Maryland Military Records

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Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The U.S. Military Records Research Page provides more information on the federal records.

Historical, Veterans and Lineage Societies

 * Maryland Military Historical Society was formed in 1982 to preserve the history, heritage, and memory of Maryland's organized militia. In addition to their focus on the militia, the Society strives to preserve the memory of the military accomplishments of all Marylanders, regardless of branch of service.    The Historical Society was the instrumental in the establishment of the Maryland Museum of Military History.

Societies]] page. For eligibility requirements, contact the individual society.
 * Records of veterans’ organizations and lineage societies may be found at their national headquarters or at state archives, historical societies, and Libraries. Some Societies require members to submit applications documenting their ancestry back to a soldier. The applications typically provide birth, marriage, and death information, as well as establish relationship through multiple generations from the applicant to the qualifying ancestors, making these societies an excellent source of information. They may publish membership lists and other records. To contact these societies refer to the [[Maryland Societies|Maryland

Forts
Throughout the beautiful land of Maryland historic Forts have dotted the land. Several are still standing and are now National Parks. Some forts no longer exist, but the history they leave behind gives us clues to the life of our ancestors.

Colonial Wars (1632-1775)
Many colonists served in local militias and participated in King William’s War (1689 to 1697), Queen Anne’s War (1702 to 1713), King George’s War (1744 to 1748), and the French and Indian War (1754 to 1763). Because these were local units and not part of the British Army, any surviving records are in historical societies and state libraries and archives. For more information about Colonial Wars see the Colonial Wars page.
 * Maryland Muster Rolls, Fort Cumberland, 1757-58 The Maryland State Archives has a card index to muster and pay rolls for the colonial wars from 1732 to 1772.
 * Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-1774 Pages 1-123 include lists of Maryland militia from 1732 to 1763. The source sometimes lists residence. It is indexed.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
The original service records and the earliest pension records of the Revolutionary War were destroyed in fires in 1800 and 1814. Substitute records were used to make the compiled service records. These records are in Record Group 93 at the National Archives. For more general information about this war see the Revolutionary War Page.

Patriot Records
A man born between 1730 and 1765 who lived in Maryland is probably listed in some form of military record. If he supported the Revolution, he may be mentioned in the records as a rebel, patriot, or Whig. Those who opposed the Revolution were Loyalists or Tories. The often forgotten soldiers of the revolution were women. For Revolutionary War patriot records, see: The service records and pension files for Revolutionary War patriots are available at the Family History Library. You can also use NATF Form 86 for service records and NATF Form 85 for pension files to obtain copies of records from the National Archives for a fee.
 * Revolutionary War Service Records; Footnote ($) contains Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, NARA M881.
 * Genealogical Abstracts of the Revolutionary War Pension Files The abstracts may contain name, unit, service and application dates and places, age, birth date, marriage date, residences, and names of relatives. These abstracts are mainly from the following collection of records:
 * Selected Records from Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant Application Files 
 * Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Application Files . This collection contains 80,000 complete pension files organized alphabetically by surname.
 * Index to Revolutionary War Service Records This source shows the name, rank, and unit of over 390,000 patriots. The index is a transcript of: General Index to Compiled Military Service Records of Revolutionary Ward Soldiers

Muster Rolls
Muster and pay rolls and other records of Maryland continental and state troops, have been published in Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution: 1775-1783 This book may include officers, regiments, rank, service dates, or residence.

Pension and Land Records
The first pension law in 1776 granted half-pay for life to soldiers disabled in the service and unable to earn a living. The first pension law based on service was passed in 1818, but it was later amended to make eligible only those soldiers unable to earn a living. The pension act of 1832 allowed pensions again based on service and made widows of veterans also eligible to receive pension benefits. Fires in 1800 destroyed the earliest Revolutionary War pension application records. As a result, pension application papers on file at the National Archives begin after 1800. Certain pension records predating 1800 survive in the form of Congressional reports and other legislation. Reports available are arranged by state; they give name, rank, regiment, description of wounds, and disability; they also give information regarding pension, place of residence, and physical fitness. Abstracts from pension and bounty land applications are in:
 * Revolutionary War Pensions; Footnote ($) This collection includes entire records of pension files for soldiers and sailors who served in the Revolutionary War.
 * Maryland Revolutionary Records The information comes from pension claims and bounty land applications. It may include regiment, rank, land grant acreage, or marriage information.
 * Maryland Revolutionary War Pensioners, War of 1812 and Indian Wars May include rank, date of pension, age, residence, or emigration to another state. See the "Land and Property" page for records of land (Bounty Land) paid to Revolutionary soldiers.

History
To learn more about the Maryland Continental Line, see A Short History of the Maryland Line in the Continental Army This book describes the seven regiments formed in Maryland, as well as an eighth regiment sometimes called the "German Battalion."

Indexes
The Maryland State Archives has several card indexes related to service in the militia. Names of men found in surviving militia records are listed in The Maryland Militia in the Revolutionary War

Loyalists
In the fall of 1777, a regiment of Loyalists was raised in Maryland. To learn more about these men, see Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War May include regiment, officers, service dates, rank, and where mustered.

Online Resources

 * Ancestry ($) Maryland Revolutionary War Records search by name
 * Classes of Pensioners and Pension Lists
 * Maryland State Archives Reference &amp; Research
 * WorldVitalRecords ($) Revolutionary records; Data obtained from 3,050 Pension Claims and Bounty Land Applications, including 1,000 Marriages of Maryland Soldiers and a List of 1,300 Proved Services of Soldiers and Patriots of other States.

War of 1812 (1812-1815)
The Society of The War of 1812 along with it's counterpart State Society United States Daughters of 1812 works to provide information about the people between the close of the American Revolution and the close of the War of 1812. Among the Societies' holdings are family histories. For more information about the War of 1812 see the War of 1812 page.

Service Records
These records have not been microfilmed, so you must order photocopies from the National Archives. The Family History Library does have a microfilm copy of the index to these records. ($) Ancestry.com also has an index available online by clicking here.


 * A roster of soldiers and sailors with their rank and unit, compiled by Louis Henry Dielman, is in The British Invasion of Maryland, 1812-1815 Click here to view this book online.
 * Published abstracts of muster, pay, and receipt rolls of soldiers who served in the militia are in Maryland Militia War of 1812
 * A list of American prisoners kept at Dartmoor Prison in England is found in Dartmoor Prison 6,554 Americans were kept at this prison. Approximately 581 died while prisoners.

Pension Records
These records have not been microfilmed, so you must order photocopies from the National Archives. The Family History Library does have a microfilm copy of the index to these records The Family History Library also has the following index to pension records Index to War of 1812 Pension Files
 * War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815($) Ancestry.com

Mexican War (1846-1848)
A list of Maryland volunteers is found in Maryland and District of Columbia Volunteers in the Mexican War. This book lists the soldier’s rank, unit, city of enlistment, and age. For more information about the Mexican War see the Mexican War page.

Civil War (1861-1865)
Guide to Civil War Sources by the Maryland Historical Society is helpful with your Civil War era research. Maryland was officially a Union state, but some men—particularly from southern Maryland—did serve in the Confederate Army. For more information about the Civil War see the Civil War page. For service records of Union soldiers, see: For service record of Confederate soldiers, see Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Maryland
 * Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Maryland
 * Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Maryland.

Pension Records
The Family History Library has an index to Civil War pension records Family History Library films You must order photocopies of Union pension applications from the National Archives. The state of Maryland did not offer pensions to those who served in the Confederacy.

Rosters
Published rosters of Confederate and Union soldiers are in:


 * The Maryland Line in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865 Full text on Google Books
 * Marylanders in the Confederacy
 * Maryland in the Civil War
 * History and Roster of Maryland Volunteers, War of 1861-65
 * Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Navy of the Confederate States: To January 1, 1863

History
The Family History Library has some Maryland regimental histories. An example is Colored Volunteers of Maryland Civil War, 7th Regiment, United States Colored Troops, 1863-1866 To learn more about Maryland Confederate forces, see Confederate Military History Volume two deals only with Maryland.
 * A Memoir, Richard Snowden Andrews, Lieutenant-Colonel Full Text is available at Google Books. This is a history from the recollections of Richard Snowden Andrews Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the first Maryland Artillery (Andrews Battalion) Confederate States Army of the account of a fight of two guns at Sevenson's Depot near Winchester in 1863.

Online Resources

 * Civil War Rosters is a directory of Civil War Rosters and Muster Rolls that have been found on the internet. Some of the units may not be listed as only about 50-60% of all rosters are on the internet. Links are given for further research.
 * History and Roster of Maryland Volunteers History and Roster of Maryland Volunteers War of 1861-5 Volume 1. Maintained by Maryland State Archives.
 * The National Museum of Civil War Medicine located in Frederick, Maryland is a repository of exhibits and artifacts devoted to effectively weave the narrative of suffering soldiers, caregivers, their families and the dramatic and innovative developments in medical treatment.
 * Roster of Maryland Volunteers, War of 1861–1865 searchable by last name.

Spanish-American War (1898)

 * Roster of the Soldiers and Sailors Who Served in Organizations from Maryland during the Spanish-American War

Online Resources
A list of Spanish American War Veterans buried in Maryland

World War I (1917-1918)
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 more information about World War I see the World War I page. Registration cards for Maryland can be found at Maryland, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. 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 more. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you determine the board number if he lived in a large city. A map of Baltimore has been prepared which shows the draft board registration districts. The cities listed in the map are in alphabetical order by name of the city. For a copy of this map, see List of World War One Draft Board Maps Published lists of servicemen include:
 * Maryland War Records Commission. Maryland in the World War I, 1917-19 The Family History Library has only volume two, which contains surnames beginning with J to Z.
 * Soldiers of the Great War Volume 1 lists the Maryland soldiers who died in World War I and provides photographs. Full Text is at Google Books

Online Resources

 * World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 ($) Ancestry has the complete set of records for all states and the digitized indexes.
 * World War I Draft Registration Records
 * |2414472 Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900; Footnote ($) NARA T289. Pension applications for service in the US Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.

World War II (1941-1945)
Over 16.5 million men and women served in the armed forces during World War II, of whom 291,557 died in battle, 113,842 died from other causes, and 670,846 were wounded.Because of privacy restrictions and loss of records, it is usually best to document World War II service by finding home sources, or by writing to the Adjutant General’s Office of the state from which a soldier served. Discharges may also have been recorded at local county courthouses. Many records may no longer be available due to a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. To learn more about World War II see the World War II page.
 * Maryland in World War II: Register of Service Personnel

Online Resources

 * Ancestry has U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 ($)
 * Maryland World War II Casualties Army and Air Force
 * Maryland Veterans of World War II Maryland Historical Society
 * WorldVitalRecords ($) Naval Academy - Lucky Bag Yearbook This database contains the following years: 1902,1911,1915,1917 - 1918,1920 - 1921,1923 - 1939,1941 - 1946,1948 - 1951,1953 - 1955,1957,1959 - 1960
 * WorldVitalRecords ($) Army Casualties 1956 - 2003

Korean War (1950 TO 1953)
There were 518 causalities from Maryland in the Korean War. U.S. military personnel who died from hostile action (including missing and captured) in the Korean war, 1950-1957 are listed alphabetically by name at AII POW-MIA Causalities. This website also gives information on the date of death or date declared dead. Another list of casualties from Maryland in the Korean War is listed in the Korean War Project. To learn more about the Korean War see the Korean War page.

Vietnam War (1964 to 1972)
Maryland had 1046 of it's citizens lose their lives in the Vietnam War. A searchable index can be found at Maryland Distant Cousin. To learn more about the Vietnam War see the Vietnam War page.

Family History Library
The Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog lists military records under:
 * MARYLAND - MILITARY RECORDS
 * MARYLAND, [COUNTY] - MILITARY RECORDS

General Websites for Military
General Online Resources for Military State Archives United States Naval Academy