How do they lose a soldier's record?

[Freddy]

I was looking up my great grandfather's messmates at Andersonville and one Private Benjamin F. Pratt, 3rd, Co. H, 35th MA, Vol. Infantry does not seem to exist. They have 6.3 million records and they lost this soldier who may have died before he reached home in Weymouth, MA in 1865.

 

[bama46]

single largest reason is fire in a depository...
millions of service records were destroyed in a fire in St. Louis a number of years ago..
sloppy record keeping..
misfiled records.. amongst millions of others..they are gone forever and yet still with us... somewhere...
and many many more..

 

[sf46]

Yes, for some reason or other, lost records do happen. For some of the records destroyed by fire, they are able to recreate portions of the records based on other sources. I ran into this recently while researching a great-uncle who was killed in World War II in the U.S. Navy. I gave the archives what info I had, which gave the archives leads in training, enlsitment, and deployment records that apparently were still in existence at some other location.

 

[101combatvet]

There maybe other sources for information about him.... like state records.... just a thought.

 

[M E Wolf]

Dear Freddy;

Anderson Prison records were destroyed from my understanding. Along with other Confederate records held in Richmond.

But--I am wondering about the Medical History - discharge; enlistment;
and the Commissionary of Prisoners on both sides.

State enlistment board would have had a copy of the muster rolls I would think, from their home state and attached to the Governor; to whom would often write commissions of officers who volunteered and or were in the militia before hostilities broke out.

Claim for pension would be another avenue. Widows and orphans of Union Soldiers could apply for the vet/soldier's pension.

O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXXIII [S# 60]
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN NORTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, MARYLAND, AND PENNSYLVANIA, FROM JANUARY 1 TO APRIL 30, 1864.--#30
GLOUCESTER POINT (TENTH ARMY CORPS).
Brig. Gen. ALFRED H. TERRY.
THIRD DIVISION.
Brig. Gen. ADELBERT AMES.
DISTRICT OF SAINT MARY'S MD.
Col. ALONZO G. DRAPER.
5th New Hampshire, Col. Charles E. Hapgood.
4th Rhode Island, Col. William H. P. Steere.
36th U.S. Colored Troops, Lieut. Col. Benjamin F. Pratt.
2d U.S. Cavalry (detachment), }
5th U. S. Cavalry (detachment), Lieut. John Mix.
2d Wisconsin Battery, Capt. Charles Beger.
---------------------------------------------------
O.R.--SERIES II--VOLUME V [S# 118]
CONFEDERATE CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, ETC., RELATING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND STATE FROM DECEMBER 1, 1862, TO JUNE 10, 1863.--#3
C. S. MILITARY PRISON, Richmond, March 12, 1863.
Capt. W. S. WINDER, Assistant Adjutant-General.
CAPTAIN: I herewith inclose communication(*) from Major Boyle dated 11th instant containing a list of Yankee prisoners, twenty-nine in number. In connection with these prisoners allow me to make the following statement: They reached here yesterday about 7.30 o'clock p.m. The roll being called it was found that four of the prisoners on the list, viz, Brig. Gen. E. H. Stoughton, Captain Barker, Privates B. F. Pratt and R. B. Wardener did not answer, and Lieutenant Bossieux, the officer in charge of the prison during my absence, was informed that they were at the Ballard Hotel for the night which fact was reported to me when I returned to the prison.

continued

 

[M E Wolf]

Deeming it my duty as the officer in command of the prison to see that the prisoners mentioned in an official communication as being sent here for confinement were delivered at the proper place, being quite sure that it was contrary to the wishes of the commanding general of this department that any such discriminations should be made in permitting a few of a batch of prisoners to obtain lodgings at a hotel while a majority of the same batch were committed to prison, and also as acting assistant provost-marshal considering that it was a part of my duty to see that prisoners are delivered at the proper time and place, I directed Lieutenant Bossieux to proceed to the Ballard Hotel and request of the officer or whoever might be in charge of the prisoners that they be delivered into his custody to be brought to prison. But for some reason unknown to me the officer, Lieutenant McClellan, refused to deliver them. I then went to the hotel myself after 12 o'clock p.m. and after a parley of nearly an hour Lieutenant McClellan reluctantly consented that the prisoners should be delivered into my custody.

I make this statement in order to vindicate myself from any charge of officiousness or assumption of authority. Please bear in mind that the unsealed official communication in reference to and containing a list of prisoners (the four mentioned included) was in my hands. Further, the train reached the city at 7.30 o'clock p.m. The provost-marshal's office is open all night. I was there myself till 8 o'clock p.m., and a portion of the prisoners were properly delivered before 8 o'clock p.m. at the C. S. Military Prison.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
T. P. TUPPER,
Captain, Commanding.
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Navy O.R.-- Series 1--Volume 21 [S# 21]
West Gulf Blockading Squadron.
From January 1 To December 31, 1864. pp. 401-453
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U. S. STEAM SLOOP LACKAWANNA,
Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864.
SIR: I have the honor to report the following list of casualties which occurred in the action of this day while passing the forts and occupying Mobile Bay:
[excerpt]
WOUNDED
35. B. F. Pratt Private, Signal Corps, U. S. Army Fracture of left forearm.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
T. W. LEACH,
Surgeon, U. S. Navy.
Captain J. B. MARCHAND,
Commanding U. S. S. Lackawanna.

Could he be on Navy's records if detailed?

Just some thoughts and end of search of Official Records of the Rebellion.

Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf
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