United States Military Records

• Revolutionary War
• Mexican War
• Civil War
• Spanish American War
• Burial Records
• Navy and Marine Records
• Veterans Records and Pension Records
• Federal Homes
• Confederate States of America

For the name and organization of each Regular Army officer, 1789-1903, see Francis B. Heitman, HISTORICAL REGISTER AND DICTIONARY OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY. Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 4535 and 4536.

A list of French participants in the Revolutionary War, based upon French records and published in Paris, was republished and indexed by the United States Government under the title LES COMBATTANTS FRANCAIS DE LA GUERRE AMERICAINE, 1778-1783. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 4595. This list appears to relate chiefly to men who returned to France. It is not complete.

Annotated copies of the printed REGISTER OF THE CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY JOHN PIERCE, ESQUIRE, PAYMASTER GENERAL AND COMMISSIONER OF THE ARMY ACCOUNTS FOR THE UNITED STATES are among the records of the Bureau of the Public Debt. They name officers and men of the Continental Army (except for South Carolinians) to whom certificates of indebtedness were issued between 1783 and 1787 under the Continental Congress resolution empowering the Paymaster " to settle and finally adjust all accounts whatsoever, between the United States and the officers and soldiers of the American Army." An alphabetized reprint of the Register, showing the number of the certificate, to whom issued, and the amount, was published in Daughters of the American Revolution, Seventeenth Report, 1913-14, p. 149-712. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 6777, S. Doc. 988.)

MEXICAN WAR, 1846-1848

For an alphabetical list of volunteer officers in the Mexican War showing rank and organization, consult Heitman, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, vol. 2, p. 43-73, Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 4536.

CIVIL WAR

In most cases it is difficult to locate the records relating to a soldier unless his military organization/ affiliation is known because sometimes there were many men of the same name serving from the same state. Moreover, some soldiers were assigned to non-State organizations such as the U.S. Volunteers, and the State indexes do not locate records pertaining to these soldiers. Some soldiers were mustered in under a spelling of the Civil War surname that varies from one used in later life, a frequent occurrence with Pennsylvanians of German ancestry and with soldiers of foreign birth. For such soldiers corresponding pension application files can often be located, and these files identify the respective organizations. (See section below on VETERANS RECORDS.)

The War of the Rebellion is a lengthy series which compiles the official records of both the Union and Confederate Armies. Formal reports of property seizures, military operations, reports, and correspondence are all included. There is one index volume which lists names of any person referred to in the series. These are not neat lists of records, but rather any mention of a person found anywhere in the course of descriptions of skirmishes, battles, correspondence, claims, or events connected with the rebellion. To find a name, first refer to the general index volume at the end of the series, then refer to the index of the volume cited (Series No. and Volume No.) where the exact page/pages will be given. The WAR OF THE REBELLION is shelved in Government Documents, Call Number: W 45.5: Series and No.

The WAR OF THE REBELLION is also available on CD/ROM. With it are included: A COMPENDIUM OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION by Frederick H. Dyer, REGIMENTAL LOSSES IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR (1861-1865) by William F. Fox, and A USER'S GUIDE TO THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR by Alan and Barbara Aimone. A full description of this CD is available at the Alden Library Government Documents web site.

The soldiers of some Missouri organizations that fought against the Confederacy were not in the military service of the United States. These organizations are identified in War Department, Record and Pension Office, Organization and Status of Missouri Troops (Union and Confederate) in Service During the Civil War. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set, 4247, Sen. Misc. Doc. 412.)

SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

For the name, rank, and military organization of each officer who served in volunteer organizations during the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection see Heitman, HISTORICAL REGISTER AND DICTIONARY OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, vol. 2, p. 185-272. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 4536.)

BURIAL RECORDS

Lists of Union soldiers who were buried in public and private cemeteries during the Civil War are published in QUARTERMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE, ROLL OF HONOR. Entries are arranged by name of cemetery, thereunder alphabetically by name of soldier, and show the date of death. Accompanying the volumes is a place index to volumes 1-13 entitled Alphabetical Index to Places of Internment of Deceased Union Soldiers. The library's set is incomplete. These are shelved in Government Documents, Call Number: W 39.7: volume.

NAVY AND MARINE RECORDS

Between 1798 and 1814 several lists of officers in the naval service appeared as private publications. Lists for 1806-1825 are contained in the AMERICAN STATE PAPERS, CLASS 6-NAVAL AFFAIRS.

Navy pensioners are also in the publications. Govt. Docs. Serial Set American State Papers vol. 23-26.

Between 1848 and 1863, transcripts of the official Navy list, showing pay and allowances for each officer, were also prepared by fiscal years, usually from the official list issued the preceding January, with necessary corrections for deaths, resignations, etc. These are in the Govt. Docs. Serial Set as follows:

For identification of officers, see GENERAL REGISTER OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY AND MARINE CORPS. The volumes are arranged in alphabetical order covering 100 years (1782-1882). The set also includes a sketch of the Navy from 1775-1798 which names commanders of the revolutionary fleet. In addition, there is an appendix which lists all known naval vessels for the same time period. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. N 1.10:1782-1882.)

For information about French naval participants of the Revolutionary War see LES COMBATTANTS FRANCAIS DE LA GUERRE AMERICAINE, 1778-1783. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 4595.)

For information about naval men who served in the Civil War, see OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE UNION AND CONFEDERATE NAVIES IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. This consists in part of a personal name index to 30 volumes of transcrits of official records. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. N 16.6:1/vol. and 2/vol.,incomplete. This information is also found in Govt.Docs. Serial Set 8015 and 8016.)

VETERANS RECORDS and PENSION RECORDS

Pensions were granted by Congress to invalid or disabled veterans; to widows and orphans of men who were killed or died in service; to veterans who served a minimum period of time if they were living at an advanced age, and in some instances, to other heirs.

Eight reports were submitted to Congress during the years 1792-95 on claims to invalid pensioners. Each entry in the report contains the name of the invalid pensioner, his rank, regiment, company, or ship; the date and place of his becoming disabled; the place of his residence at the date of the report and action on his claim.(Call Number: Govt.Docs. Serial Set, AMERICAN STATE PAPERS, Class 9, Claims, vol. 36 p. 58-67, 85-122, 125-128, 135-145 and 150-172.)

All Revolutionary War pensions granted before the establishment of the Federal Government were handled by the various States, often pursuant to resolutions of the Continental Congress. The names of persons appearing on these lists as well as the Revolutionary War and other pensioners who were or had been on the rolls are listed by name of State or Territory in WAR DEPARTMENT REPORT FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR, ...IN RELATION TO THE PENSION ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1835. Volume 1 lists the names of pensioners residing in New England; vol. 2, those in NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD and VA; and vol. 3, all others. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 249, 250, 251. 249,vol.1 is missing.)

The Pension Office records of payment to Revolutionary War pensioners are in volumes in which information is given according to certain acts of Congress approved between 1818 and 1853. The volumes cover pensioners in States or Territories. They are shelved in the Govt. Docs. as follows:

For identification of many pensioners of the War of 1812 and other pensioners by place of residence, LIST OF PENSIONERS ON THE ROLL JANUARY 1, 1883. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. Serial Set 2078-2082. Volume 2080 covers Ohio.)

The library also has a series from the Interior Dept.'s Board of Pension Appeals, titled PENSION DECISIONS, for years 1887-1901, 1908-1912 and 1924-1930, shelved Govt. Docs. Call Number: I 24.8: vol.1-11, 18, and 22. The opinions in these volumes have been "carefully selected from the mass of those rendered... and offer a wider view of the system which they are intended to portray." These appeals were made by widows and families as well as individual veterans. There is a digest of these selected decisions for volumes 9-15, shelved Govt. Docs. Call Number: I 24.9:

The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was created in 1866. The Home admitted disabled officers, soldiers, sailors, and marines who had been honorably discharged and who had served in the regular, volunteer, or other forces of the United States. The records of the Homes are dated 1866-1934.

The call numbers are in Government Documents as follows:

RECORDS CONCERNING THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA

Information about the confirmation of appointments of Confederate officers is given in Confederate States of America, Congress. JOURNAL OF THE CONGRESS OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, 1861-65. A GENERAL INDEX IS IN THE LAST VOLUME. (Call Number: GOVT. DOCS. SERIAL SET 4610-4616.)

For identification of Confederate naval officers consult Office of Naval Records and Library, Register of Officers of the Confederate States Navy, 1861-65. Names in it are arranged alphabetically. (Call Number: Govt. Docs. N 16.2:R 26.)