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So, if the National Archives does not seem to have records about
your ancestor, or if your ancestor was a Confederate soldier,
be sure to check with the archives of the state from which your
ancestor was likely to have served. You can find the address and
telephone numbers for state archives in our Resources
by State map. Simply click the state that interests you. You
will find the state's archive address and phone number listed
below the address and phone number for the state's vital records
office.
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When
looking for state records, first check the with state
in which the individual lived at the time of service.
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When looking for state records, first check with the state in which
the individual lived at the time of service. If they do not have any
materials, try states in which the individual lived previously, because
some individuals returned to previous homes before enlisting.
Other
Resources at the National Archives
Beyond military service and pension records, the National Archives
has records about the movements and actions of your ancestor's military
unit. You can find this type of information in the unit's record-of-event
card or service history. Knowing where your ancestor was at different
times during the war and what actions he participated in may help you
understand what type of military experience he had. With this information,
you also know which battles and local histories to look up if details
of this sort interest you.
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Medical records can also tell you more about your ancestor's
wartime experiences. Soldiers were sent to hospitals not only
because of battle wounds, but also due to fevers and other illnesses
that spread among them. Some medical records appear with a soldier's
compiled military service record, but not all, so if you don't
see any medical references on the service records, you may want
to look them up separately. Medical records generally indicate
why and for how long the individual was under treatment.
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If
you don't see any medical references on the service
records, you may want to look them up separately.
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If you know the basic information about a soldier, such as his full
name and his unit, the National Archives staff should be able to direct
you in locating these types of records. You may also want to look in
the following books for more details about different types of records
available at the National Archives: Guide to Federal Records Relating
to the Civil War (Washington: National Archives and Records Service,
1962) and Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives
(Washington: National Archives and Records Service, 1985).
Selected
Civil War Web Sites
In general, records about individual soldiers are not available online.
However, there are many library catalogs online that you can use to locate
books, articles, and other items that may be of interest. Other Web sites
can provide you with good background information about the Civil War.
The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS)
The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a cooperative
effort by the National Park Service (NPS) andother public and private
partners, to computerize information about the Civil War. The goal
of the CWSS is to increase the American people's understanding of
this decisive era in American history by making information about
it widely accessible. The CWSS will enable the public to make a personal
link between themselves and history. It is a computerized database
containing basic facts about servicemen who served on both sides during
the Civil War.
U.S.
Military History Institute
Of particular interest at this site is the American Civil War Units
Histories catalog. You can use it to look up the military unit in
which your ancestor served. If they have a history about the unit,
but you are not close to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, take the title and
call number to your local library and see if the staff can order it
through the interlibrary loan program.
U.S.
Civil War Center
The U.S Civil War Center at Louisiana State University has an extensive
Civil War Web site, mostly consisting of links to other Civil War-related
Web sites. As a researcher, you may be most interested in their links
to university libraries that have special Civil War collections. Many
of these universities have their catalogs online, so you can locate
materials pertinent to your research. If you do find materials of
interest but cannot go to the library itself, check to see if they
have an interlibrary loan program.
For more Civil War-Helpful Web Sites, also see our article titled Bringing
Civil War Ancestors to Life.
Selected
Civil War Bibliographies
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The number of books, articles, manuscripts, and other materials
relating to the Civil War is almost innumerable, so to locate
materials that are relevant to your research, it's best to turn
to an annotated Civil War bibliography. Annotated bibliographies
are lists of books, articles, and other printed materials. They
give titles, authors, and other identifying information for the
items listed, and also briefly describe their contents. These
descriptions give you an idea of which materials might be useful
for your purposes.
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number of books, articles, manuscripts, and other materials
relating to the Civil War is almost innumerable. |
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You aren't likely to find your ancestor's name listed in the index
of one of these bibliographies, unless he wrote an account of his experiences
or he was a famous personage. However, you will find unit histories,
battle descriptions, and books on special topics, such as the "Colored
Troops." It is in these types of materials that you may come across
the details of your ancestor's military experience.
To make the best use of these bibliographies, take the time to look
up a variety of subjects in the index or table of contents, and then
skim through the books listed under that subject. The bibliographies
listed below are available in larger public and genealogy libraries.
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Cole, Garold L. Civil War Eyewitnesses: An Annotated Bibliography
of Books and Articles, 1955-1986. Columbia, South Carolina:
University of South Carolina Press, 1988.
This annotated bibliography covers first-hand accounts of the Civil
War as written by soldiers and civilians. Note that this bibliography
does not list older materials, but only those published between 1955
and 1986. The index is thorough, and the annotations are quite detailed,
making it easier to determine which materials are relevant to your
search.
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Dornbusch, C. E. Military Bibliography of the Civil War.
3 vols. The New York Public Library, 1961-1972.
Military Bibliography of the Civil War is an excellent resource
for finding military unit histories for units from both Northern and
Southern states. It also references materials containing personal
accounts and battle descriptions. The table of contents lists the
materials by unit or other subject, and the index only lists authors.
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Murdock, Eugene C. The Civil War in the North: A Selective
Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. 1987.
Murdock's bibliography summarizes approximately 5,600 items, from
books, essays, and articles, to diaries, memoirs, and speeches. In
addition to listing unit histories and battle descriptions, this bibliography
has a "General" first chapter, which lists "How-To" books, more bibliographies,
and other resources for helping you locate information about your
Civil War ancestors.
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Allan Nevins, James I. Robertson, and Bell I. Wiley. Civil
War Books — A Critical Bibliography. 2 vols. Baton Rouge:
Louisiana State University Press, 1967.
This is another good general reference bibliography. Some interesting
topics that it includes are prisons and prisoners, state and local
studies, and blacks. Please note that it only lists books, not articles,
manuscripts, and other types of materials.
Libraries,
Archives, and Museums
You'll find the books listed in the bibliographies described above at
libraries, archives, and museum research centers. You may also want to
locate a facility that has a special collection related to your ancestor's
Civil War experiences.
A good way to start is to check with genealogical and historical societies
in the area where your ancestor lived, as well as in the area where
he fought during the Civil War. They may be able to suggest local or
state libraries, archives, and museums that have local histories and
Civil War collections relating to events that took place in that area.
You may also want to check larger libraries, museums, and archives
with Civil War collections. For example, the Library of Congress has
a Civil War manuscript collection. Their catalog
is available online if you have telnet software, or you can consult
John R. Seller's Civil War Manuscripts: A Guide to Collections in
the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress (Washington,
1986). As mentioned above, the U.S. Civil War Center maintains a list
of university libraries with Civil War collections. To locate other
libraries with Civil War collections, consult M.L. and H.C. Young's
Directory of Special Libraries (Detroit: Gale Research Company,
1996).
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