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 served. Most state rosters include a regiment’s history, some extensive, some rather brief but still worth a look. A typical online search will produce a digitized copy of that state’s roster for research through the state archives, Google Books, etc.
Most Civil War soldiers enlisted in a regiment that was raised in the area in which he lived. Early in the war, recruiters went from town to town persuading men to enlist with accounts of great triumph and the glories of war. The majority of enlistees did not have to travel far to volunteer. They joined the newest regiment being raised locally with relatives, neighbors and friends. So when reading through a regimental or company history also look through the roster for brothers, brothers-in-law, cousins and neighbors of your veteran who may have volunteered at the same time. Not only does it add to your veteran’s story that knowledge will come in handy in future research.
Union infantry regiments were made up of ten companies, each company with one hundred men, three of them officers. Confederate regiments were generally the same. Roughly 1,000 soldiers to a regiment with about a dozen officers. Your ancestor lived, trained and fought with these men. Their experiences were your ancestor’s experiences. Perhaps your ancestor didn’t leave a journal or letters describing his military life, but reading and familiarizing yourself with his regiment and the documents they left behind will provide insight into the experiences of your veteran.
Photo Credit: Mikhail Lavrenov freeimages.com
So let’s first start with regimental histories, learning where and how your ancestor served. There are several places on the web to find regimental histories. Some of those places include:
- Civil War Archive
- FamilySearch Wiki for Union regimental histories and Confederate histories
- National Parks Service has a regimental search page
Now the ultimate source for regimental history research is A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion: Compiled and arranged from Official Records of the Federal and Confederate armies, reports of the adjutant generals of the several states, the army registers, and other reliable documents and sources by Frederick Dyer which can be accessed here on Internet Archive. Yet don’t skip checking out the others sites listed. There’s always a tidbit or two of additional information when checking these websites that helps with future research.
Also look for specific regimental histories on Google Books and Internet Archive. Searching the web for a particular regiment will turn up several options. I searched online for the 9th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry which returned a dozen different hits for websites to pursue. Also check Amazon and eBay to see what may turn up on the regiment you’re researching.
Once you’ve read your ancestor’s regimental history make a timeline of battles, map out his unit’s movements, note the references of fierce fighting, extreme weather or sickness. All this information rounds out his military experience for you.
A few websites to go to for in-depth research on your ancestor’s particular battles should include:
- American Battlefield Trust – put Civil War in search on the left
- National Park Service
- Son of the South
Another way to learn more about your ancestor’s military experience is through journals and letters. Of course I’m among the majority that didn’t inherit a shoebox full of letters written by my veteran to loved ones at home, so my research takes me to the next best thing. Searching for journals and letters written by fellow soldiers within the regiment.
Photo Credit: Cindy Freed
Again look for the names of brother-in-laws, cousins and neighbors of your veteran. Especially those you noted earlier who volunteered at the same time. Those letters and diaries describing war experiences by fellow soldiers recount what your ancestor lived through too.
Check university manuscript collections, libraries and newspapers. Some of these resources are digitized and online. Many have large collections of family papers, diaries and journals that pertain to the Civil War or life at that time. In some cases descendants lived across the country from where their Civil War ancestor lived yet inherited family papers and donated them to the educational institution near their current home. I’ve seen Pennsylvania regimental information in California repositories. Think outside the box as you research, investigating all potential resources.
Again document all you find in these accounts citing your sources. Many a soldier went into great detail when writing home about constant drilling followed by stretches of boredom before participating in a sudden skirmish. Lack of food, clothing, and rest was mentioned in many journals. So of course these hardships were felt by your ancestor too.
Along with reading regimental histories, journals and letters, there are other dash fillers as you attempt to learn more about your veteran’s Civil War life. While at the library or on Google books look for the county history where your Civil War ancestor lived. There’s always a chapter on how the war affected the residents of that area and how the citizen’s responded. Many county histories were written for a centennial celebration and included short biographical sketches of the county’s outstanding citizens. Most were written in the late 1800s and the bios mention the Civil War service of the men included in the history. Again check out the bios of those neighbors and friends who served in the same unit as your ancestor.
Any library, bookstore or even Amazon has thousands of titles of Civil War books ranging from specific battles, to a soldier’s life. Chances are you’ll find books particular to his regiment as well as the brigade or corps his unit belonged to. The more you familiarize yourself with the events and actions of the regiment your Civil War ancestor belonged to you will be better able to understand and appreciate his service as well as fill in that dash between 1861 – 1865.
Good Luck in your research.