John C. Powers was on company roll for Sept and Oct 1863, when he was reported absent without leave. No later record of him has been found. He is listed as a deserter ["R/Deserted"....What does the R mean?] His widow, Annie, applied for a pension AL Pension No. 30708. I would like to get a copy of this pension to see if there might be additional family info on it.
Questions:
1. Could "Annie" be a nickname for Adeline?
2. Is there a place to get CSA records and pensions that is less expensive than the $50 plus at History-Sites.com?
3. Could he have been absent without leave because he was killed and his body could not be found?
4. If not, where did deserters go and what did they do? Sign up with the Union???
5. One of my distant cousins says that she has the Confederate sword of our John Powers, passed down from her grandmother to her mother and to her. Did Infantry carry swords? How did his sword get back to the family, but no word of what happened to him was ever reported.
6. The 57th AL D was organized in Pike Co. but Dale Co. is mentioned 2 times with John C. Powers' information. Why is that?
7. What other regiments could a man living in Pike Co. have signed up with, if this is not my ancestor?