I am looking around and 90% of what I find is just that it started in the civil war.
Were soldiers not allowed to vote when deployed before the civil war, was it just a logistical problem, or could they?
Then there is another act allowing voting in WWI, was the Civil War voting temporary?
Were overseas/deployed soldiers not allowed to vote (presumably in peacetime as they seem to pass temporary measures for various wars) until the 80s?
Were soldiers just stationed in a different state not allowed to vote at various times?
Could a lot of the military not vote in the beginning of the country due to not owning land?
More can always be said, but this older answer might be of interest for you.