Another set of the graphs available by state or Army plot the number of regiments, by percentage of regiment, for any of the following categories of how soldiers left the military: 'Killed', 'Died as POW', 'Died of Disease', 'Discharged for Disability', 'Deserted', 'Discharged', 'Mustered Out', 'Transferred Out', or 'Unknown'. These 'Out Methods' graphs help uncover new areas of research by highlighting regiments whose experiences were unusual and/or haven't been included in 'traditional' historical writings. To understand how to use these graphs we will examine the Massachusetts' 'Deserted Percentage' graph below which plots the number of Massachusetts' regiments by percentage of men in a regiment that deserted.

The graph above shows 3 Massachusetts regiments with unusually high desertion rates. Who were these regiments and what accounts for such high desertion rates? On the next page we will review other charts that can help us answer these questions.