Terry E. Justice,
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Thank you for explaining where Slayback's Regiment was on Oct 13, 1864. Since W.J. Guthrie was a 2d lieutenant and he came from Grayson County TX, I seriously doubt that he deserted.
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Years after the War, a hot topic in Texas was rehashing the Oct 13, 1864 Battle of Elm Creek. This Joseph Carroll McDonnell interviewed about 500 people for his 1933 and 1936 highly acclaimed books, and yes, some sorely exaggerated the truth, sort of like: "The rooster taking credit for the sunrise."
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Meanwhile, please make sure that Slayback Regt. resarchers have the personal data about this "William Jackson Guthrie" currently found on my web page, since this data seems to be as rare as hen's teeth.
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http://www.bourlandcivilwar.com/GuthrieBourlandsRegtCoD.htm
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Patti, prochette@Juno.com
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