United States Civil War 1861 to 1865, Part 1



The American Civil War began on 12 April 1861 when troops in South Carolina fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Also called the "War between the States" and the "War of Secession", the Civil War lasted until 1865. Approximately 3.5 million soldiers fought in the war resulting in almost 600,000 deaths.

Best Sources

 * United States Civil War 1861 to 1865, Part 2 describes and explains the best sources for Civil War genealogical research.

Getting Started with Civil War Research

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research
 * Getting started with Union records
 * Getting started with Confederate records
 * Civil War Genealogical Research 46 min. video
 * Military Records: Civil War 35 min. video
 * Rules for keeping the Principle Record Books used at the Department and General Headquarters and at the Adjutant General's Office. 1862
 * Regulations for The Recruiting Service of the Army of the United States, Both Regular and Volunteer. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1862.
 * Instructions for the Keeping the Records and Transacting the Clerical Business of the War Department. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1876.

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System of the National Park Service is a free Internet index of both Union and Confederate service records.

The database contains approximately 6.3 million names (some names are duplicated because of spelling variations and multiple enlistments) covering 3.5 million soldiers. The database tells whether the soldier was Union or Confederate and gives regiment and rank.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System index was compiled in cooperation with the National Archives, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Genealogical Society of Utah. Numerous volunteers worked together to make a computerized index to Union and Confederate soldiers.

Research Tools

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index


 * 1861 - 1865 - United States, Records Of Confederate Prisoners Of War, 1861-1865 at findmypast - Index


 * 1864-1866 - at FamilySearch — index


 * 1862-1874 - at FamilySearch — images


 * 1879-1903 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 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.


 * LSU United States Civil War Center at the Louisiana State University focuses on Civil War records and research. LSU has many Civil War related books and manuscripts. Its Index of Civil War Information Available on the Internet has links to many interesting websites.


 * Hewett, Janet B. The Roster of Union soldiers, 1861-1865.  (Wilmington, North Carolina : Broadfoot Pub. Co., c1997-2000) and The Roster of Confederate soilders, 1861-1865.  and Supplement to the Official records of the Union and Confederate armies. (Wilmington, North Carolina : Broadfoot Pub. Co., c1994-2001)


 * New York Public Library, "USSC Civil War Soldiers Inquiry Database" on the U.S. Sanitary Commission collection of records of over 9,000 sick, wounded, or missing Union servicemen to answer inquiries from their relatives.


 * The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. No serious study of the American Civil War is complete without consulting the Official Records. Affectionately known as the "OR", the 128 volumes of the Official Records provide the most comprehensive, authoritative, and voluminous reference on Civil War operations.


 * Hall, Richard. Patriots in diguise : women warriors of the Civil War. (New York, New York : Marlowe &amp; Co., c1993, 1994),.


 * Pompey, Sherman Lee. Civil War veteran burial listings. (Long Beach, California : Southern California Genealogical Society, c1965),.


 * The Civil War Homepage and The American Civil War have historical information and links to many sites with information about the Civil War.


 * U.S., Civil War Roll of Honor, 1861-1865 ($), Index and images.

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at


 * Alabama Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Alabama, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Arizona Service Records of Confederate Soldiers of the Civil War (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Arkansas, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Arkansas, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Dakota Territory, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Delaware, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)]
 * Florida, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers of the Civil War (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Georgia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Georgia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Kentucky, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers of the Civil War (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Louisiana, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Kentucky, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Louisiana, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Nebraska, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Nevada, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * New Mexico, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * New York, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Oregon, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * South Carolina Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States, Records of Confederate Prisioners of War (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States, Service Records of Union Soldiers Who Served in United States Colored Troops (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States Civil War Soldiers Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States Unifiled Papers and Slips Belonging in Confederate Compiled Service Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States, Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States, Civil War and Later Pension Files Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Utah, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * West Virginia, Civil War Service Record of Union Soldiers, 1861-1965 (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Ethnic Groups

 * Waskie, Andy, Foreign Soldiers in the American Civil War, gives approximate numbers of men for each nationality, who fought in the Civil War.
 * African Americans, see United States Colored Troops in the Civil War
 * American Indians in the Civil War
 * Canadians in the U.S. Civil War
 * Danes in the Civil War A great article with stories of a few Danish men serving in the American Civil War.
 * Hispanics in the Civil War
 * Hungarians in the Civil War
 * Norwegians in the Civil War
 * Jones, Paul. The Irish Brigade. (Gaithersburg, Maryland : Olde Soldier Books, [199-?]),.

Major Sites with Digitized Records
Many Civil War records have been digitized and indexed on various Internet sites. Check the lists showing many of the digitized records on FamilySearch, Ancestry, and Fold3.

Battles
For lists and descriptions of the various Civil War battles, click the following links: