Idaho in the Civil War

Introduction
Present-day Idaho was part of the Washington Territory from the start of the Civil War until March 3, 1863, when the Idaho Territory was formed. During this time, the soldiers who served in Idaho protected traffic on the Oregon Trail, gold fields, and the telegraph lines. The Union Army built a few forts to help handle these concerns, including Fort Boise (now Parma, Idaho) built July 4, 1863 and Fort Hall in 1863 and again in 1864. After the Civil War, many Union and Confederate veterans migrated to Idaho.

Additional information can be found in the Wikipedia article, Idaho in the American Civil War (accessed 15 November 2011).

Idaho Military Units
No known military units were raised specifically from Idaho. However men from Idaho did fight in other units during the Civil War.

Records
Idaho Civil War Veterans Index

The Idaho Historical Society has a Civil War Veterans Index that lists veterans of the Civil War who lived or died in Idaho. The index lists the state and regiment in which the soldier served, their county of residence in Idaho, and birth and death years when known.

Washington Territory Civil War Service Records Index

An index to service records of a few Union volunteers from the Washington Territory is at the Family History Library (FS Library film ). For more information on service records see Union Service Records.

Civil War Pension Index Cards

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.

1890 Census Veterans Schedules

The 1890 Census Veterans Schedules for Fort Sherman and Boise Barracks are available on roll 118 of "Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War" (NARA M123). The schedules list veterans and their widows who served as Union soldiers in the Civil War. For more information on the 1890 Veterans Schedules see Union Census 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 11 posts and 307 members in the state of Idaho

GAR Posts in the State of Idaho

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.