Georgia Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Georgia

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes Civil War Union Service records from 1861 to 1865.

The collection consists of Union service records of soldiers who served in the First Battalion of Georgia Infantry. The records include abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in the following original records:


 * Jacket name
 * Soldier's full name
 * Year(s) served
 * Age (often estimated)
 * Military Unit in which served
 * Type of records in file
 * NARA Publication number, title and roll number

Collection Content
For each military unit the service records are arranged alphabetically by the soldier's surname. The Military Unit field may also display the surname range (A-G) as found on the microfilm. This collection is a part of RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s - 1917, and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M403. Index courtesy of www.fold3.com (previously Footnote.com).

The records are in individual files which usually include the following:


 * A jacket-envelope for each soldier, labeled with his name, rank, and the unit in which he served
 * A card (or cards) with abstracts of entries from original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, Union prison registers and rolls, parole rolls, and inspection reports
 * The originals of any papers relating only to the particular soldier

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The index to these records contains the following:


 * Jacket name
 * Soldier’s full name
 * Year(s) served
 * Estimated age
 * Military unit served in
 * Type of records in file
 * NARA publication number, title, and roll number

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier
 * The years the soldier served in the Civil War.
 * The approximate age of the soldier.
 * The unit in which the soldier served.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article [FamilySearch Tips and Tricks].

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s Civil War service record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the locator information found in the index (such as roll number and the unit served in) to locate your ancestors in the service records.
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the age and location of the military unit to find the soldier’s family in census, church, and land records.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals with the same family number.

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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):