GDG- Re: Gettysburg Digest, Vol 27, Issue 1

[ccj at infionline.net]

Dave,

The short answer is that missing in action (MIA) includes prisoners of war. 
Simply, it is a category for personnel known to have been in action with the 
enemy and whose whereabouts and actual fate cannot be ascertained.  This is 
the way it was and the way it is today, although today (the last time I 
looked) the category is called CMIA (captured, missing in action).  There is 
another letter from Lee on the 5,000 who slipped away with the trains at 
Tulane University, and he of course deplored this, but it is not necessarily 
a true index of demoralization.  Nor can we conclude that these folks were 
all captured.  The Confederate straggler was a wily character and had a 
knack for sticking with his buds.  We need to remember that there were large 
hauls of PWs on the first day (Archer, Davis) and the third day (PPT 
charge), plus WIA left behind.

Curt Johnson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David W. Gaddy" <dwgaddy at crosslink.net>
To: <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 3:57 PM
Subject: GDG- Re: Gettysburg Digest, Vol 27, Issue 1


> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
>
> Tom,
> This (from Chapter XII) is another one of Freeman's tantalizing statements 
> w/o citation as to source or basis. The number is remarkably close to that 
> he uses on p. 190 (Chap. X) as the total missing (5150)--which, in itself, 
> is part of an odd tally, assessing losses in terms of killed, wounded, 
> missing, but no statement on captured. I failed to find substantiation for 
> the statement in LL in Kent Masterson Brown.
>
>
> Dave Gaddy
>
>