34th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union)

Brief History
The 34th Kentucky Infantry was organized at Louisville, Kentucky, on September 26th, 1861, under Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dent, and was then designated as the “First Battalion Louisville Provost Guards.” The authority for its organization was received from General Anderson then commanding the Department of Kentucky and the promise was made to the privates that they should receive twenty dollars a month during enlistment. This order created much dissension in the battalion, as they had already received two months pay at the rate of $20 per month. An appeal was made to the Honorable Secretary of War, by Colonel Dent, as a result the men were allowed the choice of serving for the regular pay of $13 per month or mustering out. All of Company B &amp; the larger portion of three others were discharged honorably at Louisville, Kentucky, in Oct., 1862.

Organized at Louisville, Ky., October, 1862, from Louisville Provost Guard. Mustered out at Knoxville, Tenn., June 24, 1865.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 34th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 5 July 2012).
 * The Wikipedia article, 34th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, (accessed 5 July 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Company A - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company B - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company C - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company D - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company E - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company F - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company G - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company H - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company I - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company K - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County.

The records for this Regiment's Companies are from the book, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky, Vol. 2-1861-1866.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,466 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Kentucky in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Kentucky in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Kentucky, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.