Alan, I guess we've gotten a little spoiled on the Arkansas board. The experts who post here all seem to have a good handle on the Conscription Law, and its later incarnations. I think a Civil War researcher should at least know about that.

Since there's a limit on how much any one person can actually "know", it's important to "know where to look." In the case of Confederate military law, when someone asks a question that exceeds my knowledge, I go to my dog-eared copy of "Military Justice in the Confederate States Armies."

Speculation certainly has its place, as long as it is clearly labeled as speculation. "Thinking out loud" posts on the Arkansas board have opened up whole new avenues of research, or at least some fascinating discussions. But answering a novice's question with speculation, without a disclaimer as to that fact, doesn't help at all.

Just my opinion.