United States, Military Burial Records from the National Archives - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States



What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of two National Archives microfilm publications. First, the Register of Confederate soldiers, sailors and citizens who died in federal prisons and military hospitals in the North, 1861-1865, which is NARA Microfilm M918,1 roll. The register of Confederate dead is arranged by place of death then alphabetically by name. A table of contents will be found at the beginning of the volume. The second microfilm publication is burial registers for military posts, camps, and stations, 1768-1921, NARA Microfilm M2014, 1 roll. It consists of two volumes of burials, most occurring between 1860 and 1890. Check the descriptive pamphlet for the arrangement of the post, camps, and stations.

Collection Content
These records may contain the following:


 * Name
 * Rank
 * Company
 * Regiment or vessel
 * Date of death
 * Remarks (may include cause of death)
 * Number and location of grave

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the name and some other identifying information such as death date and place.

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "NARA Publication" category ⇒ Select the "Volume" category which will take you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the name, rank and regiment to help locate other military records.
 * Use the name, age and state of regiment to search earlier federal census records.
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Make a list of others with same surname as your ancestor. If the surname is uncommon, they may be relatives.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * These records are brief so it is easy to confuse individuals.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There may be an index at the beginning or end of each volume. Genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of other cemeteries and localities.

Related Websites

 * NARA Finding Information on Personal Participation in The Civil War
 * Information regarding “Burial Registers for Military Posts, Camps, and Stations 1768-1921

Related Wiki Articles
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Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation

Image Citation