United States, Union Provost Marshal Files of Individual Civilians, 1861-1866

What is in This Collection?

This collection contains images of records from the United States Provost Marshal during the Civil War. The Provost Marshal served as military police for the Union Army. Records in this collection deal with deserters, Confederate spies, civilians suspected of disloyalty, civilian passage through military zones, contraband slaves, etc. The records are in Record Group 109 located in the National Archives. This collection corresponds to NARA publication M345, Union Provost Marshals’ File of Papers Relating to Individual Civilians. See United States, Union Provost Marshal Files of Two or More Civilians, 1861-1866 - FamilySearch Historical Records for cases involving two or more persons.

The collection was digitized from microfilm and is arranged alphabetically by the first two or three letters of the surname. It consists of correspondence, provost court papers, lists of transportation permits, claims for compensation for property used or destroyed by military forces, affidavits, oaths of loyalty and other lists.

Although the records were kept by the Union Army, they primarily deal with information about confederate citizens and union citizens who were suspected of supporting the confederate cause. They dealt with a wide range of individuals including those who were suspected of disloyalty or of giving aid to the enemy, who violated military orders, were prisoners, were authorized to travel in or to enter the Confederate states, and others. During the war each division, brigade, and corps of the Union Army had a provost marshal. Marshals kept records of their activities as the military police and presided at courts established to try civilians who violated military orders as well as military personnel suspected of committing civil crimes.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Related National Archives Collections

• Papers Relating to Citizens, 1861–1867
• Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863–1865 Draft Enrollment
• Descriptive Books of Drafted Men, 1864–1865 New Jersey
• Register of Persons Taking Oaths of Allegiance Under Provisions of Department of the East General Order 80 of 1864, October 1864–April 1865 New Jersey
• Lists and Reports Relating to Transfers of Men, 1864–1865 Kentucky
• Receipts for Men Sent to Atheneum Prison, March 1863–July 1865 West Virginia

• See also:
• War Department. Provost Marshal General's Bureau. Office of the Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General for Delaware and Maryland. District of Delaware. (1863 - 08/28/1866)
• War Department. Provost Marshal General's Bureau. Office of the Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General for New Jersey. Office of the Superintendent of the Volunteer Recruiting Service. (ca. 1863 - ca. 1866)
• War Department. Provost Marshal General's Bureau. Office of the Acting Assistant Provost Marshal for the Southern Division of New York. 6th District. (03/03/1863 - ca. 08/20/1866)
• War Department. Provost Marshal General's Bureau. Office of the Acting Assistant Provost Marshal for the Eastern Division of Pennsylvania. 6th District. (ca. 03/03/1863 - ca. 08/20/1866)

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1864 Example 1

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  1863 Example 2

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  1862 Example 3

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  1864 Example 4

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  1863 Example 5

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  1865 Example 6

Coverage Table

A coverage table containing lists of contraband names and slave owners in the collection Union Provost Marshal's File of Papers Relating to Civilians can be found at African American Contraband Records, Coverage Table - FamilySearch Historical Records.