New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1990.

Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1978. The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy. The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union. Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac, 1861-1865. Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing Co., 1994-97. Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 51 vols. A guide to published Union and Confederate unit histories. New York: New York Public Library, 1971-87. Take note, however, that regimental battle lists cannot be considered proof that any particular soldier fought in various battles since different companies in the regiment may have had different assignments, or an individual soldier may have been absent due to sickness, desertion, temporary assignment to other duties, or other causes. Lists battles and campaigns for Union regiments and also gives the composition of corps and armies, i.e., such as the Army of the Potomac. Reprint, Dayton, OH: National Historical Society, 1979. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co., 1908. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Reprint, Gettysburg, PA: National Historical Society, 1971. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1874-1922. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies. Includes battle reports and correspondence of Union and Confederate regiments. Reprint, Gettysburg, PA: National Historical Society, 1971-72. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1880-1900. War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Researchers should visit public libraries to find books and periodicals about Civil War battles, strategies, uniforms, and the political and social context of the times. Pensions were granted to Confederate veterans and their widows and minor children by the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia these records are in the state archives or equivalent agency. NARA does not have pension files for Confederate soldiers. Records relating to Confederate soldiers are typically less complete than those relating to Union soldiers because many Confederate records did not survive the war. An index to service by African-American sailors is available online at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System website.įor Union army soldiers, there are three major records in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) that provide information on military service: (1) compiled military service record (CMSR) (2) pension application file and (3) records reproduced in microfilm publication M594, Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations (225 rolls).įor Confederate army soldiers, there are two major records in NARA that provide information on military service: (1) compiled military service record (CMSR) and (2) records reproduced in microfilm publication M861, Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Confederate Organizations (74 rolls). Bacon, 'Civil War and Later Navy Personnel Records at the National Archives, 1861-1924,' Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration, Vol. Union Navy or Confederate Navy: For information about researching the service of persons in the Union Navy or Confederate Navy, see Lee D. Kvasnicka, Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States, 3rd edition (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2000), Chapter 4, Records of the Regular Army. Regular Army: For information about researching the military service of persons in the Regular Army, see Anne Bruner Eales and Robert M. This page briefly describes resources for researching the military service of individual Civil War soldiers in 'Volunteer' Army units. Over 2.8 million men (and a few hundred women) served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Part 1: Introduction to Basic Research Sources Paper copies of Civil War pension records can now be requested online.

Iowa civil war file cards