Confederate Service Records

''United States U.S. Military Records  U.S. Civil War  Confederate Service and Pension Records   Confederate Service Records

Introduction
Confederate soldiers may have served from a military unit raised by the Confederate Government or by an individual Confederate state. Most Confederate soldiers served with a Unit raised in the community where they lived.

Compiled Service Records
The Compiled Service Records for Confederate soldiers were made by the United States Record and Pension Office in the War department, beginning in 1903. The Record and Pension Office made card abstracts from records in the War Department Collection of Confederate Records and from other borrowed documents. In addition to the cards, original documents that related only to the individual soldier were included.

The card abstracts were made from original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, Union prison registers and rolls, parole rolls, and inspection reports. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, place of birth, and date of death. The Compiled Service Records were made in an effort to obtain as nearly complete record of military service as possible at the time.

See card examples and descriptions on Footnote.com.

The Compiled Service Records ($) (Footnote.com) of Confederate soldiers are available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The service records are also available to access at no charge at National Archives research rooms and any library that provides free access to Footnote.com.

Compiled Service Records of Individual States
The following three collections are not needed if searching the collection Compiled Service Records available on Footnote.com. They are include in that database.

If you are using the records of the individual states, however, the following three collections should also be searched as they were not included in the compiled service records of the individual states.


 * . National Archives Microfilm Publication M258. (FHL films 0880207–329.) (also available on Footnote) ($). Index. NARA M818.
 * . National Archives Microfilm Publication M331. (FHL films 0881105–379.) Include those men performing staff duties. (also available on Footnote) ($). Index. NARA M818.
 * . National Archives Microfilm Publication M347. (FHL films 1402001–442.) (also available on Footnote) ($).

Compiled Service Records of Individual States