officer resignations at start of war

[straggler]

Comrades,

Is there a good source that covers the number of regular infantry officers
that resigned their commissions to fight for the south at the onset of the
war?

Same thing for enlisted me (who I would guess would be classified as
deserters - not having a commission to resign).

Thanks in advance.

[markj]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

One obvious source that would be helpful--but a "long roe to hoe" is:

Heitman, Francis Bernard, 1838-1926. Historical register and dictionary of the United States Army, from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903. Washington DC: Govt. Print. Off., 1903. (Reprinted by the University of Illinois Press, Urbana IL, 1965).

Original, or reprinted, editions of Heitman's work can likely be accessed at any large academic library in your area. You can also possibly obtain this through interlibrary loan although such works are normally in the "Reference" area and are not loaned out.

Good luck,

Mark Jaeger

[Tom Ezell]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

Comrades,

Is there a good source that covers the number of regular infantry officers
that resigned their commissions to fight for the south at the onset of the
war?

Same thing for enlisted me (who I would guess would be classified as
deserters - not having a commission to resign).

In a quick count, some 306 regular officers (not all infantry) resigned to go south.

On the other hand, nearly NO noncommissioned officers or enlisted soldiers left the U.S Army to go over to the Confederacy... only a few dozen of those stationed in Texas were persuaded by Earl Van Dorn to come over to the regular Confederate army.

I'll root around and get some better figures; the quote for officers came from Rebels From West Point (which has a roster of the WPPA alumni who resigned, from which you can probably figure out their branch of service in 1861; the note about the enlisted from The Confederate Regular Army.

[Darrell Cochran]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

In a quick count, some 306 regular officers (not all infantry) resigned to go south.

And some resigned but did not go south ... Capt. Henry Schroeder, commanding Company D of the Third Infantry, resigned when the regiment arrived in Washington in early May 1861. He moved to Frederick, Maryland and sat out the war.

[BrianHicks]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

Something to consider.

Enlisted men did not have the luxury of the option to resign from the service. They were contractually obligated for a specified term of service. If they left that service early, it was usually considered desertion unless they were discharged for medical reasons or derogatory behavior.

[Dale Beasley]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

Something to consider.

Enlisted men did not have the luxury of the option to resign from the service. They were contractually obligated for a specified term of service. If they left that service early, it was usually considered desertion unless they were discharged for medical reasons or derogatory behavior.

Brian, good point...

But I wonder, the NON-COMS, and basic enlisted soldier, did he not also have felt an obligation to his home state? Or do you think he felt, if captured he would have been shot on the spot?

[Tom Ezell]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

All good points... Enlisted men are bound to a certain term of service by their enlistment contracts and don't have the option to simply say, "I quit."

Then again, in looking at the men who made up the pre-war Regular Army, they were in many cases immigrants, or folks who didn't really have firm roots anywhere. For them, the Army was their home and their state, so to say.

Tom

[BrianHicks]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

I do not have the figures immediately available, but I recall that 48% (If I remember correctly, this is equal to 22 out of 46 Officers... or there abouts) of the Commissioned Officers in the Marine Corps at the start of 1860, had resigned by mid 1861.

But for enlisted, out of the 1,050 or so on active duty, only three are reported absent... gone south... at the start of 1861.

In some box still in storage in Ca. I have photcopies of the original USMC Officers muster rolls for 1860 and 1861, with annotaions of who resigned, went south, etc.

[A Sykes Regular]

Re: officer resignations at start of war

Here's some more stats... regarding West Point graduates, of 977 graduates of the USMA classes of 1833–1861 alive when war began, 259 joined the Confederacy (including 32 Northerners), while 638 fought for the Union (including 39 Southerners). By 1860, three-fourths of the Army's commissioned officers were academy graduates -- only 25% of the officers who had graduated from West Point resigned to join the Confederacy, although 37% of the prewar officer corps came from the South. Still, there was considerable turmoil among the Regular officers at the company level. In the 4th US, Co. H both Lieutentants resigned in the 6 weeks after Ft. Sumter.

Among regular units, there was a more limited number of enlisted departures, and for a number of reasons, during the long trip back east. The 4th US, Co. H had just one enlisted desertion - for example - Cpl. Martin Mozinski deserted the company in what is today Panama as the company took the rails from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast. I've always wondered what happened to him - he was made a corporal just a month earlier... The 2nd US also lost one or two enlisted men during the trip back, but due to illness or accident.

Ed Czarnecki