Hey Everyone.

I have several questions pertaining to an ancestor of mine named John H. Ewing, who served in Co. F, 28th Illinois Infantry.

He enlisted as a Corporal in August 1861 and was later promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on December 13, 1862. Furthermore, his records indicate he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on June 10, 1863 but then resigned on September 17, 1864. After this he returned home and had a family.

Most of my questions are about rank:

1) What were some of the reasons why there were some soldiers mustered in as Corporal and not a Private?
2) Was it unusual for there to be such a big jump from Corporal to Lieutenant, if so what were the reasons?
3) What is the difference of a 2nd and 1st Lieutenant of infantry companies (what were their roles on the battlefield?)?
4) If resignations of officers were common, what were some of the typical reasons as to why? (my ancestor, according to census records, lived in an asylum in 1900, but this may have been because of his wife's death)

I realize these are a lot of questions and this message board is not very active, but any help would be deeply appreciated!

Thank you very much,
Michael Thompson