Due to research related to "Finding a Union Unit" that I posted esarlier, I foundd this information that may be of interest to other researchers.

George
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http://www.ehistory.com/uscw/features/articles_new/display.cfm?NationId=14

---------------GALVANIZED YANKEES---------------------

The term, "Galvanized Yankee" is often used in reenacting today, but evidence indicates that it was originally used to designate captured Union soldiers who turned Confederate. As the term came into general use during the war, it applied more often to those Confederates who took the oath of allegiance to the Union. Records show that nearly 6,000 Galvanized Yankees chose to serve the United States in the war against hostile Indians. Regiments of Galvanized Yankees were ordered West from the autumn of 1864 through most of 1865. Many of these soldiers chose this fate over long-term imprisonment after their capture on Civil War battlefields. Some were deserters, while others may have changed their loyalties or became disenchanted with the Civil War. Another term for Galvanized Yankee, which was used by fellow soldiers, was "white-washed Rebels." Though they were designated as U. S. Volunteers, official communications often referred to them as "deserters" or "rebel prisoners." However, the longer these regiments served, the fewer were the references to their origin.