Georgia Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Georgia 

What is in the Collection?
This Collection will include records from 1861-1865.

Confederate service records of soldiers who served in organizations from Georgia. The records include abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in the following original records:


 * Jacket Name
 * Soldier's full name
 * Year(s) served
 * Age (often estimated)
 * Military Unit in which served
 * Type of records in file
 * NARA publication number, title and roll number

For each military unit the service records are arranged alphabetically by the soldier's surname. The Military Unit field may also display the surname range (A-G) as found on the microfilm. This collection is a part of RG 109, War Department Collection of Confederate Records and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M266. Index courtesy of Website (previously Footnote.com).

Service records were kept for each Confederate soldier. Those records, or their abstracts, were compiled into individual files. Each envelope/jacket contains information and cross references to original records relating to the soldier.

Record Content
The records are in individual files which usually include the following:


 * A jacket-envelope for each soldier, labeled with his name, rank, and the unit in which he served
 * A card (or cards) with abstracts of entries from original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, Union prison registers and rolls, parole rolls, and inspection reports
 * The originals of any papers relating only to the particular soldier

The index to these records contains the following:


 * Jacket name
 * Soldier’s full name
 * Year(s) served
 * Estimated age
 * Military unit served in
 * Type of records in file
 * NARA publication number, title, and roll number

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The soldier's name
 * Identifying information such the years served, the unit served in or age.

Search the Collection
To search collection by name: Fill in the requested information on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the locator information found in the index (such as roll number and the unit served in) to locate your ancestors in the service records.
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the age and location of the military unit to find the soldier’s family in census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, check for variant spellings of the surnames.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals with the same family number.

Related Websites

 * National Archives Collection Description
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
 * Civil War Soldier Search - Confederate Service Records
 * Ancestry ($) Searchable Civil War service records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Georgia Genealogy (state)
 * Confederate Service Records
 * Georgia Military Records
 * Georgia in the Civil War
 * United States Civil War 1861 to 1865, Part 1
 * United States Civil War 1861 to 1865, Part 2

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):