No, I'm afraid that there is no recorded middle name or initial for John Baker; even his headstone just says "John Baker". I'm well aware of the difficulty in trying to verify John's identity among the miriad 'John Bakers' living in Virginia during the War (it's been a real pain in trying to dig out the family history).

Any way, John Baker's service records are not the only ones that contain an 'Absent without Leave' entry and then have a concurrent entry show that the individual was engaged in some legitimate duty or activity under orders of the regiment. I have read comments on another web site that explain that the term 'Absent without leave' could be taken to mean the soldier was absent from the muster call for a some reason other than being away on leave. Use of the term used in this manner is distinguished from the situation where the soldier left the unit without orders or permission.

So ... I'm just trying to find some historical explanation of how 'Absent without leave' was designated and was it indeed considered in a different context than that of our modern understanding. Any insight or historical references are appreciated. Thanx.