"OK now, I am just playing the devil's advocate here!"
Don't worry, I won't get mad. I asked for your opinion.
"It certainly *could* be true. But really it is just supposition unless you find a document saying he was disabled."
"It certainly *could* be true. But really it is just supposition unless you find a document saying he was disabled."
I agree, which is why I said 'definitely maybe."
"It's possible that he was in another unit before that one. I've seen that before. In one case, the man was discharged for a medical reason, then rejoined later with another unit. I believe I've also seen where a man just changed units. Technically, just because you can't find evidence of him being in another unit, it doesn't mean that he wasn't."
"It's possible that he was in another unit before that one. I've seen that before. In one case, the man was discharged for a medical reason, then rejoined later with another unit. I believe I've also seen where a man just changed units. Technically, just because you can't find evidence of him being in another unit, it doesn't mean that he wasn't."
Good point, one I hadn't considered. Please see an upcoming post about Charles to see an example of this.
"But assume he joined for the first time in 1863. There might be several reasons for this. I imagine the pressure to join wasn't as strong early in the war, as it was later when the South wasn't doing so well. Towards the end, they were taking really young men and really old ones (and probably ones who were infirm, too)."
"But assume he joined for the first time in 1863. There might be several reasons for this. I imagine the pressure to join wasn't as strong early in the war, as it was later when the South wasn't doing so well. Towards the end, they were taking really young men and really old ones (and probably ones who were infirm, too)."
Yes, that fits with what I have read.
"'He had a family' wasn't a concern. Almost everybody who went to war from the South (and almost all of them did) had a family. I'm not sure how in the world they justified running off and leaving their families, but they did."
"'He had a family' wasn't a concern. Almost everybody who went to war from the South (and almost all of them did) had a family. I'm not sure how in the world they justified running off and leaving their families, but they did."
I just read today about a 40-year-old guy joining. Apparently age was less of an issue at that point than it is in today's professional Army. See the article below.
"Maybe he was a pacifist? (Unlikely.) Maybe he was an anti-secessionist or a loyalist? (Also unlikely, but you never know.) Maybe he had some ailment that prevented him from joining earlier? Maybe he didn't want to join, but was drafted? (They started a draft in 1862.)"
"Maybe he was a pacifist? (Unlikely.) Maybe he was an anti-secessionist or a loyalist? (Also unlikely, but you never know.) Maybe he had some ailment that prevented him from joining earlier? Maybe he didn't want to join, but was drafted? (They started a draft in 1862.)"
I just found a short article about Confederate conscription in the Civil War. Here it is:
"The first Confederate conscription law also applied to men between 18 and 35, providing for substitution (repealed Dec. 1863) and exemptions. A revision, approved 27 Sept. 1862, raised the age to 45; 5 days later the legislators passed the expanded Exemption Act. The Conscription Act of Feb. 1864 called all men between 17 and 50. Conscripts accounted for one-fourth to one-third of the Confederate armies east of the Mississippi between Apr. 1864 and early 1865."
Source: "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" Edited by Patricia L. Faust
Source: "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" Edited by Patricia L. Faust
http://www.civilwarhome.com/conscription.htm
"After looking at his brothers, I thought maybe he joined after his brother Charles died in the war. But I have that date as May 1863, and John joined Feb 1, 1863. But Charles was also with Co C in the 18th, and also in Chattanooga. I can't find his service cards, so I'm not sure if he was also a guard with the Hospital or not. (John McGuire's are filed under John S McGann!)"
"After looking at his brothers, I thought maybe he joined after his brother Charles died in the war. But I have that date as May 1863, and John joined Feb 1, 1863. But Charles was also with Co C in the 18th, and also in Chattanooga. I can't find his service cards, so I'm not sure if he was also a guard with the Hospital or not. (John McGuire's are filed under John S McGann!)"
I already knew about the cards being filed under John S. McGann; these are in the microfilms at the BPL.
"The really odd thing to me is *where* John joined. From Cedar Grove, in Jackson county. What in the world was he doing up there?! I'm wondering if he joined that unit because that's where his brother was, and Cedar Grove was where he had to go to join that unit...? I really don't know."
That one I can answer:
"Leeds began as a small farming settlement around 1828 when the Cedar Grove Post Office was opened. Once the county line of Shelby and Jefferson Counties was changed, a new post office opened in 1869 and was called Oakridge. Later, in 1884, the Leeds post office was opened. Leeds was incorporated as a town in 1887. It was named for the city of Leeds in England."
http://www.usacitiesonline.com/alcountyleeds.htm
I still think the biggest indicator that John L. might have been disabled is that he enlisted as a hospital guard. The job was one of the dirtiest, smelliest jobs going, and certainly not taken by the best fighting men.
More on this debate in a later post!
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