United States, Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865
Index of soldiers who served in the Civil War, 1861-1865 culled from 6.3 million soldier records in the General Index Cards to the Compiled Military Service Records in the National Archives. This index was a joint project of the U.S. National Park Service, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), and the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). Each record provides the full name, regiment, whether Union or Confederate, the company, the soldier's rank, sometimes alternate names, the NARA publication and roll numbers.
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United States, Civil War Soldiers Index
What is in This Collection?
This index was culled from 6.3 million soldier records from the individual state index cards to the Compiled Military Service Records in the National Archives. This index was a joint project of the U.S. National Park Service, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), and the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). This is an index of soldiers who served in the Civil War, 1861 to 1865.Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
This in an index to the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) which is a computerized database containing very basic facts about servicemen who served on both sides during the Civil War. The initial focus of the CWSS is the Names Index Project, a project to enter names and other basic information from 6.3 million soldier records in the National Archives. The facts about the soldiers were entered from records that are indexed to many millions of other documents about Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration. The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a cooperative effort by the National Park Service (NPS) and several other public and private partners, to computerize information about the Civil War.
The goal of the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is to increase public understanding of this era in American history. The index was created to enable the public to make a personal link between themselves and their ancestors. The information in the index is accurate regarding the locator information. However, any index may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.
Related National Archive Collections
- Lists of Military Organizations that were Carded NARA T817
- NARA Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers (Union) Collection Description
- NARA Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers (Confederate) Collection Description
- Regimental and Company Books of Civil War Volunteer Union Organizations, 1861–1867 NAID 577134
- Provost Marshal General's Bureau. Disbursing Branch. Civil War Muster Rolls, 1863–1865
- Service Records of Commissaries of Volunteers, 1861–1865
- Records of Disallowed Claims of Laundresses, ca. 1853–1920 NAID 2591963
Letters
- Requests for Information Relating to Missing Soldiers Which Were Received by Quartermaster James Moore, 1863 - 1867 NAID 606207 RG 92 Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General
- U.S. Christian Commission. Records of Letters Written for Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, 1864–1865
- U.S. Christian Commission. Abstracts of Letters Written for Sick and Wounded Soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, 1864–1865
- U.S. Christian Commission. Nashville, Tennessee. Reports of Letters Written for Soldiers, 1864–1865
- U.S. Christian Commission. Records of Inquiries, 1864–1865
Additional Carded Record Collections
- Claire Prechtel-Kluskens.Compiled Military Service Records Part IV: Carded Medical Records NGS Magazine 40 #4 (October-December 2014): 37-40. FS Library 973 D25ngs
- Carded Medical Records for Soldiers in the U.S. Army, 1821–1912
- Carded Medical Records of Volunteer Soldiers in the Mexican and Civil Wars, 1846–1865 NAID 655646
- Carded Medical Records of Officers, 1861–1865
- Carded Medical Records of Musicians, 1861–1865
- Carded Medical Records of Voltiguers and Pontooniers, 1847–1865 NAID 655650
- Carded Medical Records of the Pioneer Corps, 1861–1865 NAID 655723
- Carded Medical Records of Gunboat and Naval Service, 1861–1865
- United States, National Archives, Carded Service Records of Hospital Attendants, Matrons and Nurses,1861-1865 Finding Aid A - C
- Registers of Regimental Hospitals Carded, 1889–1890
| Tip: Copies of compiled military service records are available from the National Archives. To request copies see: Requesting Pre-WWI Service Records |
To Browse This Collection
| Tip: This collection contains searchable content in the NARA Catalog. They can be accessed by clicking on the National Archives identifier in the Record Description. Once inside the Catalog, click on the "Search Within This Series" |
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Full name
- Regiment
- Whether Union or Confederate
- Company
- Soldier's rank
- Sometimes alternate names
- NARA publication and roll numbers
Collection Content
Sample of indexed information:
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Coverage Table
The following coverable will identify the National Archives indexes to compiled military service records used to create the Civil War Soldiers System with a link to the FamilySearch Catalog. United States Civil War Soldiers Index - Coverage Table - FamilySearch Historical Records
Finding Aids
A NARA finding aid to Compiled Military Service Records Sources for the following states in this collection is available:
Union
- California United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: California
- Connecticut United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Connecticut
- DelawareUnited States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Delaware
- District of Columbia United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: District of Columbia
- Illinois United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Illinois
- Indiana United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Indiana
- Iowa United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Iowa
- Kansas United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Kansas
- Maine United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Maine
- Massachusetts United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Massachusetts
- Michigan United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Michigan
- Minnesota United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Minnesota
- Nebraska United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Nebraska
- New Hampshire United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: New Hampshire
- New Jersey United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: New Jersey
- New York United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: New York
- Ohio: United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Ohio
- Pennsylvania United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Rhode island
- Vermont United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Vermont
- Wisconsin United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Wisconsin
- United States Colored Troops United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: United States Colored Troops
- Veteran Reserve Corps United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Veteran Reserve Corps
Confederate
- Alabama United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Alabama
- Arkansas United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Arkansas
- Georgia United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Georgia
- Florida United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Florida
- Louisiana United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Louisiana
- Mississippi United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Mississippi
- Missouri United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Missouri
- North Carolina United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: North Carolina
- South Carolina United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: South Carolina
- Tennessee United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Tennessee
- Texas United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Texas
- Virginia United States, National Archives, Compiled Military Service Records Sources Civil War: Virginia
Collection Details
Location of Original Records
National Archives and Records Administration
"United States, Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 February 2025. Citing multiple microfilm publications, Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
