55th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union)

Brief History
The 55th Kentucky Infantry was raised under special authority from the War Department and was organized at Covington, Kentucky, in November 1864. It was mounted and performed duty in the counties bordering on the Kentucky Central railroad, until ordered to the Saltville expedition under Gen. Barbridge. It was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, on the 19th day of September, 1865.

Organized at Covington November, 1864. Mustered out September 19, 1865.

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


 * The Wikipedia article, 55th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Mounted Infantry, (accessed 5 July 2012).
 * The Civil War Archive section, 55th Regiment Mounted Infantry, (accessed 29 November 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 Covington, Kenton County. Company B - Many men mustered in from Covington, Kenton County. Company C - Many men mustered in from Covington, Kenton County. Company D - Many men mustered in from Covington, Kenton County and Louisville, Jefferson County. Company E - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County. Company F - Many men mustered in from Louisville, Jefferson County and Covington, Kenton 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 Covington, Kenton County. Company K - Many men mustered in from Covington, Kenton County and 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 1,409 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.