Arizona in the Civil War

During the Civil War, Arizona raised men for both the Union and the Confederacy. Their records can be found in state records shown on this page, unit records which may be found on the military unit pages (see below for links), or federal records. For ideas on how to begin searching for your Civil War ancestor, see Beginning United States Civil War Research.

Introduction
Before the Civil War, New Mexico Territory included the present day states of New Mexico, Arizona, and the southern tip of Nevada. In 1861, Federal troops went east, which left white civilians unprotected from Indian attacks.

The southern part of the territory had many differences with the northern part of New Mexico Territory. They wished the southern part to be split off and called the Arizona Territory. And even before the Civil War, this proposed Arizona Territory petitioned the US Congress for territorial status, but was unsuccessful.

When the Civil War started, the proposed Arizona Territory petitioned the Confederate congress for territorial status, this time with success.The Confederacy declared Arizona a territory on 1 August 1861 at the start of the war. Arizona supplied 3 Confederate military units. The Arizona Territory sided with the Confederacy, while the New Mexico Territory sided with the Union.

Then a Confederate Army from Texas moved into eastern New Mexico to hold both the Arizona and New Mexico Territories within their influence. However, a Union Army from California moved into western Arizona Territory. Outlying patrols from these two armies skirmished near Picacho Peak, resulting in the most western battle of the Civil War.

The Confederate Army moved back to Texas and the Union Army controlled New Mexico Territory throughout the Civil War. Then on 24 February 1863, the US split off the western half of New Mexico Territory to become the Arizona Territory. The Wikipedia article, New Mexico in the American Civil War, has more information about Arizona's activities during the war.(As of 22 July 2011, Wikipedia combined information about Arizona in the Civil War with New Mexico.)

Confederate Arizona Military Units

 * Arizona Brigade (Confederate) "Units of the Confederate States Army" by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.


 * Arizona Battalion (Confederate) "Units of the Confederate States Army" by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.


 * Herbert's Battalion, Arizona Cavalry (Confederate) "Units of the Confederate States Army" by Joseph H. Crute, Jr. contains no history for this unit.

Union Arizona Military Units

 * 1st Battalion, Arizona Infantry (Union) "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.

Records and Resources
Arizona soldiers served in both the Union and Confederate armies. The compiled military service records (Family History Library ) and indexes (Family History Library ) for the Confederacy are available at the Family History Library and the National Archives. You may also find the union soldiers listed in the New Mexico Territory Civil War Records (Family History Library ) and index (Family History Library ).

Service Records
(FamilySearch)

Compiled Service Records - The Compiled Service Records ($) (Fold3.com) of Confederate soldiers who served in organizations from the Territory of Arizona are available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, place of birth, and date of death. For more information see Confederate Service Records.

Service Records
Compiled Service Records - The Compiled Service Records ($) (Fold3.com) of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the Territory of New Mexico (included present day Arizona at the beginning of the war) are available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, place of birth, and date of death.

The compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the Territory of Arizona have not been microfilmed and are only available from the National Archives. For more information on service records see Union Service Records.

Pension Records
Civil War Pension Index Cards


 * An index to the pensioners is on film at the Family History Library. (beginning with FS Library film )


 * An of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. The majority of the records are of Civil War veterans, but the collection also includes records for veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, the Indian Wars, and World War I. For more information see Union Pension Records.

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)
Grand Army of the Republic founded in 1866 - 1956, was the largest veteran’s organization in the country after the Civil War. It was a fraternal organization members were veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, Marines and Revenue Cutler Service who served in the American Civil War. The group supported voting rights for black veterans, and lobbied the U.S. Congress to establish veterans' pensions. In 1890 the membership was 490,000.

In 1888 there were 7 Posts with 291 members.

GAR Posts in the State of Arizona

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
With the death of the last member of the Grand Army of the Republic the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War was formed.