Month: June 2021

Knowing the origins of your ancestor’s regiment as well as being familiar with the battles he fought will help you understand his Civil War life and in going forward with future research. So far we’ve spent the last few months accumulating a lot of information on your Civil War ancestor. We’ve zeroed in on the time frame of his military service with dates and facts. Now it’s time to get more details on his military life and experience. Instead of looking singularly at your veteran, we’re going to look at him through the eyes of the whole. We’re going to research his regiment and start filling in the dash. Finding the regiment your Civil War ancestor served with is one of the first pieces of information usually found along with his company and dates of service. This info is what we’re using to expand your understanding of your veteran’s military life. We’re going to look at his regiment’s history that documents unit movements, battles they fought and describes experiences, to get a clearer view of his service. Know that after the war most individual states published a Regimental Roster listing the regiments raised in the state and the men who […]

The Southern Historical Society (SHS) was founded May 1, 1869 in New Orleans, Louisiana by Confederate Major General D. H. Maury. The aim of the group was to preserve the Southern perspective of the Civil War, referred to by many as the, “late unpleasantness.” The Society’s goal was to open a SHS branch in every southern state and keep alive their southern heritage. That wasn’t as easy as anticipated so soon after the war. In fact during the early years membership consisted mostly of former Confederate military officers. By 1873 with participation lagging, the Southern Historical Society held their convention in Sulphur Springs, WV. The delegates, in an effort to move the group forward, passed a number of resolutions that would dramatically shape the future of the SHS. First they moved their headquarters to Richmond, the ex-Confederate Capitol, then adjusted their group’s mission to focus on preserving the records and recollections of the war. Once the headquarters was established in Richmond membership steadily increased and branches were popping up in individual southern states. Second and most important came the preservation of records. The Society encouraged the donation of any war time related documents to the group and were deluged with […]

A little known and little used resource in researching Civil War ancestors is The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Otherwise known as the OR for short, these 128 volumes are a collection of actual reports and correspondence written by army and navy officers who fought in the Civil War. I know it sounds overwhelming but let me tell you it doesn’t have to be that way. Google The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. There are a few places online that have digitized this information. Cornell University and The Ohio State University, https://ehistory.osu.edu/books/official-records are a couple places this work can be viewed online. You can also find the set in many libraries if you’d like to read from an actual book. Today we’re going to read online and go to Cornell University http://collections.library.cornell.edu/moa_new/waro.html. They have an easy to use site that explains how the OR is set up on their site. It is compiled according to the campaign, either in the eastern or western theater and then in chronological order. Usually the Union report is first, then followed by […]

It’s said when there’s great suffering and violence at death, a soul’s spirit cannot rest. This may be noticeably apparent on the grounds of Andersonville prison. Many stories are told by visitors who walk the current National Historic Site only to see, hear and feel the ghostly remnants of Andersonville’s tragic existence. Andersonville prison as we know, was infamous for the horrible living conditions imposed on Union prisoners of war held there. Officially known as Camp Sumter, it was located in the southwest part of Georgia. It opened in February 1864 to house the ever growing prison population that increased once the prisoner exchange system broke down between the north and south. There are numerous accounts of the atrocious living conditions endured by the prisoners. Andersonville was built to house 10,000 men but at its peak 33,000 men were jammed inside its walls. Barracks were not erected for prisoners. The men built their own huts and tents out of scrap pieces of wood, tree limbs and whatever cloth they could find. These flimsy structures could not give relief from the intense summer heat of the Georgia sun, the cold winter nights or pounding rain. Inside the prison a “deadline” marked […]