Using Military Records at the National Archives

Jean Nudd, Archivist

NARA Northeast Region

Pittsfield, MA

Finding Military RecordsWhat You Need to Know

• Name of Soldier

• What war he was in

• What state he served from

Military Records

2 Things we’re talking about with Military Records

Service FilesPension Files

2 Types of Service Records

Regular ServiceVolunteer Service

Military Records one of the easiest records to use because

they are almost always in alphabetical order.

Service Records

• Compiled Service Records (M860)

• Muster rolls (M881)

• Registers of enlistment in the Regular U.S. Army, 1798-1914 (M233)

• Record-of-events Cards (do not document service of individuals)

• Numbered Records

Compiled Service Records

• Basically pay stubs• Usually cover volunteers• Shows rank, military unit, dates of entry into

service, and discharge or separation by desertion, death or dismissal

• May show age, place of birth and residence at time of enlistment (beginning with the Civil War)

• Spanish-American War and later may show medical data or information on next-of-kin

Muster Rolls

• List of all troops actually present on parade or otherwise accounted for on the day of the muster ore review of troops under arms

• Made to account for the number of soldiers assigned to the unit and to examine their condition, including discipline, instruction, military appearance, arms, accoutrements and clothing

• Also served as a voucher for pay purposes• Beginning in 1821, include a record of events section

that can provide information relating to military activities of that unit such as battles or skirmishes

• Need to know the unit to use these records

M-246 Revolutionary War Muster Rolls

M233, Registers of Enlistment in the Regular U.S. Army, 1798-1914

• Contain information relating to enlistment and termination of service of enlisted personnel

• Registers 1-35, 1798-June 1821 also includes information on officers

• Spans 2 pages and varies in content

• Need to know approximately when a soldier enlisted to use them

M594, Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations

Military Pensions

• Revolutionary War

Had to be killed in the war

Had to be disabled so couldn’t support yourself

Had to live until 1818 and prove you were destitute

Pensions, cont.

• War of 1812

1812 Bounty Lands only

Not until 1871 Pension Act; veterans had to serve at least 60 days

1878 Act allowed pensions to veterans who served as little as 14 days

Most War of 1812 pensions went to widows or underage heirs

Pensions, cont.

• Civil WarFive acts between 1862-1907 provided

pensions based on Civil War service; each extended benefits on more liberal terms

Information in files depends on which act was filed under, number of years survived after the war and whether had a surviving widow or heir

Pensions continuing after 1934 are held by the Veterans Administration

Pension Records

• Same pension index, T288, contains pensions from 1862-1934

• Civil War through Spanish American War• M1279, Case Files of Approved Pension

Applications of Widows and Other Dependents of Civil War and later Navy Veterans, 1861-1910 holds records of over 20,000 approved pensions

• NARA in DC also holds other records such as invalid pension payments, Treasury Dept. pension payment vouchers and Pension Office Field record books