Accoding to those who had done detailed studies of the subject as far as can be determined from the records available, it is estimated that over 200,000 Union soldiers deserted during the war. Of that number over 44,000 were fron New York alone, the largest number of deserters from any state of the Union. As we are aware many of those New York Union Soldiers came from New York City and were of poor Irish Imagrants in that city.