Book excerpt: This is the great classic work on desertions during the American Civil War. While you might be forgiven for expecting a dry recitation of statistics, it is a fascinating look at the problems and realities of deserters for both sides during the conflict.Dr. Lonn looks at the reasons for desertion, how deserters were hunted, how they hid, and how they were used by the enemy among other topics. She even covers the places where hundreds of deserters banded together into criminal enterprises.A huge drain for the Union and the Confederacy, the overall impact on both is examined here. Throughout, Lonn tells the story like a novelist, despite including important statistics.Every examination of the American Civil War provides us with another view of the catastrophe that changed the country forever.