16,000 enlisted men were "Americans" (and I think that an overly generous proportion, since Irishmen and Germans alone accounted for over half of the army), I think we can further assume that most of those 6,000 were out-of-work tradesmen or laborers from the towns and cities, perhaps desperate for work after the tough times of the '50s. Most of the urban areas were in the north, so, if I'm assuming correctly, the number of Southerners in the ranks would have been relatively small. Maybe in that case the 26 who left were a significant minority.

Also, I don't doubt your scholarship Scotti but I'm pretty surprised to hear that only 26 deserted at the outbreak of the war, given what we know about how hard it was to hold onto these desperate men for a five-year contract. On the website for the 3rd U.S. reenactors there is a roster for Company D in June of '61:

http://usregulars.web.aplus.net/roster.html

According to the site authors, out of a strength of 75 officers and men "Desertion was a constant problem - 29 men deserted between Jan. 1 and June 30, including the first sergeant, a musician, and a private whose wife had been a laundress. ... Recruiting didn't help either - five recruits deserted who had been assigned while the company was at Fort Hamilton, New York in May."

In a book by a Scotsman named George Ballentine who enlisted in 1845, available on google book search, we hear that the turnover rate in regular companies was extremely high, a combination of desertions, enlistments completed, transfers to other commands and details. I think Ballentine notes that in his five years with the army, several hundred men passed through his artillery battery, which had an average strength of fifty!

It's also rarely aknowledged that the Regulars had a higher desertion rate than the volunteers during the Civil War. All in all it seems to me that, while the Army did provide a "home" to many men, their loyalty to that home was often shaky at best.

[Sgt Scotti]

Re: Regulars goin South

Forty rounder, thanks for the input. I agree with you; 26 is a suprisingly low number given the circumstances that you pointed out. I dont know if that is the most accurate number, the problem is that its the only definitive number I can find. I would tend to assume that out of all the desertions, a hell of alot more than 26 left to fight for the South, but unfortunatley these soldiers did not fill out a roster of where they intended to go after dissapearing from their commands. My sole purpose in creating this thread was to find out if any of these men were known to us (i.e. names, original commands, new commands). Are there any known accounts written by any of these enlisted men. Thanks again