Punishment for Desertion
Punishment for desertion varied. Early in the war, Confederate laws allowed flogging, up to thirty nine lashes, as well as branding the convicted men with the letter D. Both sides quickly abandoned these outdated practices. Some deserters were forced to partake in non-lethal punishments while others were subject to execution. The goal of many of the non-lethal punishments was to humiliate the deserter and inform the people of the deserter’s cowardly behavior. This brought shame to the deserter and discouraged soldiers from defecting. Executions became more and more common as the war continued but less than 400 deserters were actually executed. Abraham Lincoln did not allow soldiers under the age of 18 to be executed. These executions served as a sobering reminder to any future deserters that their fate would be similar to their peer. Not all punishments were fair. Some would be executed while others faced less harsh punishments. The penalty for deserting was not consistent in the North or the South.
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