Mr. Wise,

If he was enlisted and had been detailed to serve another task (teamsters, hospital steward, cobbler, butcher, shoemaker, etc) then that is normally noted in the Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR). On the "card" in the CMSR that represents the extract from the Company Muster Roll it will have in the remarks, "Present" or "Absent" (I have seen it both ways) "detailed as...." There are those that did serve as detailed or "extra" duty where it did not make it into the record. Usually, this would take place when there was a gap in the company muster rolls. For the Army of Tennessee, this is not unusual and the most obvious gap for the entire army is April- November 1864.

Your ancestor may have been some of the lucky few that God's grace looked down on and he made it through without significant injury, impairment, or debility.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
War Between the States Historian
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment
http://39thgavolinfrgt.homestead.com/39thHomepage.html