South Carolina Military Records

United States Military Records South Carolina

Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal archives. The United States Military Research Outline provides more information about the federal records. For South Carolina the following sources are also very helpful:

Forts
Fort Cass

Fort Charlotte (1765)

Post of Columbia -- Textual records of this fort, 1866-1877, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Moultrie

Fort Prince George (1753)

Fort Red Clay

Fort San Juan

Colonial Wars

 * Lists of soldiers who served from 1715 to about 1772 are in Leonardo Andrea, South Carolina Colonial Soldiers and Patriots (Columbia, South Carolina: N.p., 1952; Family History Library film 1320504 item 3).
 * Militia records for 1759 to 1760, including the Cherokee War, are in Murtie June Clark, comp., Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-1774 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983; Family History Library book 975 M29c).
 * The South Carolina Department of Archives and History also has copies of records from the British Public Record Office pertaining to the Cherokee War of 1760 to 1761.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

 * Lists of about 26,000 soldiers, and their service and pension records, are in Bobby Gilmer Moss, Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983; Family History Library book 975.7 M2m).

South Carolina Revolutionary War claims, 1783 to 1786

 * These records are housed in the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. They are indexed and on microfilm. A published index to the records is Janie Revill, Copy of the Original Index Book Showing the Revolutionary Claims Filed in South Carolina between August 20, 1783 and August 31, 1786, 1941, Reprint (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969; Family History Library book 975.7 M2r).


 * The stub entries to the records issued for claims are also at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. With few exceptions they have been published in a series of twelve volumes, each of which is well indexed (Family History Library book 975.7 M2h; Volumes 1-12 on films 824066-68; Volumes 1-12 on fiche 6046914).
 * For an alphabetical list of pensioners see Janye C. G. Pruitt, Revolutionary War Pension Applicants Who Served from South Carolina. N.p.: 1946; (Family History Library book 975.7 M24p; film 1425646 item 8).

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has many Revolutionary War records and copies of documents pertaining to British armies. The Department of Archives and History and the Family History Library have auditor's office files containing the claims of South Carolina Loyalists presented to commissioners in London and in Nova Scotia.

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

 * An index to service records of volunteer soldiers who served in South Carolina units is available at the Family History Library (Family History Library films 882812-18). The library also has an index to pensioners, but the actual service and pension records are at the National Archives.

Civil War (1861-1865)

 * An index to service records is available for Confederate soldiers (Family History Library films 881967-882001). The service records are at the National Archives. A published roster of Confederate soldiers is in Alexander S. Salley, Jr., South Carolina Troops in Confederate Service, Three Volumes (Columbia, South Carolina: R.L. Bryan Co., 1913-30; Family History Library book 975.7 M28s; film 982339 Volumes 1-3).

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has the compiled service and pension records of Confederate soldiers, musters and payrolls of confederate units, and the 1907 to 1957 records of the Confederate Home. In addition, the Archives has posted an online index to Confederate Pension 1919-1938. This index is linked to online document images for some of the files.

Civil War Pension Index Cards - A free Internet index to pension applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch Record Search. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. Other wars, of that time period, may be included.

Southern Claims Commission. If a Union sympathizer in South Carolina claimed a loss during the Civil War due to Union military confiscation, he could apply to the Southern Claims Commission for reimbursement. Only a few applied per county, but their neighbors were called as witnesses and asked dozens of questions. Hundreds of the residents in a county may be mentioned in answers to Commission questions, and their wartime activities described. To learn how to find records mentioning these neighbors in South Carolina counties during the Civil War see the Southern Claims Commission.

South Carolina 1869 Militia Enrollements
The 1869 Militia Enrollments are available online through The South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH). African-American males between eighteen and forty-five do appear in this repository.

Access the online index and available images here: SCDAH Online Records Index

Visit the following link for a description of this holding: Militia Enrollments, 1869

Strategy
Search for male ancestors who would have been between 18 and 45 in 1869. This repository may help to establish which county an ancestor was living. The record gives the name, age, occupation, residence, and color. Different races are listed together not separately. It is possible that this holding may also help to establish the location of the family in 1865 if they did not migrate previously.

Spanish American War
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has a card file of South Carolina volunteer troops for the Spanish American War.

World War I (1917-1918)
The U.S. Military Records Research Outline (34118) provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.


 * A published roster of soldiers who died in World War I is W.M. Haulsee, F.C. Howe, and Alfred C. Doyle,Soldiers of the Great War, Three Volumes (Washington, DC: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920; Family History Library book 973 M23s Volume 3; fiche 6051244).

World War I draft registration cards for men age 18 to 45 may list address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For registration cards for South Carolina, see:


 * United States. Selective Service System. South Carolina, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On Family History Library films beginning with film 1852489.)

To find an individual's draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board.

Most counties had only one board; large cities had several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you in using the draft board map. There is an alphabetical list of cities that are on the map. For a copy of this map see:


 * United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, DC: National Archives. (Family History Library film 1498803.)

Other Records
Additional records at the Family History Library include copies of veterans' enrollment records, pension applications of veterans and widows, and pension rolls. These are described in the catalog under the name of the county. The original records are at the local county courthouses.