South Dakota Military Records

Portal:United States Military Records&gt;South Dakota

U.S. Military Records provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Many military records are found at the National Archives, the Family History Library, and other federal and state archives. For South Dakota, the following sources are also very helpful:

Forts
Fort Bennett -- in North Dakota. Textual records of this fort, 1870-1891, 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 Hale -- The remains of soldiers buried at Fort Hale were relocated to Fort McPherson National Cemetery on July 30, 1891.

Fort Hartford --

Fort Kiowa -- (1822 - 1825), Fort Lookout A Bernard Pratte and Co. fur trade post originally called Fort Lookout (1). It was a 140-foot square palisade with a blockhouse and watch tower.

Fort Meade -- Textual records of this fort, 1878-1917, 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 Manuel

Old Fort Pierre -- 1817

Fort Randall -- Textual records of this fort, 1856-1892, 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 Robinson -- Nebraska - The post began in 1874 as a temporary cantonment during the turmoil of the frontier Indian Wars. Through the years Fort Robinson was continually expanded and became one of the largest military installations on the northern Plains. The post survived the frontier period and was use by the U.S. Army after World War II. Fort Sisseton -- Textual records of this fort, 1864-1889, 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 Sully -- Textual records of this fort, 1863-1894, 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 Thompson - (Crow Creek Indian Reservation) (1864 - 1867, 1870 - 1871), Fort Thompson A Federal 300-by-400-foot stockade located at the mouth of Soldier Creek, originally named Post at Crow Creek Indian Agency. Became a subpost of Fort Sully (2) in 1870. The government turned the fort over to the Crow Creek Agency in 1871. It was dismantled in 1878.

Fort Totten -- in North Dakota

Civil War (1861-1865)
The Family History Library has the index to service records of Union volunteers from the Dakota Territory (FHL film 881616) and the federal index to pension applications. The actual service and pension records are available only at the National Archives. The library also has a copy of the special census taken in 1890 of Union veterans of the Civil War. An index to the 1890 returns has been published.

Indian Wars
The library has enlistment registers for soldiers who served in the regular army from 1798 to 1914 (Family History Library films 350307—). Many of these soldiers served in the western states, including South Dakota, during the Indian Wars. The enlistment registers provide the soldier's rank, unit, commanders, physical description, occupation, and birthplace. The records are arranged by year and alphabetically by surname.

The library has an index of soldiers who applied for pensions between 1892 and 1926, for service in the Indian Wars from 1817 to 1898 (Family History Library films 821610-21). The pension records are available only at the National Archives.

Spanish-American War (1898)
A roster of the officers and enlisted men of the First Infantry Regiment, South Dakota Volunteers is in Doane Robinson, History of South Dakota, Two volumes (B.F. Bowen &amp; Co., 1904; Family History Library book 978.3 H2r v. 1; film 1000583).

World War I (1917-1918)
For a published roster of soldiers who died in the war, see W. M. Haulsee, F.G. Howe, A. C. Doyle, Soldiers of the Great War, Three Volumes. (Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920; Family History Library book 973 M23s v. 3; fiche 6051244).

World War I draft registration cards for men ages 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 Dakota, see:

United States Selective Service System, South Dakota, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On Family History Library films beginning with 1877785.)

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, D.C.: National Archives. (Family History Library film 1498803.)

Web Sites
South Dakota Military Veterans Cemeteries and other Military Records -

http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~xander/south-dakota-records.htm