Gain or loss was important to him.
We forget that muster rolls were used for anything other than identifying our ancestors. It's really a military accounting ledger. Officers used a schedule printed on every roll to summarize totals (present, absent, transfers, discharges, desertions &c) from the roll and account for changes since the last muster. The regimental adjutant totaled individual company rolls for his return. He forwarded his report to the brigade AAG, and so on to the army or department HQ.
Certain columns were grouped for totals of present for duty, aggregate present, aggregate present and absent. Confederate officers had a problem with accounting for prisoners of war on the printed return (not the muster rolls). The return failed to take them into account, so officers had to improvise. Most simply borrowed a column for that purpose, and made notes so higher HQ would understand.