Desertion in the Tar Heel State

This exhibit is about the desertion crisis that took hold of the Confederate South during the Civil War, taking a specific interest in North Carolina. There will be evidence to support two claims, that desertion was a major issue in the Confederacy, yet desertion was not any worse off in North Carolina than any other Southern state. Primary sources include correspondence, autobiographies and proclamations. Further research comes from scholarly secondary sources debating the extent of desertion in North Carolina, what reasons led to desertion and what measures the government and military took to try and prevent this absenteeism.