Absolutely true. There were even stories told about confederate soldiers getting captured on purpose in order to get a warm meal and steady paycheck.I don't know the truth of that,but it sounds reasonable. After being married to Nancy for 15 years and producing 6 children, I tend to think that Abel left his unit immediately upon hearing of her death and rushed back to Tenn. There was,above all,the children to think about. They needed him now more than ever. Once back in Tennessee, he re-united with them,found another wife(Susan) and decided to stay there,adding one more child to his brood. Joining another unit was probably not a good option for Abel,since with a new wife and 7 young kids, and seeing the impact they had suffered, staying out of the war was a sound decision on his part at this point. I can't get into his head,but that may be what he pondered over. He never left them again. When he died in 1885 in Williamson Cty,Tx. one of his daughters, Mary, was still living at home according to the 1880 census.