United States, Civil War Investigations of Disloyal Activities - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
The records cover the years 1861 to 1866.

Record Description
The collection consists of case files of Army Judge Advocate Levi C. Turner, 1862-1866 and Provost Marshal and Special Agent Lafayett C. Baker, 1861-1865. The case files are of investigations of subversive (disloyal) activities during the Civil War. The files relate to arrest, parole, and release of suspects of both civilians and soldiers. The activities investigated concerned such things as giving aid to the Confederacy, resisting the draft, discouraging enlistments, blockade runners, and State prisoners held in Federal prisons. The records are from RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917 and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M797. The index is courtesy of Fold3 (formerly Footenote).

Why This Record Was Created
The War Department was concerned about subversive activities and began investigating them as early as 1942. Concern increased after the outbreak of the Civil War. The records were created as a permanent record of the investigations.

Record Reliability
The records are very reliable.

Related Websites

 * Case Files of Levi C. Turner and Lafayette C. Baker
 * Civil War Cat and Mouse Game

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection

 * “Delaware Marriage Records,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 4 March 2011), entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.
 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 21 March 2011), entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

Sources of information for This Collection
"United States,Civil War Investigations of Disloyal Activities,1861-1866." FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org). RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917. NARA M797. National Archive and Record Service, Washington D.C. Fold3 digital images. Fold3, Orem Utah.