But it seems that our Family's dedication to their homeland, no matter where it is, has shown itself throughout the generations. When he was stopped at Niagara River, after crossing the Great Lakes, he was asked by the authorities to what nation would he vow allegiance, and whether he was one of those who had fought against the British in 1776. The Annis boys in the Southern states were no different, and marched off to literally battle against their brothers when they felt their homes and personal freedoms were in danger. Statistics mean absolutely nothing unless we look at the human element involved behind the numbers. History is far more than dusty books upon a shelf, or an unending litany of dates and places.
History is people.
Nevertheless, statistics can also give us an important demographic look at the character and characteristics of a certain group of individuals. Although the records on every single Annis soldier has not been accessed yet, a picture comes into focus that shows us that our family made great sacrifices and performed their duties admirably. Of course there were Annis men that got into trouble, deserted or otherwise did not perform their duties. Although our Annis men, on the whole, performed their duties well, records indicate that 6 men deserted during their term of duty. It must be remembered that desertion in both armies was usually out of control and many regiments had desertion rates so high that they were unable to function as a military unit.