Seeking Civil War unit reports/histories

Dear Mr. Hutton,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located Regimental and Company Books of Civil War Volunteer Union Organizations, 1861 - 1867; Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations; and Summaries Relating to the History of Various Regular Army Units  in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1917 (Record Group 94).  We also located multiple additional record series related to various regiments.

Records pertaining to Confederate units are in the War Department Collection of Confederate Records (Record Group 109).  Some of the series within this record group with records pertaining to specific units include Record Books of Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Offices of the Confederate Government; Carded Records Showing Service of Military Units in Confederate Organizations; Orders Issued by Various Confederate Commands; Confederate Muster and Pay Rolls; and Confederate Battle Reports.  Depending on the unit, there may be additional information in various other series. Please note that because of the circumstances of the war, not all Confederate records survived the conflict and not all of those that did came into federal custody.

Please email National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) at Archives1reference@nara.gov for more information about the various records in NARA custody relating to Civil War units.  Please be as specific as possible about which units you are researching and what types of information you are seeking.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Other information on the site includes histories of Union and Confederate regiments, links to descriptions of significant battles, and selected lists of prisoner-of-war records and cemetery records, which will be amended over time. The CWSS is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and several public and private partners whose goal is to increase Americans' understanding of this decisive era in American history by making information about it widely accessible.

For both Union and Confederate volunteer units raised by states, there may be additional information in the custody of the relevant state archives. Also, the staff of some Civil War related museums and U.S. state historical societies and museums may be able to assist you with your research.

Many histories have been published about various Civil War units, ranging from books written soon after the war by veterans of the units to works by recent authors. We suggest searching libraries (to include the Library of Congress and relevant state libraries), retailers, and online sites such as Google Books, the Internet Archive, and HathiTrust.

Finally, please review Civil War Records: Basic Research Sources from the National Archives, US Civil War: Selected Resources from the Library of Congress, Civil War Research and Commemoration from the U.S. Army Center of Military History, and Beginning United States Civil War Research from FamilySearch.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!