Georgia in the Civil War

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Introduction
Georgia seceded from the Union on January 18, 1861. During the Civil War, almost 100,000 Georgians served in the Confederate armed forces, mostly serving in the armies in Virginia. In Georgia, most of battles were fought in 1864 and 1865, as General Sherman's army marched to the sea.

For additional information, see the Wikipedia article, Georgia in the American Civil War.

Georgia Military Units
Most units were numbered, however, some were named. See the table below for lists of the regiments, battalions, batteries, and other units.

The information in the lists of Georgia Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. That web site also can be searched by the name of a soldier. Georgia Units by Number or by Name  'Confed. Units 1st-3rd 4th-10th 11th- 23rd 24th- 214th A-H J-Z Georgia Units by Type of Unit  Confed. Units' Infantry Cavalry Artillery Reserve Local Units Other

Georgia Union Units <div style="padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 5px; float: left; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 4px; width: 223px; color: black; padding-top: 5px; height: 40px; background-color: rgb(255,255,255); text-align: center"> <div style="padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 5px; float: left; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 4px; width: 60px; color: black; padding-top: 5px; height: 40px; background-color: rgb(204,255,255); text-align: center">Union Units <div style="padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 5px; float: left; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 4px; width: 60px; padding-top: 5px; height: 40px; background-color: rgb(204,255,255); text-align: center">Units

Sources and Resources
Soldiers from Georgia served in both the Union and the Confederate Armies. Indexes and the compiled military service records are available at the Family History Library and the National Archives.

Pension Records

 * Georgia Confederate pension records are indexed by the soldier's last name. (Family History Library microfilms )

Confederate soldiers received pensions for military service beginning in 1879. The law establishing pension payment was changed in 1891 to include widows of soldiers.


 * Pension records for Confederate veterans are arranged by counties and are at the Family History Library on 634 films. (Family History Library microfilms


 * The indexed original pension documents are available online at the Georgia Department of Archives and History.

Enlistment Oaths and Discharges

 * Enlistment oaths and discharges for Confederate soldiers are indexed and viewable as original documents at the Georgia Department of Archives and History.

Rosters

 * Lillian Hendersen, comp., Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, 1861-65, six volumes, is a published roster of Georgia Confederate soldiers who served in the infantry. (Hapeville, Georgia: Longino and Porter, 1960-64; ).

Cemetery Records
A national cemetery in Sumter County is the burial place of over 12,000 Union soldiers who died while prisoners at Andersonville, Georgia.


 * A published cemetery list is United States Quartermaster's Department, Roll of Honor, Volume 3. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866; Family History Library ).

Pension Records

 * A free Internet index to pension applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch Record Search. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. Other wars, of that time period, may be included.

Southern Claims Commission
If a Union sympathizer in Georgia claimed a loss during the Civil War due to Union military confiscation, he could apply to the Southern Claims Commission for reimbursement. Only a few applied per county, but their neighbors were called as witnesses and asked dozens of questions. Hundreds of the residents of all kinds in a county may be mentioned in answers to Commission questions, and their wartime activities described.

To learn how to find records mentioning these neighbors in Georgia counties during the Civil War see the Southern Claims Commission.