All those below who posted are correct. I would like to point out the numbers were very fluid. The maximum/minimum yearly numbers had to be affected by the desertions, time of the year, political and military events. There was a respectfully high number who served sometime between 1860-65, but the number of effective troops at any given time was in constant flux and much lower than what the Union military could sustain. There are many reasons but the Union recruiting and enlistment contracts where highly effective. The use of conscription, slaves, European troops, and large bounty money kept the Union military in full force even with a very high desertion and death rate. The South played with all of these ideas but never did fully put into place any effective recruiting plan except volunteers and forced conscription, mainly due to their principles. The average Confederate soldier probably served much longer time in combat and in the military than the average Union soldier. When a Confederate regiment sustained very high losses, due to the inability to recruit, it most likely would cease to exist and would be merged into other depleted regiments; on the other hand many Union regiments just cycled through new recruits and kept on going. Other Union regiments had the luxury of completing their enlistment requirements and went home never to serve again. I don't know of any Confederate regiments that could that.

___________________
David Upton