Where can I find military desertion records for my Great, great grandfather during the Civil War?

Hi - I have the same question, different specifics, regarding my great-grandfather's possible desertion.

My great-grandfather was David James Terry, but he mostly went by David Terry, or David J. Terry.

According to the US Army, Register of Enlistements, he served with the 1st Art. E, which I assume is First Artillery, Company E. He enlisted in Boston on November 5, 1858, by someone of the last name "Van Vonst??" for a period of 5 years.

I have no further records of his time with this company except on the same document, under the column "Deserted," it states, 18 Mch '59 (obi deserted March 18, 1859), and there is a check under the "Apprehended" column.  There are no further notes or info on him.  I am wondering:

a.  Why he deserted?  Although I have heard stories about how poorly the Irish immigrants (he emigrated from Cork shortly before enlisting) were treated in the army, and it's kind of curious how he deserted the day after St. Patrick's Day.   I cannot locate the record of the muster rolls for this regiment, although I did locate a brief description of their military history here:  First Regiment of Artillery | Center of Military History .  It sounds as though they were stationed in the southern/gulf states just as the Civil War broke out. 

The next military record I have states on May 14, 1861 he enlisted in the 42nd NY Infantry Regiment (The Tammany Regiment, Company E.  I have found records of him which are conflicting here, which leads me to my second question:

b.  Was he discharged as a Corporal or Private?  In both the Civil War Muster Roll abstracts of 1863 and in the original Muster Roll of 1861, he is ranked 2nd Corporal; I know this is the same David Terry because he was transferred to the Invalid Corps in Washington, D.C., in the second of his three year term, in November 1863, and the record of his pension in 1890 reflects the same, except in the 1890 Veteran's Schedule pension he is listed as a private.  Same dates of enlistment, same Company though.

c.  I would also like as detailed a record of his service as possible.  There is a Private Terry mentioned in the book, "The Tammany Regiment," by Fred C. Wexler, although it does not state his company, and he would have been a Corporal by then, as he is listed as one in the 1861 Muster Roll of James Lynch's company.

It would seem, as his term in the 1st Art E was for 5 years, and began in 1858, that he had been allowed to serve his remaining time in the 42nd NY.  I don't know much about the military, but I doubt he would have been made 2nd Corporal if he were still being disciplined.  Additionally, it seems he was transferred to the Invalid corps for some sort of illness, not an injury.  There is more information regarding this on the 1890 Veteran's Schedule, but the handwriting is very difficult to decipher.  In the "Remarks" column, it says something like, "D______ Brigade?? sent to Invalid Corps _ unfit for duty _____ ____ ________ 1863"..if ever there were a candidate for PTSD, after reading the history of both of these regiments, I'd say maybe it was a mental thing?  The "Disability Incurred" column was left blank.

Any suggestions or advice are greatly appreciated. 

Hi - I have the same question, different specifics, regarding my great-grandfather's possible desertion.

My great-grandfather was David James Terry, but he mostly went by David Terry, or David J. Terry.

According to the US Army, Register of Enlistements, he served with the 1st Art. E, which I assume is First Artillery, Company E. He enlisted in Boston on November 5, 1858, by someone of the last name "Van Vonst??" for a period of 5 years.

I have no further records of his time with this company except on the same document, under the column "Deserted," it states, 18 Mch '59 (obi deserted March 18, 1859), and there is a check under the "Apprehended" column.  There are no further notes or info on him.  I am wondering:

a.  Why he deserted?  Although I have heard stories about how poorly the Irish immigrants (he emigrated from Cork shortly before enlisting) were treated in the army, and it's kind of curious how he deserted the day after St. Patrick's Day.   I cannot locate the record of the muster rolls for this regiment, although I did locate a brief description of their military history here:  First Regiment of Artillery | Center of Military History .  It sounds as though they were stationed in the southern/gulf states just as the Civil War broke out. 

The next military record I have states on May 14, 1861 he enlisted in the 42nd NY Infantry Regiment (The Tammany Regiment, Company E.  I have found records of him which are conflicting here, which leads me to my second question:

b.  Was he discharged as a Corporal or Private?  In both the Civil War Muster Roll abstracts of 1863 and in the original Muster Roll of 1861, he is ranked 2nd Corporal; I know this is the same David Terry because he was transferred to the Invalid Corps in Washington, D.C., in the second of his three year term, in November 1863, and the record of his pension in 1890 reflects the same, except in the 1890 Veteran's Schedule pension he is listed as a private.  Same dates of enlistment, same Company though.

c.  I would also like as detailed a record of his service as possible.  There is a Private Terry mentioned in the book, "The Tammany Regiment," by Fred C. Wexler, although it does not state his company, and he would have been a Corporal by then, as he is listed as one in the 1861 Muster Roll of James Lynch's company.

It would seem, as his term in the 1st Art E was for 5 years, and began in 1858, that he had been allowed to serve his remaining time in the 42nd NY.  I don't know much about the military, but I doubt he would have been made 2nd Corporal if he were still being disciplined.  Additionally, it seems he was transferred to the Invalid corps for some sort of illness, not an injury.  There is more information regarding this on the 1890 Veteran's Schedule, but the handwriting is very difficult to decipher.  In the "Remarks" column, it says something like, "D______ Brigade?? sent to Invalid Corps _ unfit for duty _____ ____ ________ 1863"..if ever there were a candidate for PTSD, after reading the history of both of these regiments, I'd say maybe it was a mental thing?  The "Disability Incurred" column was left blank.

Any suggestions or advice are greatly appreciated. 

Hi Marcella,

Since you're also looking at the time period around the Civil War, I would check out the Prologue article, and contact archives1reference@nara.gov to request the compiled Military Service Record, any courts-martial records, and any other records that may be related to his service. If you've been following the thread, there have been some other good suggestions too!

Megan Dwyre

Textual Reference Archives II Branch

National Archives at College Park, MD