Why does Inman walk out of the hospital? Why is this choice dangerous?

In the first chapter of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain, Inman leaves the hospital because he doesn’t want to return to war. When he felt well, they would send him to war, and his legs felt strong, which scared him because it meant he was recovering. This is a dangerous choice because he still has a big wound and it is not fully recovered. When Inman goes out with that big wound he might not have the right stuff he needs to heal the wound, so it’s dangerous because he might get worse instead of better without a doctor’s help. If Inman doesn’t rest like he needs to, he might get weak again.

Swimmer was Inman’s friend, and they went fishing together and Swimmer would talk endlessly to Inman, and Inman wouldn’t mind. In the hospital Inman would just sit there thinking, and I’m sure once and a while he would think of Swimmer and how they used to do a lot together, and I think he missed that, so he didn’t want to go to war and possibly die when he misses all of the times he had with Swimmer and he doesn’t want to miss anymore good times like that. So I think Inman left for his own freedom, and was he right to get up and leave? I don’t know, because it is dangerous to just get up and leave but if leaving is what is going to keep him alive and make him truly happy then I think he should do whatever he wants.