In the latter part of the Civil War, after the prisoner exchange system broke down, Confederate POWs were given a couple of options. The first was to be shipped off to one of the Union prisons up north. There they’d live in squalid, miserable conditions for the rest of the war, hopefully avoiding death. Or the prisoners could “swallow the dog” which meant taking an Oath of Allegiance to the U.S. and joining the Union army. Many prisoners chose the latter. Roughly 6,000 Confederate soldiers joined the Union army from 1864 to 1865. They eventually served out west.
These Confederates were known as Galvanized Yankees and served with the 1st through the 6th U.S.Volunteer Infantry Regiments. They were sent west to fight the Plains Indians. Since there were questions about these newly minted soldier’s loyalty to the Union, they served as far from Civil War battlefields as possible.
This same situation held true for federal troops. The term Galvanized Yankees was also used as a reference to Union soldiers who once they were captured by Confederate troops chose to “enlist” in the Confederate army rather than become a prisoner of war. It’s estimated more than 1,600 Union soldiers who were captured after the suspension of prisoner exchange chose to fight for the South rather than languish in a Confederate prison. Even though the term was used to describe a defector from either side it is most associated with Confederate soldiers who turned Union.
Why the name Galvanized Yankees? The term galvanized refers to metal that is coated, usually with zinc to protect it and prevent it from corrosion. The surface of the metal changes but the steel or iron underneath remains the same. This was similar for a Civil War soldier. A Yankee or Rebel soldier may have changed sides under duress but deep down they were true to their homeland. Once a Yankee always a Yankee or once a Southerner always a Southerner.
If your Civil War ancestor falls into this special category there are specific record sets to research and additional reading to understand this portion of his military service. The compiled service records for Galvanized Yankees can be found on FamilySearch at <https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1932430> Like any compiled military service record a soldier’s file contains muster rolls, payroll, hospital admittance, prison of war records, parole info, etc.
Fold3 has this same information available. <http://www.fold3.com/title_45/civil_war_soldiers_union_csa/> Fold3 also provides a free, handy little .pdf from a National Archives pamphlet called Compiled Service Records of Former Confederate Soldiers Who Served in the 1st through 6th U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1864-1866. You can read it here: <http://www.fold3.com/pdf/M1017.pdf> It has a nice explanation about Galvanized Yankees and a tip or two about their Compiled Military Service records and pensions.
A further look at Galvanized Yankees may be found at <https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/upload/galvanized_yankees.pdf> This short, three page .pdf written by the National Park Service goes into detail about the need for troops as settlers in the West feared for their safety. The “Indian Uprisings” were a growing concern and the 1st – 6th U.S.Volunteer Infantry Regiments provided much needed security for the settlers, restored mail and coach service and protected railroad surveyors.
Finally the National Archives’ magazine Prologue has an interesting article, Trading Gray for Blue. <https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2005/winter/galvanized.html> Becoming a Galvanized Yankee did not solve all the problems of a Confederate prisoner of war. This article explains in detail the many hardships these soldiers endured while serving in the Union army.
If your ancestor’s Civil War experience ended with a stint as a Galvanized Yankee I hope these suggestions help you learn more about his unique military experience.
Good Luck as you continue researching your Civil War ancestor.
*Confederate Line – Photo Credit: Sam LeVan – confederateline.jpg from freeimages.com*