New Mexico Military Records

See also New Mexico Colonial Patriots,1779-1783

Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. United States Military Records provides more information about the federal records.

The New Mexico Records Center and Archives at http://www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/ has muster rolls, cemetery records, and files of the Adjutant General's office from 1848 to 1945. The following sources are also very helpful.

Forts
Fort Bascom -- Textual records of this fort, 1863-1871, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Bayard -- Letters sent by the Post Commander at Fort Bayard have been microfilmed on 3 rolls and are part of National Archives Microcopy T320.

Cantonment Burgwin

Fort Conrad 1851-53

Fort Craig 1854 -- Textual records of this fort, 1854-1885, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Cummings -- Textual records of this fort, 1863-1894, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7). The records for 1863-1873 and for 1880-1884 have been microfilmed on 8 rolls and are part of National Archives Microcopy M1081.

Fort Fautleroy 1860

Fort Fillmore 1851

Fort Garland

Post of Las Cruces -- Textual records of this fort, 1863-1865, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Post of Las Vegas -- Textual records of this fort, 1851, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Marcy 1846 -- Textual records of this fort, 1852-1894, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort McRae -- Textual records of this fort, 1865-1876, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Selden -- Textual records of this fort, 1865-1891, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Stanton 1855 -- Textual records of this fort, 1863-1896, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Sumner -- Textual records of this fort, 1863-1869, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Thorn 1853-1859

Fort Union 1851 -- Textual records of this fort, 1852-1891, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Fort Webster 1852-1853

Old Fort Wingate -- Textual records of this fort, 1862-1914, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).

Spanish Service Records
Valuable records of those who served in the military in New Spain from 1786 to 1800 are at the General Archives in Simancas, Spain, and on microfilm at the Family History Library (Family History Library films 1156334-42, for index see Family History Library Europe book 946 M23e). You will also find military information in the Spanish Archives of New Mexico and the Mexican Archives of New Mexico (see New Mexico Genealogy).

Civil War (1861-1865)
The Family History Library and the National Archives have an index to service records of Union soldiers who served in units from New Mexico (Family History Library films 821883-86), the service records (Family History Library films 471538-83), and the federal indexes to pensioners. The actual pension records are only available at the National Archives.

A special census was taken in 1890 of Union veterans of the Civil War. The returns for New Mexico are on Family History Library film 338203. A published index is available (Family History Library book 978.9x22jv 1890).

Indian Wars (1862-1898)
Many soldiers from throughout the United States served in the western states during the Indian Wars. Enlistment registers, pension records, and service records for this war are described in the United States Research Outline. The Family History Library has miscellaneous records and some muster rolls from the Adjutant Generals' Office in New Mexico for 1862 to 1898 (Family History Library films 016612-13).

Spanish-American War (1898)
Names of soldiers who served in Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders from New Mexico are listed in History of New Mexico: Its Resources and People, Volume 1 (Los Angeles, California: Pacific States Publishing Company, 1907; Family History Library book 978.9 H2h; film 844902, Volume 1)

World War I (1917-1918)
A published roster of soldiers who died in the war is W. M. Haulsee, F. C. Howe, and A. C. Doyle, Soldiers of the Great War, Three Volumes. (Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920; Family History Library book 973 M23s; fiche 6051244). Volume 2 contains the New Mexico returns.

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 registration cards for New Mexico, see:

United States. Selective Service System. New Mexico, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On Family History Library films 1711857.)

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 several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you in using the draft board map. There is an alphabetical list of cities that are on the map. For copies of the maps see:

United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. (Family History Library film 1498803.)

Web Sites
http://www.archives.gov/