There were no such Service Records at the time as we know them today.

What we have in the Compiled Service Records are mainly indications of men who were accounted for and recorded on the bi-monthly musters held for pay purposes.

A persons data consisted of his presence for pay, when he enlisted, if not present, whereabouts noted if known, no elaborations. It he had died, was transferred, deserted, discharged, captured, etc., he would be so recorded on the next bi-monthly muster roll, in the case of transfer or discharge, he would be dropped from the rolls and his name would no longer appear on the muster sheets.

In his case, he was recorded on the Sept/Oct, 1862 muster roll as absent, in hospital although he had died on October 10. The mustering officer was thus not aware of his death which would indicate Needham had died in a hospital somewhere in the vicinity of a previous location.

By the end of the year, they had become aware of his death, it was so recorded on the Nov/Dec muster roll and he was subsequently dropped from the rolls.

These records were not meant to record a soldiers service history.

It should also be noted that not all of the records kept by regiments/companies reached Richmond and then, many Confederate records were destroyed, lost in the evacuation of Richmond at wars end.

What represents “Service Records” in the National Archives are those records which could be found and archived sometime around the turn of the last century. There are many holes and records are not consistent from one regiment to another.