Resources for Civil War Research

[lupaglupa]

There is a dizzying amount of information on the Civil War available online. The list below does not – can not! – cover everything. But these are major reputable sources for beginning and/or expanding research into you're the War and the people involved on both sides of the conflict.

The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies

http://collections.library.cornell.edu/moa_new/waro.html


Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies

http://collections.library.cornell.edu/moa_new/ofre.html

in book form - https://archive.org/details/officialrecords20librgoog/page/n7/mode/2up


Dyer's Compendium of the War of the Rebellion

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000451327

Ancestry has Dyer's searchable by name or browsable by section (requires subscription)

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6617/


Fold3 (requires a subscription)

https://www.fold3.com/collection/us-civil-war


Soldiers and Sailors Database

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm


Civilwardata.com – Historical Data Systems

http://www.civilwardata.com/active/product.html


Veterans Administration Grave Locater

https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/ngl/index.jsp


Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR) at the National Archives

https://www.archives.gov/research/military/army/compiled-military-service-records


GAR records

https://suvcw.org/garrecords/garcat/garcatalog.htm

 

[lupaglupa]

Every state has military records but not all are digitized. Where official sources did not exist I tried to provide a private website.


Alabama

https://archives.alabama.gov/civilwar/index.cfm


Arkansas

https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/muster-rolls-union/


California

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf129000sb/

http://www.militarymuseum.org/HistoryCW.html


Colorado

https://archives.colorado.gov/collections/military-records


Connecticut

https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/militaryrecords/civilwar

https://portal.ct.gov/MIL/MAPO/History/Units/Connecticut-Men-in-the-Civil-War


Delaware

http://civilwar.delaware.gov/archives.shtml


Florida

https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/research-tools/guides/civilwarguide/


Georgia

https://vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/cmr

http://ghs.galileo.usg.edu/ghs/view?docId=ead/MS 0169-ead.xml;query=;brand=default


Idaho

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...frlaTrOqg_QjWEUH8CCORqXJ_E/edit#gid=737730942


Illinois

https://apps.ilsos.gov/isaveterans/civilmustersrch.jsp

https://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/reg_html/index.html


Indiana

https://www.in.gov/iara/divisions/state-archives/collections/military-records/#Civil War

https://libraries.indiana.edu/guide-civil-war-indiana


Iowa

http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/books/logan.htm


Kansas

https://www.kshs.org/p/military-records-civil-war/11189


Maine

https://digitalmaine.com/civil_war/

https://www.mainegenealogy.net/civil_war_soldier_search.asp


Massachusetts

https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/50883

http://www.massachusettscivilwar.com/default.asp


Michigan

https://michiganology.org/civil-war/


Minnesota

https://mnhs.gitlab.io/archive/minnesota-and-the-civil-war/sites.mnhs.org/civil-war/index.html


Mississippi

https://da.mdah.ms.gov/series/osa/s1201


Missouri

https://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/archives/archivesdb/soldiers/#soldiersearch

http://www.researchonline.net/mocw/dyersmo.pdf


Nebraska

https://history.nebraska.gov/collections/nebraska-civil-war-veterans-database


New Jersey

https://wwwnet-dos.state.nj.us/DOS_ArchivesDBPortal/StrykerCivilWar.aspx


New York

https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/conflict/us-civil-war-1861-1865


North Carolina

https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/confederate-pension-applications

https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/historical-publications/roster


Ohio

https://www.ohiohistory.org/learn/a...es/research-guides/military-records/civil-war


Oklahoma

https://okgenweb.net/resource/military.htm


Pennsylvania

http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp?view=ArchiveIndexes&ArchiveID=17

http://personal.psu.edu/users/s/a/sam21/cw1.html

https://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/index.html

https://desertersroster.psu.edu/site/searchtips/

https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/psa/islandora/object/psa:rdmspa


Tennessee

https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/guides/tennessee-confederate-pension-applications-soldiers-widows


Texas

https://texashistory.unt.edu/


Vermont

https://vermontcivilwar.org/rr.php


Virginia

https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/confederate-pensions


West Virginia

https://wvcivilwar.com/


Wisconsin

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15252

 

[lupaglupa]

Newspapers provide real time reactions to the events of the day and are also valuable sources for information on specific soldiers and notable persons of the time

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/


https://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html


https://www.newspapers.com/ (requires subscription)

 

[lupaglupa]

If you know of other sites that you find particularly helpful please share them here and I will incorporate them into the main list.

 

[Dan Scharp]

Every state has military records but not all are digitized. Where official sources did not exist I tried to provide a private website.


Alabama

https://archives.alabama.gov/civilwar/index.cfm


Arkansas

https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/muster-rolls-union/


California

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf129000sb/

http://www.militarymuseum.org/HistoryCW.html


Colorado

https://archives.colorado.gov/collections/military-records


Connecticut

https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/militaryrecords/civilwar

https://portal.ct.gov/MIL/MAPO/History/Units/Connecticut-Men-in-the-Civil-War


Delaware

http://civilwar.delaware.gov/archives.shtml


Florida

https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/research-tools/guides/civilwarguide/


Georgia

https://vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/cmr

http://ghs.galileo.usg.edu/ghs/view?docId=ead/MS 0169-ead.xml;query=;brand=default


Idaho

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...frlaTrOqg_QjWEUH8CCORqXJ_E/edit#gid=737730942


Illinois

https://apps.ilsos.gov/isaveterans/civilmustersrch.jsp

https://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/reg_html/index.html


Indiana

https://www.in.gov/iara/divisions/state-archives/collections/military-records/#Civil War

https://libraries.indiana.edu/guide-civil-war-indiana


Iowa

http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/books/logan.htm


Kansas

https://www.kshs.org/p/military-records-civil-war/11189


Maine

https://digitalmaine.com/civil_war/

https://www.mainegenealogy.net/civil_war_soldier_search.asp


Massachusetts

https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/50883

http://www.massachusettscivilwar.com/default.asp


Michigan

https://michiganology.org/civil-war/


Minnesota

https://mnhs.gitlab.io/archive/minnesota-and-the-civil-war/sites.mnhs.org/civil-war/index.html


Mississippi

https://da.mdah.ms.gov/series/osa/s1201


Missouri

https://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/archives/archivesdb/soldiers/#soldiersearch

http://www.researchonline.net/mocw/dyersmo.pdf


Nebraska

https://history.nebraska.gov/collections/nebraska-civil-war-veterans-database


New Jersey

https://wwwnet-dos.state.nj.us/DOS_ArchivesDBPortal/StrykerCivilWar.aspx


New York

https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/conflict/us-civil-war-1861-1865


North Carolina

https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/custom/confederate-pension-applications

https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/historical-publications/roster


Ohio

https://www.ohiohistory.org/learn/a...es/research-guides/military-records/civil-war


Oklahoma

https://okgenweb.net/resource/military.htm


Pennsylvania

http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp?view=ArchiveIndexes&ArchiveID=17

http://personal.psu.edu/users/s/a/sam21/cw1.html

https://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/index.html

https://desertersroster.psu.edu/site/searchtips/

https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/psa/islandora/object/psa:rdmspa


Tennessee

https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/guides/tennessee-confederate-pension-applications-soldiers-widows


Texas

https://texashistory.unt.edu/


Vermont

https://vermontcivilwar.org/rr.php


Virginia

https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/confederate-pensions


West Virginia

https://wvcivilwar.com/


Wisconsin

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15252

Wow! The internet is an amazing tool. Thanks for the effort!!!

 

[JeffFromSyracuse]

Thanks for posting all of this. This is amazing and super helpful.

Also, a fun game to play on the GAR site. Searching the GAR posts in my native county to see how many of the posts are named after veterans who served in the regiment I am researching.

Also, not as chock full of papers, but far better organized than FultonHistory.com is NYS Historical Newspapers.

 

[History Private I]

ranger95.com has links to many rosters of both Union and Confederate units.

 

[Bob Velke]

Great job, @lupaglupa !

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

One source that isn't often talked about are the army doctor's notes. The doctor noted weather conditions and temperatures, diseases amongst the men and availability of medicinal plants. Fighting conditions and the availability of soldiers was vital information. Researchers can use the doctor's notes along with the reports from the battlefields to get a clearer picture of location, action and after action reports.

--BBF

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

If you know of other sites that you find particularly helpful please share them here and I will incorporate them into the main list.

The Family Search site (The Morman Church) has a good deal of free Civil War info. All that's needed is a free account.

 

[Discipulus]

One source that isn't often talked about are the army doctor's notes.

Where are they archived? Thanks.

 

[lupaglupa]

Where are they archived? Thanks.

Where aren't they? Unfortunately medical records are not all in one place. @lelliott19 you know best I think where these things are - can you help?

 

[DorwinBlack]

If you know which Regiment/Company your ancestor served, the unit Compiled Service Records can be found on archive.org. They are similar to individual soldiers CSR's, providing a card for every two months of service which describes in detail what the Company was doing in those two months. They provide great details about when and how far units marched, where they were camped, etc.

Here is a link to 44th OVI, Company K CSR as an example:

Compiled records showing service of military units in volunteer Union organizations [microform] : United States. National Archives and Records Service : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Listed in Microfilm resources for research, 1986 as: M594

archive.org

 

[lupaglupa]

If you know which Regiment/Company your ancestor served, the unit Compiled Service Records can be found on archive.org. They are similar to individual soldiers CSR's, providing a card for every two months of service which describes in detail what the Company was doing in those two months. They provide great details about when and how far units marched, where they were camped, etc.

Here is a link to 44th OVI, Company K CSR as an example:

Compiled records showing service of military units in volunteer Union organizations [microform] : United States. National Archives and Records Service : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Listed in Microfilm resources for research, 1986 as: M594

archive.org

Absolutely agree. Many people know to look for their own family members in the records and don't realize how much unit information is included.

 

[scooter748driver]

That looks like a great source for information. How do you search? Or maybe better to ask, what did you search for? My relatives were in the 22nd Virginia Cavalry and the 50th Virginia Infantry but my efforts to search produced zero results.

 

[DorwinBlack]

That looks like a great source for information. How do you search? Or maybe better to ask, what did you search for? My relatives were in the 22nd Virginia Cavalry and the 50th Virginia Infantry but my efforts to search produced zero results.

Unfortunately, the records are not indexed. It requires a bit of trial and error in the search fields to find a specific unit.

Searching for "Virginia Cavalry Bowen's Regiment" brought up the reel for the 22nd Virginia Cavalry linked below:

Compiled records showing service of military units in Confederate organizations [microform] : United States. National Archives and Records Service : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Record Group 109

archive.org

ETA: link for 50th Virginia

Compiled records showing service of military units in Confederate organizations [microform] : United States. National Archives and Records Service : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Record Group 109

archive.org

 

[JOHN42768]

Thanks for posting

 

[Discipulus]

Unfortunately, the records are not indexed.

I have found it useful searching by "reel ????"

 

[DorwinBlack]

There may be a few missing reels, but there is a mountain of material as indicated by the following collection of microfilm volumes with over 500 items:

Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine

archive.org

The hardest part is writing a search query to find that volume with the information you want.

If you know the reel number for the subcollection you are looking for, that can be helpful. However there may be several different subcollections with the same reel number.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

One of the more familiar resources for researching North Carolina Confederate Veterans - North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster-1861-1865. We've already noted the Family Search Site has a good deal of free Civil War material. I just recently discovered this resource is found there. https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/147534?availability=Family History Library All that's needed is a free account.