Deserted

Desertion was common in the Civil War and is one of the most frequent charges in Union court-martial files. In the North, the Provost Marshal General's Bureau arrested deserters and kept registers of them.

A desertion entry is worth checking rather than accepting. Look at later cards in the compiled service record for a return to duty, an arrest or a court-martial order, and look in the pension file, since a desertion charge could cost a veteran his pension.