That is an excellent question, and one I'm not sure of the answer. I wonder if Ferguson was engaged in a lot of personal feuds and Gatewood was more interested in "lining his pockets." He was viewed by most of the early people of Floyd County as a pro-Confederate Robin Hood, but there was no doubt he also stole from many people. (Of course, so did Wheeler's cavalry). I think there were many men who came back to care for their families to protect them. The wonder is not that so many deserted in 1864-65, but that as many stayed as did.

We are checking records in Texas and Oklahoma Territory to see if we can track down what happened to him post-war. Thanks for your interest and help. Zack