As to the concern about McCain's ancestor being reported as a deserter, everyone who participates on this board knows the difference between a "technical" deserter, i.e., a soldier whose whereabouts was not known on the date of the muster, and a "real" deserter, one who "deserted the field of battle," "deserted in the face of the enemy," "deserted on the march," etc. Everyone here knows that Confederate regimental records are highly fragmentary. Everyone knows that many, many men listed as technical deserters were in fact prisoners of war, languishing in hospitals, and, especially in the case of men from the Trans-Mississippi Department, shanghaied by other regiments and serving honorably therein. Several years ago I did a record-by-record study of Arkansas soldiers serving in the Army of Tennessee, who had been reported as "deserters", MORE THAN HALF of them were furloughed and convalescing soldiers who had been "detained and attached", as General Holmes diplomatically put it, to regiments serving in Arkansas. These were men who General Van Dorn absconded with when he left Arkansas in the Spring of 1862. Holmes figured he was just gathering up his wayward boys. A large number of the rest were, as stated above, prisoners, hospital patients, discharged, etc. The number of "real" deserters was a relatively small percentage. The number of "real" deserters increased sharply toward the end of the war, coincidental with the occupation of the men's homes by Federal forces, and the depredations upon their families by Unionist jayhawkers and militia.
Those who don't know these facts don't read this message board anyway, so no harm no foul. Besides, anyone who would judge a man -- for good or evil -- based on who his great-great-grandfather was, is a marginalized fool who's more of a danger to himself than to others.
I thank you for not "sanitizing" McCane's record. There is no difference between sanitizing an ancestor's service record for political reasons, and sanitizing a Southern memorial for "political correctness." Let your post stand as is, Jim. You have my utmost respect, as well as my thanks for adding a little to my knowledge and understanding of the Civil War.