Deserting the Confederacy

One of the fun parts of my job is getting to see all the new books when they arrive. Today, I cataloged a new book that looks like it will provide a great deal of insights into the reasons people deserted the Confederate army. It's entitled More Damning than Slaughter: Desertion in the Confederate Army and is written by Mark A. Weitz. I suppose that some of my great-great grandfather's brothers were among those who would be considered deserters. They were some of those who were forced to join and looked for their first opportunity to escape. They then went and joined the Union Army. The index does not include the Thornton surname; however, it does include Alabama which is where they lived. It appears to be a very interesting book. It appears to be fairly even in its coverage of all geographic areas, focusing more on fitting desertion into the context of life in the South at that time. The author quotes from many letters and has definitely done a thorough job on this topic. I just may have to be the first person to check this one out!