I am looking for the records of my grandfather x4 Charles Richardson Whitman. He served in the 8th Maine infantry during the civil war. He was a private in company F. He may have used the name Charles Stevens. Where did he enlist? Was he decorated? Is the

James1966whitman 

Thank you for posting your question on the History Hub!

If you are researching the service of a soldier who served in a volunteer unit during the Civil War, the best place to start is the Compiled Military Service Records, which are located in Record Group 94 Records of the Adjutant General's Office Entry 519 Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War. The CMSRs were created in the late 19th/early 20th centuries by the Adjutant General's Office, who examined muster rolls, pay rolls, and regimental books for various Union units and copied information about the soldiers that they found in these records onto cards that were then placed in the CMSR envelopes. Personal papers, such as enlistment and discharge forms can occasionally be found in these CMSRs. The CMSRs for Maine are not available on microfilm or in digital form.

Another source of information will be a soldier's pension application. These are located in RG 15 Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs. They are arranged by the type of pension and then by the certificate number. There are two indexes to these records. One is arranged alphabetically by the name of the soldier, and the other is arranged by the unit in which the soldier served. The alphabetical index has been microfilmed as publication T288. The organizational index is available on microfilm publication T289. You may request a reproduction of the CMSR and any pension file online at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/pre-ww-1-records.

We hope this assists you with your research!

Sincerely,
Archives 1 Reference Branch
[RR1R-24-25353-AB]

James1966whitman 

Thank you for posting your question on the History Hub!

If you are researching the service of a soldier who served in a volunteer unit during the Civil War, the best place to start is the Compiled Military Service Records, which are located in Record Group 94 Records of the Adjutant General's Office Entry 519 Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War. The CMSRs were created in the late 19th/early 20th centuries by the Adjutant General's Office, who examined muster rolls, pay rolls, and regimental books for various Union units and copied information about the soldiers that they found in these records onto cards that were then placed in the CMSR envelopes. Personal papers, such as enlistment and discharge forms can occasionally be found in these CMSRs. The CMSRs for Maine are not available on microfilm or in digital form.

Another source of information will be a soldier's pension application. These are located in RG 15 Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs. They are arranged by the type of pension and then by the certificate number. There are two indexes to these records. One is arranged alphabetically by the name of the soldier, and the other is arranged by the unit in which the soldier served. The alphabetical index has been microfilmed as publication T288. The organizational index is available on microfilm publication T289. You may request a reproduction of the CMSR and any pension file online at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/pre-ww-1-records.

We hope this assists you with your research!

Sincerely,
Archives 1 Reference Branch
[RR1R-24-25353-AB]