George,
In your second para, perhaps something was misread, as to the date of Patti's assoc as sgt with Clagett. Clagett's date of commission as capt, signal corps, was 29 May 62, the following month (unless someone jumped the gun on the paperwork).

After puzzling for some time over Patti's sergeancy, I've come to accept him as one of the Signal Sergeants, meaning that he should properly have been released/transferred from his original parent unit (which had permitted his detail to signaling and tolerated his musical presentations). He was captured in the Gulf en route to assignment in Texas (IIRC). While prisoner, his musician family prevailed on him to take the oath and "get out," which he did. Post-war, he returned to his old stomping grounds and died in St. Louis in March, 1873 at 31 (b. 1842). Body later moved to Paris, France, for interment in family vault. He cut a wide swath through the flower of (at least) North American womanhood. I'll summarize what I have for Allen and "cc" you.