Dictionary:

desertion

  (dĭ-zûr'shən)

1. 1. The act or an instance of deserting.
   2. The state of being deserted.
2. Law. Willful abandonment of one's spouse or children or both without their consent and with the intention of forsaking all legal obligations to them.

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noun

The act of forsaking: abandonment. See keep/release.

Definition: abandonment
Antonyms: aid, assistance, help, staying

Desertion is where a member of the armed forces leaves his unit without permission and with no intention of returning. Desertion is distinguished from absenteeism, often known as Absence Without Leave (AWOL), by the motives of the deserter and, consequently, there is a degree of imprecision in both its definition and measurement. This, and the fact that the penalties for desertion are often extreme—incarceration or even death—make it a highly emotional subject. It is a concept fraught with controversy, and impossible to measure with accuracy—not only because of the difficult in divining the motives of the deserter, but also because most deserters have no wish to make themselves known to the authorities who collect such statistics. Students of the subject require circumspection as much as dedication.

Desertion occurs to some degree in every military force, and can be especially prevalent during periods of conflict, or where the force is poorly trained and disciplined. It was the bane of armies across history. One Prussian regiment lost the equivalent of its entire strength during the Seven Years War, and in 1809 there were estimated to be more than 20, 000 deserters in south-western France. Most of the 287 Union soldiers executed during the American civil war had been convicted of desertion.

Deserters, if caught, may expect to face a court martial. The problem of divining the motives of the alleged deserter would then fall upon the officers appointed to adjudicate—no small responsibility in the light of the harsh sentences to be imposed upon the guilty. The motivations of a single soldier to fight or run are seldom simple, and to attribute the desertion of thousands of men to any one factor can be misleading. Certain factors are closely linked with faltering morale, and may be highlighted here as the most common motives for desertion. The act of any deserter must first be set in the context. Geography, conditions, training, and experience all have a major influence on the deserter. For example, proximity to one's home and community may act as a spur to some to fight harder. Conversely, desertion can often become more prevalent in such situations because many men wish to defend their homes and family personally, or because proximity to home reminds a man of his civilian identity. In addition, during periods where an army is inactive, a soldier may wish to go home to visit the family he has not seen for some time. A short visit may all too easily slide into a longer one, as absenteeism becomes desertion.

Bad living conditions often accompanied by stress and fatigue can sometimes wear troops down to the point at which they can no longer accept their plight. Desertion could also become epidemic when confidence was lost. First, an individual may lose confidence that he will survive: he may, in short, succumb to fear. Alternatively, a soldier may desert because he no longer has confidence in the cause for which he is fighting. Some desert because they have lost confidence in the justice of the cause, but a more common cause for desertion is to avoid a senseless death when victory is manifestly impossible. In 1864-5 the experienced and unquestionably brave army under Lee was reduced to less than half its strength during the Petersburg campaign partly due to the conditions in which the men were fighting, but in greater part thanks to an awareness in the ranks that the war could not be won.

Finally, desertion must be understood in the context of the times being studied. The wars of the early modern period, for instance, were fought by armies which contained a high proportion of mercenaries and foreign nationals. These men were motivated by different factors from those that influenced the volunteers of 1914, or the ideologically charged soldiers of the Vietminh and Vietcong in the 1950s and 1960s. These forces were brought together for vastly different purposes, years or centuries apart, and desertion must be evaluated in the light of those purposes and times.

Bibliography

• Lynn, John A., Bayonets of the Republic: Motivation and Tactics in the Army of Revolutionary France (Chicago, 1984).
• Marshall, S. L. A., Men against Fire (New York, 1947)

— Andrew Haughton/Richard Holmes

Under American military law, desertion is the act of leaving one's service or duty without the intention of returning or being absent without authorization for more than a month.

In peacetime, desertion has been a continuing phenomenon in American military history, at least through the early twentieth century, although its extent has varied widely depending upon the circumstances facing the service people. Unlike European nations, the U.S. government had little control over its citizens, and deserters could escape relatively easily, particularly into the rural and frontier regions of the country. Low pay and poor conditions have contributed significantly to peacetime desertions.

The armed forces require enlisted men and women to serve tours of duty of specific duration. Unlike commissioned officers, enlisted personnel are not legally permitted to resign unilaterally. Thus, desertion constitutes an enlisted person's repudiation of his or her legal obligation.

A correlation has existed in peacetime between desertion rates and the business cycle. When the country experienced economic depression and high unemployment, fewer people abandoned the service. Yet in an expanding economy, with workers in demand and wage scales increasing, many more service men and women have forsaken the high job security but lesser monetary rewards of the military.

The highest peacetime desertion rates in American history were reached during periods of economic growth in the 1820s, early 1850s, early 1870s, the 1880s, early 1900s, and the 1920s, when the annual flow of deserters averaged between 7 and 15 percent of the U.S. Army. A peak of 32.6 percent was recorded in 1871, when 8,800 of the 27,010 enlisted men deserted in protest against a pay cut. (By contrast, the desertion rate in the British army was only about 2 percent.) Lured by higher civilian wages and prodded by miserable living conditions—low pay, poor food, inadequate amenities, and boredom—on many frontier western outposts, a total of 88,475 soldiers (one‐third of the men recruited by the army) deserted between 1867 and 1891.

The peacetime navy had its own desertion problems. In the nineteenth century, many of the enlisted men had grim personal backgrounds or criminal records or were foreigners with little loyalty to the United States. A rigid class system and iron discipline contributed to high rates of alcoholism and desertion. In 1880, there were 1,000 desertions from an enlisted force of 8,500 seamen.

During wartime, desertion rates in all the military services have varied widely but have generally been lower than in peacetime—perhaps reflecting the increased numbers of service people, national spirit, and more severe penalties prescribed for combat desertion. The end of hostilities, however, generally was accompanied by a dramatic flight from the military. After almost every war, the desertion rate doubled temporarily as many regular enlisted personnel joined other Americans in returning to peacetime pursuits. The variation in wartime desertion rates seems to result from differences in public sentiment and prospects for military success. Although many factors are involved, generally the more swift and victorious the campaign and the more popular the conflict, the lower the desertion rate. Defeat and disagreement or disillusionment about a war have been accompanied by a higher incidence of desertion.

In the Revolutionary War, desertion depleted both the state militias and the Continental army after such reverses as the British seizures of New York City and Philadelphia; at spring planting or fall harvesting times, when farmer‐soldiers returned to their fields; and as veterans deserted in order to reenlist, seeking the increased bounties of cash or land that the states offered new enlistees. Widespread desertion, even in the midst of battle, plagued the military during the setbacks of the War of 1812. In the Mexican War, 6,825 men, or nearly 7 percent of the army, deserted; and one unit of the Mexican Army, the San Patricio Artillery Battalion, was composed of American deserters.

The Civil War produced the highest American wartime desertion rates because of its bloody battles, new enlistment bounties, and the relative ease with which deserters could escape capture, particularly in the mountain regions. The Union armies recorded 278,644 cases of desertion, representing 11 percent of the troops. As the Confederate military situation deteriorated, desertion reached epidemic proportions. The Appalachian Mountains, Florida swamps, and Texas chaparral became the domain of armed bands of Southern deserters. In the final year of the war, whole companies and regiments, sometimes with most of their officers, left together to return to their homes. In all, Confederate deserters numbered 104,428, or 10 percent of the South's armies.

The brief and successful Spanish‐American War resulted in 5,285 desertions, or less than 2 percent of the armed forces in 1898. However, the rate climbed to 4 percent during the long and arduous Philippine War between 1900 and 1902. In World War I, because conscription regulations classified any draftee failing to report for induction at the prescribed time as a deserter, the records of 1917–18 showed 363,022 deserters, who would have been more appropriately designated draft evaders. Traditionally defined deserters amounted to 21,282, or less than 1 percent of the army in World War I.

In World War II, desertion rates reached 6.3 percent of the armed forces in 1944, and during the American reverses at the Battle of the Bulge, the army executed one American soldier, Private Ernie Slovik, for desertion in the face of the enemy as an example to other troops. Desertion rates dropped to 4.5 percent in 1945. During the Korean War, the use of short‐term service and the rotation system helped keep desertion rates down to 1.4 percent of the armed forces in fiscal year (FY) 1951 and to 2.2 percent or 31,041 in FY 1953.

The divisive Vietnam War generated the highest percentage of wartime desertion since the Civil War. From 13,177 cases—or 1.6 percent of the armed forces—in FY 1965, the annual desertion statistics mounted to 2.9 percent in FY 1968, 4.2 percent in FY 1969, 5.2 percent in FY 1970, and 7.4 percent (79,027 incidents of desertion) in FY 1971. Like the draft resisters from this same war, many deserters sought sanctuary in Canada, Mexico, or Sweden. In 1974, the Defense Department reported that between 1 July 1966 and 31 December 1973, there had been 503,926 incidents of desertion in all services during the Vietnam War.

The end of the draft and the Vietnam War, together with the enhancement of pay and living conditions in the All‐Volunteer Force, dramatically reduced desertions, although there was somewhat of another upsurge during the Persian Gulf War (1991).

[See also Military Justice; Morale, Troop.]

Bibliography

• Ella Lonn, Desertion During the Civil War, 1928, 1966
• William B. Huie, The Execution of Private Slovik, 1954, 1991
• Russell F. Weigley, History of the United States Army, 1967
• Jack D. Foner, The United States Soldier between the Two Wars: Army Life and Reforms, 1865–1898, 1968
• Thomas L.Hayes, American Deserters in Sweden, 1971
• Robert L. Alotta, Stop the Evil: A Civil War History of Desertion and Murder, 1978
• Edward M. Coffman, The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784–1898, 1986

Desertion from military service has been a continual phenomenon in American history although its extent has varied widely depending upon the circumstances that have confronted soldiers. The armed forces require enlisted men and women to serve tours of duty of specific duration and, unlike commissioned officers, enlisted personnel may not legally resign before the end of that period. Thus desertion—being absent without authorization for over a month—constitutes the enlisted person's repudiation of his or her legal obligation.

In peacetime there has been a direct correlation between desertion rates and the business cycle. When the country has experienced a depression and a labor surplus, fewer soldiers have abandoned the army. By contrast, in an expanding economy, with workers in demand and wage scales increasing, many more servicemen and women have forsaken the high job security but low monetary rewards of the army.

The highest peacetime desertion rates in American history occurred during the periods of economic growth in the 1820s, early 1850s, early 1870s, 1880s, early 1900s, and 1920s, when the flow of deserters averaged between 7 and 15 percent each year. A peak of 32.6 percent was reached in 1871, when 8,800 of the 27,010 enlisted men deserted in protest against a pay cut. Lured by higher civilian wages and prodded by the miserable living conditions of most frontier outposts, a total of 88,475, or one-third of the men recruited by the army, deserted between 1867 and 1891.

During wartime, desertion rates have varied widely but have generally been lower than in peacetime service, a tendency that perhaps reflects the increased numbers of troops, national spirit, and more severe penalties prescribed for combat desertion. A dramatic flight from military duty has generally accompanied the termination of hostilities. After almost every war the desertion rate has doubled temporarily as many servicemen and women have joined other Americans in returning to peacetime pursuits. The variation in wartime desertion rates seems to result from differences in public sentiment and military prospects. Although many factors are involved, generally the more swift and victorious the campaign and the more popular the conflict, the lower the desertion rate. Defeat and disagreement or disillusionment about a war have been accompanied by a higher incidence of desertion.

In the American Revolution, desertion depleted both the state militias and the Continental army after such reverses as the British seizure of New York City; at spring planting or fall harvesting time, when farmer-soldiers returned to their fields; and as veterans deserted in order to reenlist, seeking the increased bounties of cash or land that the states offered for new enlistees. Widespread desertion, even in the midst of battle, plagued the military during the War of 1812.Inthe Mexican-American War, 6,825 men, or nearly 7 percent of the army, deserted. Moreover, American deserters composed one unit of the Mexican army, the San Patricio Artillery Battalion.

The Civil War produced the highest American wartime desertion rates because of its bloody battles, new enlistment bounties, and relative ease with which deserters could escape capture in the interior regions. The Union armies recorded 278,644 cases of desertion, representing 11 percent of the troops. As the Confederate military situation deteriorated, desertion reached epidemic proportions. Whole companies and regiments, sometimes with most of their officers, fled together. In all, Confederate deserters numbered 104,428, or 10 percent of the armies of the South.

The Spanish-American War resulted in 5,285 desertions, or less than 2 percent of the armed forces in 1898. The rate climbed to 4 percent during the Philippine Insurrection between 1900 and 1902. In World War I, because Selective Service regulations classified anyone failing to report for induction at the prescribed time as a deserter, the records of 1917–1918 showed 363,022 deserters who would have been more appropriately designated draft evaders. Traditionally defined deserters amounted to 21,282, or less than 1 percent of the army. In World War II desertion rates reached 6.3 percent of the armed forces in 1944 but dropped to 4.5 percent by 1945. The use of short-term service and the rotation system during the Korean War kept desertion rates down to 1.4 percent of the armed forces in fiscal year 1951 and to 2.2 percent, or 31,041 soldiers, in fiscal year 1953.

The unpopular war in Vietnam generated the highest percentage of wartime desertion since the Civil War. From 13,177 cases, or 1.6 percent of the armed forces, in fiscal year 1965, the annual desertion statistics mounted to 2.9 percent in fiscal year 1968, 4.2 percent in fiscal year 1969, 5.2 percent in fiscal year 1970, and 7.4 percent in fiscal year 1971. Like the draft resisters from this same war, many deserters sought sanctuary in Canada, Mexico, or Sweden. In 1974 the Defense Department reported that there had been 503,926 incidents of desertion between 1 July 1966 and 31 December 1973.

Bibliography

Higginbotham, Don. War and Society in Revolutionary America: The Wider Dimensions of Conflict. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1988.

Jessup, John E., et al., eds. Encyclopedia of the American Military: Studies of the History, Traditions, Policies, Institutions, and Roles of the Armed Forces in War and Peace. New York: Scribners; Toronto: Macmillan, 1994.

Weitz, Mark A. A Higher Duty: Desertion among Georgia Troops During the Civil War. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000.

Whiteclay, John, et al., eds. The Oxford Companion to American Military History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

—John Whiteclay Chambers/A. E.

The act by which a person abandons and forsakes, without justification, a condition of public, social, or family life, renouncing its responsibilities and evading its duties. A willful abandonment of an employment or duty in violation of a legal or moral obligation.

Criminal desertion is a husband's or wife's abandonment or willful failure without just cause to provide for the care, protection, or support of a spouse who is in ill health or necessitous circumstances.

Desertion, which is called abandonment in some statutes, is a divorce ground in a majority of states. Most statutes mandate that the abandonment continue for a certain period of time before a divorce action may be commenced. The length of this period varies between one and five years; it is most commonly one year. The period of separation must be continuous and uninterrupted. In addition, proof that the departed spouse left without the consent of the other spouse is required in most states.

Ordinarily, proof of desertion is a clear-cut factual matter. Courts generally require evidence that the departure was voluntary and that the deserted husband or wife in no way provoked or agreed to the abandonment. Constructive desertion occurs when one party makes life so intolerable for his or her spouse that the spouse has no real choice but to leave the marital home. For an individual to have legal justification for departing, it is often required that the spouse act so wrongfully as to constitute grounds for divorce. For example, a wife might leave her husband if she finds that he is guilty of adultery.

In desertion cases, it is not necessary to prove the emotional state of the abandoning spouse, but only the intent to break off matrimonial ties with no animus revertendi, the intention to return.

Mere separation does not constitute desertion if a husband and wife agree that they cannot cohabit harmoniously. Sexual relations between the parties must be totally severed during the period of separation. If two people live apart from one another but meet on a regular basis for sex, this does not constitute desertion. State law dictates whether or not an infrequent meeting for sexual relations amounts to an interruption of the period required for desertion. Some statutes provide that an occasional act of sexual intercourse terminates the period only if the husband and wife are attempting reconciliation.

Unintentional abandonment is not desertion. For example, if a man is missing in action while serving in the armed services, his wife may not obtain a divorce on desertion grounds since her spouse did not intend to leave his family and flee the marital relationship. The common law allows an individual to presume that a spouse is dead if the spouse is unexplainably absent for a seven-year period. If the spouse returns at any time, the marriage remains intact under common law.

Laws that embody the Enoch Arden doctrine grant a divorce if evidence establishes that an individual's spouse has vanished and cannot be found through diligent efforts. A particular period of time must elapse. Sometimes, if conditions evidencing death can be exhibited, a divorce may be granted prior to the expiration of the time specified by law.

In some jurisdictions, the law is stringent regarding divorce grounds. In such instances, an Enoch Arden decree might be labeled a dissolution of the marriage rather than a divorce.

Upon the granting of an Enoch Arden decree, the marriage is terminated regardless of whether or not the absent spouse returns. Generally, the court provides that the plaintiff must show precisely what has been done to locate the missing person. Efforts to find the absent spouse might include inquiries made to friends or relatives to determine if they have had contact with the missing spouse, or checking public records for such documents as a marriage license, death certificate, tax returns, or application for Social Security in locations where the individual is known to have resided.

Desertion is frequently coupled with nonsupport, which is a failure to provide monetary resources for those to whom such an obligation is due. Nonsupport is a crime in a majority of states but prosecutions are uncommon.

Unauthorized absence (AWOL) of more than 30 days.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - rømning, frafald, faneflugt

Nederlands (Dutch)
desertie, verlatenheid

Français (French)
n. - (Mil) désertion, (Jur) abandon du domicile conjugal, abandon, défection, délaissement

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verlassen, Desertion, Fahnenflucht, Versäumnis

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αυτομόληση, λιποταξία, εγκατάλειψη

Italiano (Italian)
diserzione, abbandono

Português (Portuguese)
n. - deserção (f)

Русский (Russian)
дезертирство, оставление семьи

Español (Spanish)
n. - deserción, defección, abandono, desolación

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - övergivande, hjälplöshet

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
丢掉, 逃亡, 遗弃

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 丟掉, 逃亡, 遺棄

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 유기, 탈당, 황폐

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 捨て去ること, 遺棄, 脱走, 放棄

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) هجر, الفرار من الجنديه, تخل عن شئ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עריקה, נטישה‬

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