Dear Mr. Stanford,

Thanks for your participation, but may I ask that you "source" your posting. Please quote Robert E Lee's and Francis Barlows regarding deserters and source the information that the men called to roundup deserters were "Able soldiers, usually the harshest and the most military bearing". Of course, "Cold Mountain" is a work of fiction and though it can "spur... thought" as you state, it should not be used as an historical reference.

The message boards are not well suited to opinion-based postings, so I ask that you please re-post this information with references to the sources for your statements.

Thanks,

Jim Martin